ESP unavailable, ABS light on
#1
Member
Thread Starter
ESP unavailable, ABS light on
2005 320CLK convertible.
The wife says she hasn't noticed any errors. Hmmmm.
But left the car sit for 2 days & this afternoon got an ESP error on the dash. The ABS light is on. And it seemed as if the steering was heavy. I accidentally spun the one tire (that's a first) as I came down my steep driveway.
I went into the extra mode on the dash & see dyno mode is ON. I can't seem to turn it off.
The battery is 12.4 off, 14.5 running, though the batter is getting on in years.
It's Sunday, so the local Indy isn't open to have them connect the star to the car. That may be tomorrow.
I haven't done any work on the car for the last month when the serpentine belt was replaced.
I have noticed a metallic rattle (like a loose heat shield) when the wife first pulls away in the morning. That's probably another issue.
Ideas?
The wife says she hasn't noticed any errors. Hmmmm.
But left the car sit for 2 days & this afternoon got an ESP error on the dash. The ABS light is on. And it seemed as if the steering was heavy. I accidentally spun the one tire (that's a first) as I came down my steep driveway.
I went into the extra mode on the dash & see dyno mode is ON. I can't seem to turn it off.
The battery is 12.4 off, 14.5 running, though the batter is getting on in years.
It's Sunday, so the local Indy isn't open to have them connect the star to the car. That may be tomorrow.
I haven't done any work on the car for the last month when the serpentine belt was replaced.
I have noticed a metallic rattle (like a loose heat shield) when the wife first pulls away in the morning. That's probably another issue.
Ideas?
Last edited by clydem; 06-19-2016 at 02:26 PM.
#2
Junior Member
If you go through a few drive cycles (without spinning a wheel) the light will probably reset itself. If it then comes and goes as a problem put it on a scanner.
#3
MBworld Guru
If the battery dies (or is weak or is disconnected), the steering wheel position sensor can need recalibration. To do this, start the engine, and while parked, turn the steering wheel fully lock to lock about three times. If that doesn't fix it then I'd first address the weak battery (i.e. get a new one) as voltage irregularities can cause all sorts of odd problems. After that, if the error persists, I'd get a proper diagnosis.
#4
Member
Thread Starter
This was odd. The star system threw page after page of errors. solenoids, 3 out of 4 speed sensors. And it couldn't take the car out of dynometer mode. This had the junior mechanic baffled. The owner came in & asked if the ECU was original. It is.
He said there was no program/parameters in the ECU and this usually happens if somebody replaces the ECU without transferring the parameters first.
Nope. Just an odd fluke (I hope) He reset them & off I went without an issue. $50 and about an hour & half wasted waiting for their old IBM laptop to boot & start the diags.
He said there was no program/parameters in the ECU and this usually happens if somebody replaces the ECU without transferring the parameters first.
Nope. Just an odd fluke (I hope) He reset them & off I went without an issue. $50 and about an hour & half wasted waiting for their old IBM laptop to boot & start the diags.
#5
MBworld Guru
Well, glad that fixed it! And even on a newer computer, SDS is crazy-slow. I takes me about 20 minutes just to connect it and do something simple. A full diagnostic scan does take about 30 minutes, then additional time to check the individual system that show faults.