TurboTuner

Do all Mercedes E320 '96 models have traction control? I read somewhere on the net that they do, but they don't have the switch to turn them off. is this true? I noticed on my Benz, that the traction control light on the gauges light up when I lose grip. I was told that it could just be a light to let you know that you are losing grip, but not necessarily mean you have traction control.

Appreciate any responses.

Thanks

Ted

Brozyniak

Don't know about 1996 E320s but my 1998 E430 displays a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark when the ESP kicks in. If you turn it off then the symbol stays on permanently.

You should be able to feel the traction control kicking in though. Try wheel spinning a bit!

bigtire

I have a 96 E320 and am curious about the same thing. The yellow triangle lights up when tires spin. I did not think this car had traction control. If it does, that would explain why it drives so crappy in the snow and ice. I hate traction control, and anti lock brakes for that mater. I don't like a car making decisions for me. I can tell when the wheels are spinning or locked up.

E-Klasse

The 96 has traction control as part of the antilock braking system. I tried to dyno test my car and the traction control would not let me. Some have a switch to turn it off but I think that did not come out until 97. The yellow triangle will flash in the center of your speedometer when the traction control detects that one wheel is spinning faster than the other.

apb

I think standard models just had a limited slip differential, while an option was ASR which is the system that controls the rear brakes. Models with ASR do not have limited slip since that function is accomplished throught the brakes.
My guess is that you have a limited slip and not ASR, and certainly not ESP which became an option in later years.

jimmydagreek

First of all, to hate traction control is one thing, you can buy the shut off switch and have it wired in. I read someone did this on another forum but don't know how he did it. As for hating anti-lock brakes, that's not really smart. They have saved my a** a hundred times over. Try braking hard when you're weaving in and out of traffic or when someone cuts you off and see what happens in cars without ABS, goodnight to your front end...

Serriously though, when you see the yellow triangle start to blink on your cluster, no matter how far you push the gas pedal, the car will not go. You should be able to feel it immediately!

E-Klasse

Limited slip and traction control are two different things. The traction control used the rear brakes to slow down the wheel that is spinning faster than the other. My 96 has traction control but no switch to turn it off. When I had it on a dyno, the rear brakes kept slowing the wheels down and the yellow triangle was flashing on my instrument cluster.

jimmydagreek

I agree and I can't remember where I saw it E-Klasse but you might try asking scorchie or one of the other knowledgeable guys in this forum if and how you can wire the switch in your car if you're interested. I think it was a kit or something...

E-Klasse

I heard about the kit but think that it was for an unreasonable price and when it was switched off it disabled the ABS as well. Not to safe but could be used duing testing on a dyno. I think I read to that it can be disabled temporarily with a diagnostic tool or some special routine or combination of steps.

jimmydagreek

Disabling the ABS while on the street, not a good thing. If that's truly the case, have them disable it with that tool of some sort if possible and then run the dyno. Good luck on your testing and post if you are able to have the traction control temp. disabled. Thanks.

scorchie

Yes, I believe he mentioned that cars with ASR don't have limited slip, so it seems he was implying that they are two different things.

Regardless, you are correct that an ASR-defeat switch kit is available... but I am not sure if it applies to your particular year/model (I mostly saw it for either the C36 or SL500, 1995 models I believe).

Whether it is expensive or not... that's a subjective thing. []

You could always look for a control system from a newer model in a wrecking yard, and install that module and an appopriate switch. That would be more fun... hacking.

-s-

E-Klasse

This is the option I was talking about in the picture.

W210 with ASR off switch.

gmacosta

When I bought car last year, I had to smog it. The tech never put the car on the Dyno thing at all. He said it would kick in the
ASR so I guess we cant shut it off. I too have 1996 W210.

TurboTuner

Thanks for all the great replies. It does blow that you cannot turn the system off. Any idea how much this switch to turn off the ETC system is? Maybe for us '96 W210s we can do a group buy! It would be fun to slide the rear out sometimes.

Brozyniak

[off topic]Nicely vacuumed carpet there E-Klasse [/off topic]

jimmydagreek

I agree but did you just get your car back from the shop or something when you took that pic? I can see the paper mat on the drivers side floor...

E-Klasse

Well that is not my car in the picture because mine doesn't have that switch. I was looking for one that did because in another post it was said that it may not be available for the W210 model.

scorchie

I think that post said that particular year/model, not the W210 model.

-s-

E-Klasse

From Mercedes:

"ASR (Automatic Slip Reduction or Acceleration Skid Reduction) traction control as a standard feature on the E-Class. This system knows if one wheel is spinning faster than the other, and applies the brakes to that wheel. If braking is not enough, ASR will reduce engine power by backing off the electronic throttle. This advanced traction control system significantly helps to keep the car going in a straight line on slippery surfaces."

No word on how to turn it off...

jimmydagreek

Check to see if the switch kit is avail. for the W210's and what the costs would be. It will depend on how you drive your car to validate spending the money to be able to turn the ASR off. I guess it's personal preference. Unless you want to film a burning tires video like Poch?

MKAZEM

I have a 96 E320 and its showing me " ASR Accelerated skid control " on the display while driving at the same time I'm losing the ability to push gas. I'm not sure whether my traction control is really working. I've seen a couple of videos on Youtube telling me that the display problem is caused by a brake light switch, but no one mentioned having a problem with the gas paddle as well.