BlazedC230K

So I have searched and cannot find anything at all pertaining to this issue, well i found one thread that was exactly what I was going through however the thread had died. So I turn to the Mercedes demi-gods and pray someone out there can answer this.

My high beam indicator will start flashing and as soon as this happens a load of other errors begin to pop up. Sometimes it will say low brake fluid, it's not low. Once when this happened it said battery/alternator, but that only happened once out of a dozen or so times so far. My turn signals stop working, the door locks stop working, my parking brake lamp illuminates, the windows stop working, windshield wipers stop working for the most part sometimes they will work just no control in speed variation, the radio will cut on and off, the lighting for my instrument cluster cuts off if i have my headlights on but the led screen stays lit reading my trip meter but not the odometer and the high beam indicator srs and other lights stay on, gas gauge may or may not work during this, tail lights will occasionally turn off and substitute lamps turn on, reverse lights stop working, but the car performs just fine during all of this.

I do feel as if I may be leaving out a few errors but I think the point is clear, someone told me it could possibly a rear SAM, but before I jump into replacing that I was hoping someone else could shed some light on this issue. My baby isn't under warranty and I'm really a DIY kinda guy but I have no clue when it comes to electrical stuff like this. Someone else said it could be bad relays but I have no fuse diagrams except the one I found on here but that tells me nothing about relays or there locations. Somebody please help lol.

phister

Sounds like a faulty front SAM since a lot of those issues connect to that. do you have any CEL? You might follow the wires to see if there is a grounding wire or exposed one. Electrical issues could all come down to just that or be big as replacing the SAM

Glyn M Ruck

For the front SAM:

Relay Cavity
I Fanfare Horn System Relay
K Terminal 87 relay, Chassis
L Wiper speed 1 and 2 relay
M Terminal 15R relay
N SEQ {ASG} pump control relay (w/code 424
Sequentronic automated manual trans. (asg))
O Air pump relay (engines 112, 113, 271 only)
P Terminal 15 relay
Q Wiper on/off relay
R Terminal 87 relay, engine
S Starter relay

For the rear SAM:

Relay Cavity
A Fuel Pump Relay
B Relay 2 Terminal 15R
C Reserve Relay 2
D Reserve Relay 1
E Rear Window Defroster
F Relay 1 Terminal 15R
G Filler Cap Relay Polarity Reverser 1
H Filler Cap Relay Polarity Reverser 2

Front SAM



Rear SAM

BlazedC230K

so i do have a CEL but it is for my upstream O2 sensor. i did quite a bit of searching last night and read that it could possibly be the radio malfunctioning and causing a miscommunication in the CANBUS. So This morning the first thing I did was pull out fuse 64. Now last night if I turned her on and sat for five minutes or less the car would go haywire, a total loss to all systems i stated earlier. Now I pulled the fuse and started her up and.........NO ISSUES!! I drove for roughly 15-20 minutes and still nothing went out on me. I dont want to rely solely on the idea of a bad radio but on the scheme of things it probably isn't the worst lol. So now all I can think to do is to drive it for a day or so and see if the issues arise again if they do then obviously it isn't the radio. If they do not come back after a day or so I will replace the fuse to see if it is the culprit.

BlazedC230K

Glyn ty so much I have been searching and searching and searching for a diagram that included the relays as well. You are THE MAN!

phister

you should have that paper in your interior fuse.

samaritrey

I think hooking your car up to Star would be necessary once you check for obvious issues.

BlazedC230K

So day two of driving without the radio fuse and none of these issues has reoccurred. Tomorrow morning i am going to replace the fuse to see if it all comes back. I have checked my earth points and all look good same with fuses and other wiring throughout the engine bay. I have found a couple threads that stated the radio could be my issue, especially since my sams are acting just fine when the radio is inoperable. Opinions? If it were to turn out to be my issue what are some better methods to go about getting an aftermarket head unit installed? Would is resolve the issue as well or would I be better off shipping the stock head unit to Becker for repair?
And I agree that I do need to get her hooked up to Star. Money is kinda tight at the moment and I have been looking for a shop or individual who has a sds who isn't going to kill me on price. Stealership over here wanted $280

Glyn M Ruck

Sounds like the radio is corrupting the D2B network. Many aftermarket units will work.

Also see Audio10.com

BlazedC230K

Thanks again Glyn, this was my thought exactly after I had removed the fuse.


So for the most recent update. I put fuse 64 back into place a couple of minutes ago, and almost immediately the issues reoccurred. This time they didnt not seem to be popping up with as much ferocity as the other day but after a couple restarts the issue was clearly evident to me. While these errors were popping up either my radio would cut off or dim like it wanted to cut off, so i removed the fuse while this was happening and like magic they were gone instantaneously. I have had my battery and alternator tested and all seems to be well. So I'm gonna go with the radio first, as opposed to replacing sam units since it is far far easier and less expensive.
If I were to install an aftermarket head unit myself is there any other parts I would need besides the head itself? I do not have the Bose system so I do not think fiber optics are involved but please correct me if i am wrong. To me it seems like a simple plug and play type situation but with Mercedes ya never know if it is going to be overly complicated.

Thanks again to you all!!!

Glyn M Ruck

You can either install an Audio10 or go for a Double DIN Pioneer AVIC or similar from one of the major guys.

You will need an interface module to keep the d2b ring whole which is available & to maintain your steering wheel controls & cluster display.

Your unit is all hard wired apart from the d2b ring so you should have no difficulties. These should be your present Pin-Outs.

C230 Sport Coup

Wow, thats a new one. I know whenever I get SDS hooked up it says I have canbus issues. My CD changer long ago quit.
I bought another one, same result, not seen by the system.
Put the radio from Audio 10 back to stock, still nothing... gave up on CD changer, but still have one sitting around.
What else screws up canbus comm?

BlazedC230K

So far I'm not sure on what exactly is going wrong between the stereo and canbus but it is more than likely something inside of the head unit itself or maybe something pertaining to wiring I have read on a couple of threads and from talking to some people on here that replacing the head unit itself should resolve these issues. What issues are you experiencing when the canbus malfunctions?

BlazedC230K

Do I have to go go double din with the new HU or can I get a single din that would be d2b compliant? Obviously the double din units are better, and who wouldn't want an upgrade like that, but since money is an issue I'd like to be able to get away with a little cheaper than the average ticket on a Pioneer AVIC. What other manufacturers are good for this upgrade?

BlazedC230K

also I do not have the cd changer pretty much the standard radio is installed currently. No phone hookup needed, no bose, no teleaid, etc. just am/fm cassette, although the phone option is there just not hooked up.

C230 Sport Coup

My 1st thought was oil in the engine harness from the cam magnet.
Have you checked that?
That issue plays havoc.

Glyn M Ruck

No - you can go single DIN - Most units will be fine. Chat to your local installer about units they have prevoiusly installed trouble free or ask the question on the audio forum. I'm sure the chaps will give you a long list. If you don't care about steering wheel control & cluster display you can fit anything.

Glyn M Ruck

Just remember that your car has a d2b ring & not the later MOST ring installed from 2005 facelift.

Glyn M Ruck

BTW - excuse me for changing the thread title ~ I have done it to make future searches easy. Our search function can be a little clunky.

edgarinho10

You can also try another OEM stereo to make sure it's just the stereo and not the wires connected to it.

We can help on the DIY. Most if not all the steps are on the forum but worse case scenario a Skype session could be set up.

umolina

Can each individual module be replaced? Say the rear defroster module only? Where can I get it? Does it need to be programmed?

Thanks

Glyn M Ruck

Each module can be replaced. No programming required. Only a complete SAM needs programming.

Dealer or places like RMeuropean.

BlazedC230K

Unfortunately I don't have access to an OEM head unit besides the one in my car, which is suspect. So now my question is how can I test the wires to make sure they are not the culprit without using a different head unit?

edgarinho10

I'm assuming the SAM is programmed via SDS?

Is the EIS the only thing that comes VIN coded and can't be reprogrammed?

edgarinho10

Where are you located?