W221 S350 not starting (doesn’t even try) after service.

[DSK]

Well I took the front fuse box cover off and dry inside so no water issues there I then removed the green starter relay and swapped of for one out of a working to car to no avail I then swapped the small black starter relay next to it and the glow plug light came on and the car started swapped it back to the old one and non start issue returned so I’ve now put the new relay back in and it’s been running and starting fine so let’s see how long it lasts!!

This is the one M2UBR is referring to and it’s his picture. Comes up as the main circuit fuel pump relay part no A0025428319

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[krsebest]

A quick update from me: brought my car to a merc specialist, changed canbus wiring + a corroded starter fuse box they spotted (which is apparently somewhere close to the passanger footwell so water ingress must have caused it). The whole thing cost £550, of which parts only £180.
Probably makes sense that problem was due to a corroded connection for me, as the error only came up during cold weather + I could make it go away by jumping/charging the car (and hence increasing 12.7V max voltage to over 14).
To be seen if indeed this was the cause as the car did not produce any of the non-start issues in the last 1.5 weeks before this repair since weather turned warmer in London.
Planning to go skiing soon, if no start errors come up in -5 degrees than I am 100% sure it's resolved, will report back.

 

[M2UBR]

A quick update from me: brought my car to a merc specialist, changed canbus wiring + a corroded starter fuse box they spotted (which is apparently somewhere close to the passanger footwell so water ingress must have caused it). The whole thing cost £550, of which parts only £180.
Probably makes sense that problem was due to a corroded connection for me, as the error only came up during cold weather + I could make it go away by jumping/charging the car (and hence increasing 12.7V max voltage to over 14).
To be seen if indeed this was the cause as the car did not produce any of the non-start issues in the last 1.5 weeks before this repair since weather turned warmer in London.
Planning to go skiing soon, if no start errors come up in -5 degrees than I am 100% sure it's resolved, will report back.

Now that is very interesting indeed I don’t suppose you have the part number for this item and some better pictures of what this looks like?
Also any idea where exactly this is located in the car?
I’d like to check mine out as it does make sense that it could be the responsible part which causes this issue

 

[DSK]

Mine goes back to garage on Monday.
I will put this onto the list to be checked!


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[Doug1234]

Purchase a can of ACF 50 , take each fuse and relay out one at a time and either use a small paint brush or a cotton bud or even a small piece of foam and just put a drop on the contacts in the fuse box ,or on the fuse / relay pins and then pop them back in.
My Jeeps under bonnet fuse boxes have an open base ( to let water out ) they get dirty and grubby over time and can start to corrode, I used this acf50 and anytime anything is unplugged on the vehicle it gets a shot , headlights / rear lights / tow bar wiring
It works and it can save a lot of issues.

You can find it everywhere online but I just chose this link

ACF-50 ANTI CORROSION CARAVAN & BOAT SPRAY PROTECTION ACF50 13oz UK Supplier | eBay

ACF50 ANTI CORROSION SPRAY. When applied ACF-50 forms an 'Active' ultra-thin clear film that will kill any existing corrosion cells and will protect your bike against new corrosion forming. On areas such as switches or under the tank and seat, one application will last up to 12 months.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Richard Moakes]

Purchase a can of ACF 50 , take each fuse and relay out one at a time and either use a small paint brush or a cotton bud or even a small piece of foam and just put a drop on the contacts in the fuse box ,or on the fuse / relay pins and then pop them back in.
My Jeeps under bonnet fuse boxes have an open base ( to let water out ) they get dirty and grubby over time and can start to corrode, I used this acf50 and anytime anything is unplugged on the vehicle it gets a shot , headlights / rear lights / tow bar wiring
It works and it can save a lot of issues.

You can find it everywhere online but I just chose this link

ACF-50 ANTI CORROSION CARAVAN & BOAT SPRAY PROTECTION ACF50 13oz UK Supplier | eBay

ACF50 ANTI CORROSION SPRAY. When applied ACF-50 forms an 'Active' ultra-thin clear film that will kill any existing corrosion cells and will protect your bike against new corrosion forming. On areas such as switches or under the tank and seat, one application will last up to 12 months.

www.ebay.co.uk

Next time it’s dry, I am going to spray the terminals by the battery and fuse box with ACF-50, never thought of using it for that

 

[krsebest]

Now that is very interesting indeed I don’t suppose you have the part number for this item and some better pictures of what this looks like?
Also any idea where exactly this is located in the car?
I’d like to check mine out as it does make sense that it could be the responsible part which causes this issue

I don't have the part number, but believe that's the same part (on my pics I have taken the old one apart):

MERCEDES S CLASS ,W221, FUSE BOX, A2215402350 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MERCEDES S CLASS ,W221, FUSE BOX, A2215402350 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[M2UBR]

I don't have the part number, but believe that's the same part (on my pics I have taken the old one apart):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16538757...tLH0HbSMD6X8CFUNv3HuqHwaUhBoC1OYQAvD_BwE[/URL

A2215402350 looks like the part nu...cause so much damage on such an expensive car

 

[DSK]

Just had a call from the owner who advises he has not been close to this when the car has been onsite but, has been through all the comms, work history and the extra info I’ve provided including various items in this thread.

He gets where I am coming from and I’m confident the work will be diligent. He’s promised to keep me posted and advised despite all drains being clear that o/s wasn’t as efficient as jt should be. Next step is a water test first. If there’s anything to report whilst they have the car, I will otherwise, it will be around the time I collect it perhaps in another week or two…


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[M2UBR]

Just had a call from the owner who advises he has not been close to this when the car has been onsite but, has been through all the comms, work history and the extra info I’ve provided including various items in this thread.

He gets where I am coming from and I’m confident the work will be diligent. He’s promised to keep me posted and advised despite all drains being clear that o/s wasn’t as efficient as jt should be. Next step is a water test first. If there’s anything to report whilst they have the car, I will otherwise, it will be around the time I collect it perhaps in another week or two…


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On my car the NS drain wasn’t freeing up as it had sludge wedged into the bend on the drain pipe in order to do a proper job I needed to remove the battery and the tray and actually remove the drain completely and wash it out throughly
From my own experience I find this is the best way as it took a few attempts of flushing and reverse flushing to get it completely clear of the sludge that has accumulated over time
The area which is the problem is the bend in the drain itself as it’s narrow at the top near the windscreen and then opens up after the bend
I ended up clearing of the drains totally and also removed any debris that had collected over the years it is worth doing this as you will be surprised at the amount of debris that accumulates
Keep us all posted with whatever the garage finds as this is one thread that is getting close to the root cause many others are suffering from this issue and there is no definitive answer I have a personally experienced this issue of the non start for quite sometime now and finally we are getting somewhere and hope it helps many others too as this is a very common issue and nobody knows what to do.

 

[DSK]

USEFUL UPDATE

- osf drain was inefficient.
- water tests show nothing coming in.
- hole found on car’s floor under the CAN wiring. Looks like something small and sharp has struck it or it’s been jacked incorrectly. No idea how that’s there as I’m very careful and never grounded it, or, hit anything. No idea how long it’s been there but they said it was only seen when the felt etc was removed.
- the hole will be repaired professionally and further water tests performed.
- sunroof drains will also be checked for belt and braces.
- non-start fault replicated and it’s a no start signal (I didn’t get the full technical blurb) from the ECU!
- new ecu is £1300+vat and on back order, so they will ring around and see if a new one can be sourced anywhere on the off chance as well as see if there are any reliable alternative solutions as these units are coded to the car so you can’t just get another used one and swap the info over and hope it works.

So if anyone knows anyone who can supply a new ECU, please let me know!!

Fair play to the owner for giving me routine updates and working on it personally.


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[krsebest]

I don't have the part number, but believe that's the same part (on my pics I have taken the old one apart):

MERCEDES S CLASS ,W221, FUSE BOX, A2215402350 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MERCEDES S CLASS ,W221, FUSE BOX, A2215402350 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Update from me: drove about 1000km for skiing, and non-start issue came back. So don't change the thing that I changed as it won't help...

Probably mine will be an ECU issue too, the garage's first suggestion was that when I went there.

@M2UBR: your non-start issue that you solved with a relay change, was it intermittent or just don't start at all until you changed the relay?

 

[M2UBR]

Update from me: drove about 1000km for skiing, and non-start issue came back. So don't change the thing that I changed as it won't help...

Probably mine will be an ECU issue too, the garage's first suggestion was that when I went there.

@M2UBR: your non-start issue that you solved with a relay change, was it intermittent or just don't start at all until you changed the relay?

It was an intermittent fault but unfortunately my fault has since returned as well
After it returned I have found that when it doesn’t start (glow light doesn’t come on) if I undid the earth lead on the drivers side strut top removed both of them from the mounting point and put them back on it starts fine so a very strange one I’m sure one of the two earth leads there goes to the front SAM so still unsure of the reason why it does this but will update as I am trying different things with mine.

 

[DSK]

UPDATE AND OPINIONS PLEASE

Garage called and left a voicemail.

- floor is repaired.
- there is some trapped water somewhere so they will remove the seats and also check the sills.
- no more water has been coming in during water tests.
- if a new a new ECU is ordered, they can’t guarantee when it will arrive and I have as much faith in MB on this day and age, as I have in a prostitute being clean. So the option is to get a used ECU and clone it to the car.

What does the forum think or have experience with a used ECU being cloned?

Imo I’d rather have new and put this to bed, as how can anyone guarantee a used ECU? Is this cloning option error free?

 

[Blobcat]

UPDATE AND OPINIONS PLEASE

Garage called and left a voicemail.

- floor is repaired.
- there is some trapped water somewhere so they will remove the seats and also check the sills.
- no more water has been coming in during water tests.
- if a new a new ECU is ordered, they can’t guarantee when it will arrive and I have as much faith in MB on this day and age, as I have in a prostitute being clean. So the option is to get a used ECU and clone it to the car.

What does the forum think or have experience with a used ECU being cloned?

Imo I’d rather have new and put this to bed, as how can anyone guarantee a used ECU? Is this cloning option error free?

I had a cloned Engine ECU fitted to my smart, first one appeared good but wasn’t
Second worked perfectly, @alexanderfoti might be able to help with cloning, he did an excellent job on my smart ECU.

 

[supernoodle]

I'd be concerned whether any ECU will fix it. A new ECU is usually just what techs resort to when they don't know what else to try. ECUs don't normally fail intermittently.

 

[DSK]

The owner called again just minutes ago.

So a cloned ECU will be around £665 all done, despite cost not being anything I need to worry about thank to the great lord. Can’t guarantee it but, it will come from their reputable supplier so if it doesn’t work off the bat, they can get it replaced. That is sadly the only realistic option at present, so I have given the go ahead.

When I collect it in another couple of weeks, I will instruct a new ECU to be ordered anyway as that’s the DSK way.

Also they said water was found in the n/s sill and there was some dirt blocking it. I have told them to look at a suitable modification to prevent them blocking etc and put Mercedes 24 carat shite design right.


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[DSK]

I'd be concerned whether any ECU will fix it. A new ECU is usually just what techs resort to when they don't know what else to try. ECUs don't normally fail intermittently.

Well I’ve done the EIS. The owner has always been reluctant to allow me or any one to play parts darts and has been waiting for something concrete to go on. The car has faulted several times on them now and it it’s a star/drive authorisation signal from the ECU. I’m not happy about a used ECU but apparently chip engineers still haven’t returned to work after the deliberate spread of Covid, that thing that stopped the world for 2 years, then was conveniently swept under the carpet, so getting a new one anytime soon has the same odds as me winning the lottery this weekend.


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[alexanderfoti]

I'd be concerned whether any ECU will fix it. A new ECU is usually just what techs resort to when they don't know what else to try. ECUs don't normally fail intermittently.

I agree, I have probably only done 2-3 ecu replacements for actual faults, usually water ingress or power stage related.

Russ, I think yours from memory was zero comms!

 

[DSK]

I agree, I have probably only done 2-3 ecu replacements for actual faults, usually water ingress or power stage related.

Russ, I think yours from memory was zero comms!

Should I read that as ECUs damaged by water ingress or power related, or it’s not the ECU but water ingress or power issues elsewhere?


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