W210 E240 won't crank,stuck in Park...

[Nick66]

Hi,I have a 2000 E240 with 120 K on the clock,in the last few weeks I had several occasions of ABS ESP warnings coming on during the driving which disappeared on restart and I suspected failing brake switch.Few days ago while driving the warnings came on ( ABS,ESP ) and gearbox went in the limp mode,so i pulled over and tried to restart the car.The car would not crank at all,there was no display of the gear on the dash and the gear stick is stuck in Park position.I had the car towed back home,ordered and replaced the brake switch( MB part A0015459509) but no difference. Any ideas or tips ? Thanks

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Either the selector module has a fault and it thinks its in R or D or the relay for the start enable has jammed. Its also possible that the ABS light is a complete red herring and a separate fault.

 

[Nick66]

Thanks,the relay for the start ,where is it and is that K40 module?

 

[Nick66]

Another question,if I replace the whole gear selector unit with the second hand one,will it need coding?

 

[om613]

No it won't.
What's your part number as I've got a spare ?

 

[Nick66]

Thanks,I will check tomorrow,it is facelift W210 ( with PRND + /- not PRND 1 2 3 4),although I will first check the relay for the start enable as Steve kindly suggested , hoping it is easier to replace.I did remove and put back the shifter unit on my old 98 E320 w210 to change the module inside ( which wasn't the fault ) and still have the unit and spare module stashed somewhere (where?) but it is the older PRND1234 type.
What makes me suspicious that it might be the gearbox related is the fact that on the info cluster there is no letter P displayed for gears , just the full square and gear lever is stuck in P. I don't think I messed up when changing the brake switch as it seems it can only be fitted one way,although the instruction sheet referred to the 1.2 mm spacer to be inserted between the metal part of the brake housing and the tip of the switch but I could not see any.Despite being epically skint I will have to fix it since the car is not rusty at all and it has LPG.Thanks,Nick

 

[om613]

Mine's a tiptronic unit from a running V reg. E320 cdi that I broke up.

 

[Nick66]

Where in London are you?

 

[om613]

Near Chingford, E4.

 

[Nick66]

Near Chingford, E4.

I will keep it in mind,how much would you want for it?

 

[om613]

I will check ebay, to beat the lowest prices.
I'd think about £40?

 

[Nick66]

Let me do the relay first,thanks

 

[Nick66]

Update on my woes...
I changed complete fuse box part A 000 540 00 72.Put the key in the ignition and display on the dash now read P instead of full rectangle.Started the car and it run,but gearlever still stuck in Park.Put a pencil in the hole and shifted in R and D and moved the car a yard or so.ABS ESR warnings shown.Stopped the engine,key out,tried to start again,back to old symptoms,no P indicated on display,no crank.Inspected the fuses on removed fusebox,found one 10A fuse burnt(see picture) not sure yet what is it for.Checked the same fuse on installed fusebox,now burnt,it was ok before installed.Changed the fuse , put the key in,P again displayed.Did not start the car,went home to ask help on the forum.Any ideas?
P.S. Reading on some other MB forums it seems that there might be a small fan/blower underneath ECU box on the side which fails and gives similar symptoms possibly part no 2105450595.Anybody heard of this?

 

[Nick66]

wow...following tips from US mb forums , I disconnected the wire for the fan(clips in on the corner by big 40 A fuse) ,replaced the fuse that burnt out again,and now everything works,car cranks,starts,gearlever,moves,ABS ESR lights are out...I am going now to test drive for a few miles...

 

[Nick66]

15 miles and 10 restarts later,everything is ok,shows P or gears on display,starts,shifts,drives,no abs/esp/asr lights or warnings or malfunction messages..In hindsight,I probably did not to change the whole fuse box(FUSE RELAY BOX A0005400072),just disconnect the fan and change blown 10A fuse.All I have to figure out now is how to replace or repair that fan/blower underneath ECU box...

 

[Nick66]

Would anybody know what are implications for using the car without that fan/blower for ECU?

 

[Naraic]

Would anybody know what are implications for using the car without that fan/blower for ECU?

None...mine was disconnected for years. If you lived in a hot country...

 

[Nick66]

Thanks, it might get hotter in the case of no deal Brexit...

 

[LostKiwi]

Thanks, it might get hotter in the case of no deal Brexit...

Nah, it'll get colder as we slide gracefully under the waves....

 

[Smartchoice]

None...mine was disconnected for years. If you lived in a hot country...

Good morning, I am having this same issue. My scanner OBD2 says p0705, p0720, and p0600 consistently. Brake lights working.
I removed the battery for a day and tried nick66 solutions.. found a blown 10A fuse in the k40 relay. Replaced it and now car shifts perfectly from park into D, N R etc. However 10km later the parking brake lights and check engine light came on on the instrument cluster and no speedometer reading.... Gear on limp mode with significantly reduced speed...

I parked and scanned...same error codes. Which I cleared and continued the trip... Help needed to solve this issue. Thank you