outbackjackinoz

Hi All,

Just brought a ML270. It is a 2000 model, being made in 1999. It has an orginal 118000kms. I am in Darwin, Northern Territory Australia. It had been sitting around for more than 12 months in a shed.

I am totally new to Mercedes and the ML270.

It has several problems that I will need to fix.

A/C - it did have some gas but doesnt work. Found out the clutch was open circuit. So that replaced. A/C still doesnt work and nearest place to get it fixed with out costing thousands is thousands of Kilometers away.

Drivers Window - It is slow to go up and you need to press the button several times.

Stereo - has orginal radio cassette. It doesnt turn on. I have a new one to replace it.

Left hand front brake - strong smell of brakes and it runs hot.


BAS/ESP Light - this comes on after a minute or so after driving.

Air Vents - are pushing out this black rubber stuff, its is getting over the interior and is like grease.

Trip Computer - No Back light. It also in MPG etc. Not sure I can change it to Liters to kilometers or such.

Low Range - Light flashes a few times when you try to engage it. Light doesnt stay on.


I am hoping I can get the A/C going, it is very humid here. Tommorrow I am going to purchase a new pressure switch. I am hoping this can fix it.

Several other little problems and have only driven it over the last few days.

Maj. Dundee

I hope this covers everything.

outbackjackinoz

Wow thanks for the response Maj Dundee.

I am in Croc Dundee territory............

I will get a mechanic to check the brakes out.I have also seen on the net that the BAS/ESP Light could be caused by a faulty brake switch.

The rest is pretty simple stuff and I did a search before posting and found out most things. I was just putting the info up, however it was great you responded and confirmed this.

A/C is my main concern at the moment. It could be a costly excercise. Although we have around 100000 people in Darwin. There is very little support for Mercedes. Closet real support is probably around 3000kms.

With the A/C once the clutch was fixed, there was no 12v to the compressor, hence reason to replace the pressure switch to try and fix the fault. According to the mechanics scan tool , it orginally showed a fault stating A/C open circuit.

I have the orginally owners manual and will study it over the next several nights.


I think the stereo is dead, nothing comes up on the screen at all...... However I will try to put the code in tommorrow.

vmystikilv

pull the radio out and make sure the harness is plugged in. if so do a volt check on the power wire to make sure its getting power, if not, check the fuse

outbackjackinoz

I will check stereo out later. Last of my problems really........

Found another fault this morning, well actaully over the last two mornings.

It is 30 Degrees C plus here, even in the morning. Plus pretty high humidity.

When I try start the car first thing in the morning. It will not crank, after about 5 or 10 attempts it will. Rest of the day it is fine. It will just crank once. Like I said rest of the day its fine. Not sure what is going on there.....

A/C still not fixed and in this climate it is unbearable to drive around in.

Maj. Dundee

Well the sensible thing to do is remove both battery cables and clean them and both battery posts. Make sure the key is out of the ignition. Negative cable goes on last.

outbackjackinoz

oK thanks, I planned to do this, as well load test the battery etc.

Its strange that it only does it in the morning.

art_arev

It is not strange.... If your cables are not clean and the battery doesnt get charged properly or the battery is faulty it will not keep the charge & it will discharge overnight. So in the morning you will have issues starting the car.

outbackjackinoz

Had the battery on charge and it still will not start, unless I use 2nd vehicle for a jump start.
So it appears battery needs replacing. I will do that on the weekend.
Replaced pressure switch and put some gas back into A/C system. Still doesnt work. So will check that out over the weekend.

Also will check out why the Radio is not working, however that is the least of my problems.

outbackjackinoz

OK installed new battery, still same fault.

Will only turn over once, then have to do same for around 15 goes, then it will start. Once its done in the morning, it doesnt do it during the day.

Still have a A/C fault. However got a little progress. It had A/C open circuit fault when checked out. It wasnt cleared. Apperantly the AAM will not provide 12v to the compressor until it is cleared

So question is there software and cable that will allow me to do this? Also to assist in fault finding, if I get the right software and cable, I will be able to bypass things and command the AAM to provide 12v for the compressor.

Also booked into Mercedes dealer to replace brake switch under factory recall.

Maj. Dundee

The bold portion is not grammatically correct so it does not make sense.

1. When you turn the key and hold it for the first time in the morning does the engine keep cranking?

2. What happens the next time you try and start the engine? Any sound at all?

outbackjackinoz

OK sorry,

What happens is this,

I try to start vehicle. It will only turn over once but not start, then I have to release the key and try again. After about 15 odd tries, it will turn over until it starts

art_arev

Lets do this again................
You turn the key and the engine cranks, but doesnt start. You try again ,the engine cranks but doesnt start. You do the same for about 15 times ,the engine cranks and only starts the last time......
Is that what you mean?????

After you clarify the above please try the folowing and get back to us. Turn the key to position 2, wait for about 5seconds and start the car. Does it start straight away?

outbackjackinoz

OK sorry guys and gals, I will try again.

First thiing in the morning.

Car will crank once, thats it. If you try to crank again, nothing happens.
So you have to completly turn key back to the off position.
Then you have to try again, where again it will only cranks once, repeating the above steps about 10 or so times. It will crank and then start.

So its not like its actually cranking, but failing to fire. Its not crank after one turn, if this makes sense.

It will do nothing in the position 2 place. You need to completely go to lock and start the process.

outbackjackinoz

Just to add, it does it mostly in the morning. Once you manage to get it started in the morning, it will not play up all day.

I know its not glow plugs, it doesnt crank intially and then when it does, it starts.

outbackjackinoz

Not sure if its clear enough.

It will only crank the once, you need to turn key off and try again. After about 15 goes, it will crank more than once and start.......

Normally after this, it will start fine all day.

Bezalel

Hope you've got the cranking problems sorted out!

How are you getting on with fixing your air conditioning? It doesn't work at all in my ML320 (2000), but as it only gets to 30C for about three days a year in the north of the UK it isn't a real issue. I'd still like to get it fixed but I'm concerned when I hear it could cost thousands! I'd be interested to hear how you got on fixing it.

I was wondering if some of the cranking problems arise from the car having been parked up for a while - I was thinking of having my car off the road for a bit (before I go bankrupt running it!), and wondered if there are precautions that should be taken beforehand, or how often it should be fired up if not used?

Your car looks a lot neater and cleaner inside and out than mine!

outbackjackinoz

OK update.

Took vehicle to local MB Stealer. I told them not to spend a lot of time on it, becuase we have done most of the fault finding. They spent 3 hrs on it, with a bill of over 700 AUD. Finally confiremd AAM is faulty, replacement cost is over 2k AUD. Not sure what to do.

DrX

G'day outbackjack. Under no circumstances should you buy an AAM from an Oz MB dealer. You can buy a brand new one directly from the US for $372 + shipping. Install it yourself then take to MB or preferably a capable indie mechanic for programming.

You could also get a 2nd-hand one from an Oz or US wrecker.

Please rephrase your starting problems because your descriptions are hard to comprehend. It is a normal function of your car that prevents the engine from starting again until the key has been turned back to position 0.

outbackjackinoz

Thanks Doc.

I cannot find a US dealer who will ship to Oz and also accept Oz Credit Card. Still looking around.

According to local Merc Dealer, AC fault is due to faulty AAM. I hope they are right, they cost me over 700 to diagnose.

With the starting issue, I guess its been a little hard to explain.

First thing in the morning.
I will try to start the car, rather than the engine cranking over until it starts. It will only crank the once, then you need turn back the key to the O position and try agian.

After about 10 tries it will crank over until it starts.

outbackjackinoz

Also no indie Merc guys that I have found here with right scan tools to program AAM etc

outbackjackinoz

These guys will ship to Oz. But never used them before. Did a look on Google street view, doesnt look like a big place and no MB signs on the front.

http://rtpartsco.com/?type=parts&start=1&home=1

DrX

If you want it ASAP, then place an paid online order with this place, for MSRP of US$464:
http://www.mbpartsworld.com/showAsse...roduct=7714332

Include your VIN. They will reply by e-mail to arrange payment of shipping (around US$100).

If you want to save more money and don't mind waiting an extra week or 2, then order from http://www.mbonlineparts.com (an MB dealership in New Jersey), pay using PayPal, and sign up to a freight forwarder (such as http://www.bongous.com) who will provide you with a US address and forward your package. It's a bit of extra paperwork (providing ID documents to register) to save around US$80.

Edit: I found a place similar to rtpartsco that has a better price, accepts PayPal and mentions international orders: http://www.mercedespartsoutlet.com/o...635452532.html If they won't ship O/S, then you need to use a freight forwarder.

outbackjackinoz

Thanks, I have gone ahead with Rtpartsco, heres hoping it all turns out ok.

I will post how I go, expecting 2nd week of Jan for it to be here and installed.

Bezalel

If anyone is interested in second hand ML parts from a UK ebay source, I've had some good stuff from these guys: New and Old Car Parts (run by Danny)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Car-Parts-...252DBenz&rt=nc

Hope this link works!

Their stuff varies in price a lot - small useful things (easy to store and post) are more expensive and bulky things (collect only) are cheap - to take an extreme range, all five leather seats and door cards from an ML 270 W163, in good condition, were £100GBP, but a plastic bumper cover piece might be £50GBP. I have found them friendly and helpful, and calling by to collect a couple of doors (only £50 each, but petrol was £175....), they seemed well organised and have a wide range of car parts, not just ML W163, but they are a specialism of this shop. Most stuff is 'buy it now', and 'Paypal' only. They are about 30 mile NW of London, for anyone in the UK.

With anything bought secondhand on ebay, getting the right thing is hit and miss, so you have to check that the part codes are right! When you really need something to work, buying new is often the best bet, but is generally two or three times the price of secondhand.

Hope the new AAM gets put in well and programmed right!