coretexity

I am a newbie to these boards, and have a question. I no longer hear the ebox fan noise on my 99 ML 320 (49k miles). Last I heard it was a bad grinding noise, and that is it - no more noise thereafter. Normally I could hear it almost always after turning the ML off. Now here is the thing - I ran out of extended warranty 4 weeks ago, and I want to be prepared for the sticker shock for this repair. Can someone tell me how to visually locate the ebox fan so that I am sure its out, and secondly, what if I do not get it fixed? I drive 4 miles to/fro to work (hence the low miles) and was wondering how critical the ebox fan is in this situation. Will not fixing it ASAP gurantee frying my electronics? Please help!

sosh

Its in the fuse/relay box on the drivers side under the hood. Yes, you risk doing damage if it does not work. Replacement is not expensive and the new fans are improved. Why would you even not consider fixing it??

alphonsohall

Travelling 4 miles at a time would never be long enough for temperatures to get critical in your fuse box......mine was out for over a year before i did anything about it...........The fix is dead easy......

http://www.keysolutions.com/M-Class....ent&AutoFramed

sosh

Beg your pardon but 4 miles can fry stuff particularly in the summer. Perhaps your deferred repair did cause some damage and its not evident yet. Its likely that it shortened the life of the affected components. Or, maybe you were lucky and the temps stayed within the component limits.

alphonsohall

Begging your pardon, But i strongly dis-agree that travelling 4 miles can raise the temperature in the ebox to a level that could cause damage to the electronics!!....

There are many posts on various MB forums about ebox fan/blower failures as it is a VERY common problem and yet no-one has ever reported any damage caused to the ebox electronics as a result of its failure.
Based on your premise, we should have reports of thousands of ML's by the roadside with burnt-out electronics in the ebox 'cos of a failed fan!...............I certainly havn't had any problems whatsoever during the last year in which i covered about 25k miles and also includes using the vehicle in 36 degree outside temps on occasions when in Spain.

sosh

Again, I disagree with you. First there have been failures of some electronics and some of the failures have occurred well after the fan was replaced. Second, The fan does most of its work when the vehicle is not at highway speeds as when at speed lots of air is forced over the box from the fwd motion of the vehicle. Cool weather like winters in some US areas will negate the need for the fan but summers and short trips and baking in the sun create a need for it. Friend of mine who had a fan failure over a year ago and procrastinated for quite a while has recently had some e box electronic problems and he attributed it to driving last summer without the fan. He is an electronics/avionics engineer. On many aircraft some of the black boxes are fan forced cooled while on the ground If there is a fan failure its mandatory that some circut boards and relays be replaced.If they did not need it it would not be there. I never experienced a fan failure in either of the W163's I have owned and am not certain if my W164 has one

alphonsohall

Looks like we will have to agree to disagree then (-:

coretexity

Thanks guys for your responses.

Here is my (or my ML's) history:

-Bought Sept 2002 as a certified pre-owned from Smythe Eurpoean in San Jose, CA with 27,800 miles.

Here is my timeline, often these things occuring back to back:

Sorry for being not so great with car terminology, but I am sure you guys would fill in the gaps

-O2 Sensors/MAF + Fuel Pump replaced within 2 months of my purchase
-Rear suspension (struts?) replaced
-Brake Pads + Rotors had to be changed, as "I had driven so much to wear off the rotors" at 30k miles. This translates to rotors being fully torn after me driving 3K miles, with no indication whatsoever on the instrument panel. This happened after 3 months of my purchase. That was 600 a pop for 4.
-My service advisor was kind enough to replace the driver side door panel too, when I complained about the sound quality from the speaker on that side.
-Window Switch board replaced (March 03)
-Trip Computer Replaced (May 03)
-Check Engine Light Came up (July 03), they reset it as it was a "false alarm".
-Steering Wheel Column Replaced after a lot of squeaking
-New tires as the ones that came with it ended up with "blisters" on 'em.
-After this I got scared so stopped driving it, and relied 100% on my 2002 Civic.
-Letter in the mail - PS Hose clamps
-Letter in the mail - Harmonic Balancer
-Letter in the mail - Catalytic Converters
-When I went to get the Catalytic Converters fixed, I noticed a drag when downshifting. (April 2006). I insisted a test drive with a tech, he noticed the drag too. Biggest of all snafus - The transmission.
-Replaced (rebuilt?) a transmission (May 06).

Extended Warranty Ran out - June 1st Week, 2006.
Miles to next service = 8500

Here I am now with a broken e-box fan. I am really sick and tired of it. No offense, it has been a great truck when it ran, but I cannot find it in me to trust this vehicle for any road trip beyond 5 miles one way.

I have a wife and a 3 year old baby girl. No matter how strong and sturdy the ML is, I am not confident taking my family with me. Meanwhile I live in Pleasanton, CA where thanks to screwy city planning I hit 9 stop lights and 2 stops before reaching work from home (this is all within 3 miles). I am sure the ML brakes are gonna melt soon, taking the rotors with them.

I checked KBB and edmunds, I'd be lucky to trade it in for 12k. I've made up my mind for an 06 Prius. Not so much for the gas mileage, but more from a tax (3100 credit) and resale value (it retains 75% of value after 5 years I heard). I'd miss the ML when I go to Ikea or Home Depot, but I guess its cheaper to rent a pickup than keep the ML.

Again, no offense - just wanted to share my side of story.

sosh

Many of the items you mentioned are consumable items which include the MAF, O2 sensors and rotors. There is no light that triggers from a worn rotor just pads. The CATs were a problem not only with the ML but many MB models and other european vehicles. Sounds like to me that your ML was used quite hard by the original owner, ie the struts. Its now 7, almost 8 years old and you have had it for 4 years. Rotors in most vehicles last usually thru 2 sets of pads. You are questioning the reliability but its never left you stranded. Re the Prius, yes its got better resale now while demand is high but wait. As far as troubles with it are concerned there are some and you will find out they are not as great as you may percieve. If you are buying a new one you can't compare until you get into the years and mile ownership as the ML. I had 2 W163's a 98 and an 02 before buying my 06. Both of the W163's were OK with a few problems but my dealer took care of all in a very competent manner.

redeye

Sounds to me like you have a "typical" early ML rather than an example driven hard and abused. No matter what the lucky folks say, there's unfortunately a reason that these cars were rated least reliable in North America and the UK year after year in just about every quality survey out there during it's lifetime except toward the end of it's run.

coretexity

Just got back from the local honda dealer, checked out the 06 CRV. Anyway, turns out, he cannot pay a dime more than 9k (he started at 8k). I am gonna have a local shop (not the dealer) take a look at it on Wednesday, fix the eBox fan and take a look at the brake pads. If the local shop dude thinks it can run a 10k miles or so with no *foreseeable* problems, I am gonna keep it.

I do not like my ML, however it does not mean I am gonna throw it away. Kind of feels like I am in love.. (hope not!)

Stiggs

I've got over 73K miles on my 1999 ML430 now. How would I know if the e-box fan is not working? How do you check it?


P.S.

Only gripe I have with my ML now is the damn thing squeeks and rattles worse than ever. Now I"m getting some kind of clunking noise form the driver's side door.
Luckily my radio goes real loud to drown them all out!!

coretexity

If you park your car in a quiet location, or at a quiet time (like midnight) you should notice a little humming sound as soon as you turn off your ignition. This lasts anywhere from 1-2 minutes. That is the ebox fan. Maybe roll your windows down before you put it to a complete stop. It was always really apparent on my ML 320. I never had to roll any windows down or park it in a "quiet" location to hear it.

The experts on this board can add more and maybe easier ways to figure out if your ebox fan is toast.

nsfkid

After reading this thread I thought I would check out my fan. I removed the fan took it apart, cleaned and lubricated it. See attached photo.
I put my key in the photo so you get an idea of how small this fan really is.
I think the easiest way to check to see if your fan is functioning is to turn the ignition key to the last position before starting, lift your hood put your ear close the fuse box you should hear the fan operating. Just a slight humming noise is what you should hear. If you don't hear anything its not working!
Mike

Stiggs

Just want to check......the fuse box is somewhere under the hood...right?

alphonsohall

The fan is manufactured by Bosch, cheaper to buy direct from them......

http://www.boschmotorsandcontrols.co...2828/index.htm

nsfkid

Yes, the main fuse box is under the hood on the left hand side (drivers side) behind the washer fluid bottle.
Mike,

Wolfgang

That's the failure prone first version.

The replacement ebox fan is made by ebm-papst:

http://www.ebmpapst.com/templates/re...dia/RV40_D.pdf

YuCrew

Wolfgang: the manufacturer's part number ending in L, not H, right? Thanks.

Wolfgang

Yes, that comes closest to the MB part as far as I can tell.

mihir_d

the e-box fan.

I have lost 6 relays in the past 4 months in the following sequence

1. Left Turn Signal
2. Fuel Pump
3. Right Turn Signal
4. ABS Pump
5. Windshield Wiper
6. 2nd stage unlock of doors

I have been blaming it sort off to the 93K 6 year age of the truck so far...but this thread has started me thinking about the e-box fan.

I will certainly take it for a long drive tomorrow morning and listen for that e-box fan humming...if it doesn't hummm....there might be more than just the age of the truck to cause these relay failures...

My dealer has adviced me to bring it in for a thourough electrical test if I lose one more relay...since obviously he doesn't want me losing one of the computers on the ML...some of them run upwards of $2500 a pop.

OttoBon100

Just replaced mine this morning. Took less than 30 minutes thanks to the Forums. The chirping/squealing is gone! If you buy it from Benz it will run you almost $100.00. I got an MBCA (Mercedes Benz Club of America) discount. Part no. A 129 545 00 95. No longer made by Bosch but by Papst. I was driving around today and after a year of this getting progressively worse (squealed for almost 10 minutes on the way there!) I just decided to bite the bullet, stop in at my dealer parts section and get it. I used a post on The M-Class Outpost DIY section to do it. Lots of nice pics. At least I saved the labor charge and as a huge plus now I can hear the stereo.

AV8R4AA

i bought a double ball bearing 12VDC motor from EBay. Fits exactly as the old one.
7.95 free shipping.
Works great. This motor won't wear out.
Check it out😞

Maj. Dundee

You never posted a link.

boogiecool

if your fan has failed this will cause the esp module to eventually cook its self this is expensive to fix relace the fan.also suggest some mods to the ebox lid to allow better air flow and temp reduction