nanu13

I spent 5.5 hours dead in the water waiting AAA so yes, did use the search button lol. Now I'm on my laptop writing this thread.

1st I would like to say thank you in advance. these forums are full of helpful folk and man i'm appreciative thus far. 2nd i realize buying a STAR can probably no longer wait. So I'll be making that purchase this weds.

OK, so I think those i've talked to know i've had that weird ongoing SAM issue. I mention it now in case it has any relevance.

Anyway, made a spontaneous decision to buzz through the car wash today before my shift while running errands because I haven't had the time to get out the hose.

Never turned her off. Put her in neutral and rode through the wash. When the green go light started blinking I put her back in drive and waited to get back on the street back in traffic. She felt torque-y and when i glanced down I saw the tach was approaching 4k at low speed. In other words she didn't shift gears. That was also when I saw the ABS light flick on. Then I think BAS, ESP etc after that.

I'd had her get stuck in gear before when punching her through corners at higher speeds. So I pulled over, and came to a complete stop before putting her into neutral. My memory is a little vague about what happened next. Wether I put her back in drive and got no tranny engagement or if i tried to cycle the ignition in neutral. (I've had the tranny disengage after sudden hard stops from speed Like slam the brakes. Like someone cut me off super danger close on a back road or realizing i'm not going to make the light when i thought i could on the way to work lol. I assumed this is some normal safety feature?) Either way, whatever I did, didn't work so I put her in park and cycled the ignition except she wouldn't turn over. When i say cycle ignition, i mean turn all the way off and then to start position. When I say turn over, i mean it doesn't attempt to engage the starter or crank or make any engine noise whatsoever.

This is when I realized that the gear selector won't go out of park either. So no neutral, no drive, no nothing. Just park. EVERYTHING else works including airmatic pump.

-No dash errors
-key turns freely to start position
-Selector won't leave park (never had stiff issue or otherwise)
-All other equip seems to work
-New battery in May this year 2015
-Tried swapping my L (driver) SAM w.spare in the trunk
-Disco'd + batt terminal
-Checked fuses.
-Lifted pass side carpet, but didn't see fuses just some sort of black wiring block for red coated wire. I thought theres supposed to be fuses there?
-Checked both SAM boxes for moisture inside. none. but i could see water did make it under the hood and a little splashed on the SAM/fuse box covers.
-All 3 brake lights come on when they should
-No gear indicator at all, was also missing while driving

Haven't tried spare key yet.
Haven't located trunk fuse panel above battery under carpet yet.

I know it was a long read but I want to be thorough and up front with what i know. I know i'm a little stressed and overwhelmed with all the reading so a little guidance please?

What steps have I missed?
What should I try/look for next?
Can I rule out the CPS?

Maybe steps to take once I have possession of a STAR?
Is there any way to rule out EIS?

nanu13

Tried spare key. No difference. Still turns to start but no crank or turn over

Also noticed steering wheel hasn't locked

ibeforreal

You certainly have a multitude of problems probably caused by one or two things.

As far as the car being stuck in park well that is a known problem on these cars if the gear shifter has never been replaced. There is a piece of black plastic in the shifter that breaks off and jams the lever in park. There is a video or two on youtube about the stuck in park problem. However, your stuck in park may be caused by other electronics malfunctioning.

Have you checked the reed valve which sits on the passenger side of the engine (USA Version) near the windshield. IT looks like the cover of a grate. Make sure that is clear of leaves and other debris. When these things clog they will cause the water to back up into the car creating a ridiculous amount of electronic problems. It has a hole in the bottom where the water drains out. Just pour a cup of water into the grate and you should see the water on the ground. Attached is a picture of the cowling drain or reed valve.

You might try using a blow dryer to just make sure everything is dry inside the fuse boxes.

Take a look at this thread to get an idea of what the reed valve looks like - post #2.

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...-blinking.html

nanu13

Yea i'm familiar with the reed valve. I looked in it with a flashlight before purchasing the car after a little research. I also check it from time to time whenever we've had rain and its still clean in there. Haven't seen any leaves or dirt etc. Do they just fill up and overflow out of the top or what?


I hear you about the park issue. Since it happened only once ever and at the same time as the rest of this things I think more likely to be electronically related related.

I checked the SAM boxes less than 5 minutes after the car wash and found no moisture and what looked to be dry seals. Theres a rubber or silicone gasket or something on my covers. I even later pulled out the L driver SAM to get all the way to the bottom of the box. But at this point I still think it couldn't hurt to get out the hair dryer

Do you know the rear seat location of the fuses and/or SAM? Is it do you just pull the carpet off the metal seat hump until you get to the floor or….
Any other suggestions while I'm at it?

nanu13

Well somehow managed to make things worse. Brought up carpets, panels etc and found the rear SAM and some box distribution panel in the trunk. Everything looked fine. Pulled a fuse here and there if i couldn't see the whole filament. Thought i had found some evidence of moisture but turns out it wasn't water but what looks to be some VERY old soda spilled or something on the impermeable layer under the seat between IT and the rubber mat. No drinks allowed in my car so it wasn't me or my passengers.

Anyway decided to give it another go or two at the ignition after that. That was when I heard the airmatic come on for a couple seconds again. Then I decided to see if AC works too (obviously not the compressor). Blower came on and digital display. I hit the recycle cabin air button since i figured it needed to be toggled from when I had put it on at the car wash to keep out the sickenly sweet soap smell. BOOM. Blackout. No dash lights, ac panel, radio, nothing.

All I have now is key fob door lock/unlock, and trunk light but no pneumatics including trunk pop. Forgot to check dome lights in the rear but nothing on the front. Also I mustve activated my thought to be failing summer mode because my rear windows are down, of course now i can't get them back up. WWWHHHHYYYY!

Battery is on the charger now but the MM said 12.38 before I connected the leads. So I don't think its related to low voltage

So now what? Anyone? Bueller?

ibeforreal

Check the fuses that are on the right side of the dash column. If you open the passenger door there is a triangular looking cover with a vent housing. There is a seam where you will need to take a pocket screwdriver and pry that cover off. Doesn't look like anything would be back there but it is. The fuses for the instrument cluster, cigarette lighter, and other fuses are behind that cover.

nanu13

Thanks! Ill try that next. I'm at work now but I'll be checking it whenever I get home tonight.

Just to clarify, these are two separate locations and on a LHD vehicle correct?
The right side of the dash column ON the column or under the knee board area?
I'm pretty sure I know what you mean about the vent housing location. I've seen that on the driver side of a few cars before.

ibeforreal

We're talking USA version cars and the passenger side vent that you see once the door is open.

nanu13

Got it thanks.

I got confused and started thinking about the steering column as a separate location. Speaking of location, I just noticed you're from NC. What city? I used to live in Charlotte a couple years ago

ibeforreal

I live in the Raleigh/Durham area.

tusabes

The transmission control unit maybe filled with water/oil

That's another common problem that would explain your transmission issues before the complete electrical meltdown

nanu13

Umm.. did not find. Just a vent and some stuffing. It WAS dark and doing by flashlight but I think I would've noticed a fuse box.
https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...1&d=1440041787
https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...1&d=1440041693

Now for the rest of the update:
Battery disco'd during all process and cables disconnected from the 2 black boxes.

Ok I opened the boxes in the passenger foot well and in the trunk. Used the continuity function on my MM and got beeps on all fuses. No signs of continued water exposure (or otherwise). I DID find evidence of MAYBE some corrosion powder on a 40a rear fuse. But it was only a dusting on the plastic casing. I took apart the rest of the connections to check the metal contact but all metal surfaces were clean. So it might just be some old spider webbing or something. I took pictures.

Being a little disappointed I didn't just have a big fuse to replace, I used the MM on every SAM attached blade fuse. All of them checked out ok. However, I did hook the cables and battery back up and turned the key. Still doesn't try to crank but all my dash lights and airmatic pump are back and my windows are rolled up now lol.

Also the gear selector is no longer locked out. It functions normally….or at least as normally as it could with the motor not running.

Any ideas for the next step?

nanu13

No kidding! I was just down there in March. My buddy was planning on moving there or Charleston SC so I went down to help him scout it out. Then he ended up moving to Charlotte after all that haha

nanu13

I thought about it and had planned on checking the lower plug when I did my oil change. Ironically the new spark plugs, wires, and oil filter kit were waiting on the door step when i showed up in the tow truck w.my car in tow smh

I started to check the top side after all this happened but had some issue getting it loose and abandoned it looking for other stuff.
The TCU I think, is in the passenger side SAM box in the slot closest to the outside of the engine bay yea?

tusabes

I'm not certain

ibeforreal

Maybe this video will give you some ideas about your TCU. I still believe that the car wash somehow got water into the electronic components. Once on life support it seems that some of the components are starting to dry out and coming back to life. I would still take a blow dryer and just kind of go through the fuse boxes - especially those under the hood.

Here is the video:

nanu13

Didn't watch the whole video yet but I will later. Instead I'm going outside and getting that TCU out and opened. Will report back soon

nanu13

Aaaaand we're back! Finally figured out how to yank that thing up outta there.

No oil or other moisture were visible after I got the harnesses off but what the hey, might as well open it up while i got it out right?

Start working at the casing lock tabs and I can see what might be a little oil. Get it cracked open about a teaspoon or so of red tinged water comes out. Red as in the car wash soap dye red. Just like the water that came out from the under skirts when they picked her up on the tow truck.

Here's some pics of the board:
https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...1&d=1440095469
https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...1&d=1440095515

All i can think to do is hair dry it for good measure, repeatedly douse it with electrical contact cleaner spray and then maybe hair dry again.

Doctors. Do you concur?

…..Also attached a couple of pics besides TCU. Anybody know what that box does? When I looked up the part number it says pollutant control sensor. Say what??

ibeforreal

Let it sit out in the sun and dry some more before reinstalling.

On a side note, I cleaned my MAF yesterday with some CRC MAF cleaner because she seemed a bit different. After cleaning I let it sit out in the sun for about 15 minutes and everything seems back to normal. I hope it works out for you.

nanu13

Sorry to say not very good results. In fact, even more confused than ever. Got my flashlight out to plug the TCU back in. But when I went in the trunk to reattach the battery. The cable sparked so hard on its terminal it took a little chunk of lead w.it and might have fused a little bit. It came off a little hard.

I thought maybe because all components had completely de energized and the load was a little more than usual but the more i think about it, thats a lot of draw. Thats like a direct short to ground to do that no?

Anyway I tried again gingerly not really thinking.
Dash lit up, key wouldn't turn but a fraction. Radio is out. Nothing on gear selector. Windows, locks, and key fob recognition are working. Ac panel comes to life. Car knows its dark out because the AC panel came on as night illumination version. Headlight module isn't plugged in though. Pass floor panel is still open air.

Disco'd battery and then TCU and tried again w.0 TCU connected. Normal amount of sparks when connecting batt cable and same results as listed above on equipment. Since its dark out i gave up for tonight. Other than checking some fuses visually that was it, everything looks normal.

ibeforreal

I probably don't need to say this but you're connecting the positive first when reconnecting the battery (I hope).

Did you check the BIG FUSE under the passenger footwell? Photo attached.

The only other thing I can think of now is the ECU. You might find a used one on EBAY or some other source but then you will have to find someone that can transfer the info from you chip to the new ECU.

nanu13

smh.

you ever have that moment laying in bed and out of no where you have that clarity moment flash and realized you f'd up or over looked something?

Its 2 am and been in bed a couple hours, the humidity has been so thick you can see it tonight. So bad all the sudden we have a sudden unpredicted down pouring. As i'm listening to the sudden rainstorm. I think "i hope i buttoned down my SAM covers when I was done. Did I? I'm pretty sure I did. Yea I did"

Thats when it hits me…. In my eagerness to plug in the TCU and see if I had action I forgot to reconnect the power lead to the SAM and THATS why I had trouble mounting it back in its slot holder. AND THATS WHY THE BATTERY CABLE SPARKED LIKE IT DID. FRAK!

Of course theres only 2 places it could've grounded. Either the SAM case, ECU case or both. (i assume its the ECU, third component in the box besides TCU and SAM assembly) As soon as the downpour was over I went out in my boots and draws w.a towel and sure enough covers were locked down tight and that power lead wasn't connected and nestled up against the ECU. I have no idea what the repercussions of that will be.

Hopefully nothing to the computers and they're just grounds. Theres no burn mark. I'm hoping a line fuse blew but a quick MM continuity test at the passenger footwell box without opening it up and checking at the fuses says i've got connection.

Feeling pretty low and stupid right now. Should've waited till day light like I'd planned… Ill report back as usual. Thanks for reading...

nanu13

So daylight update. Plugged everything thing in. No ridiculous sparking and the radio is back. duh. with the fuse box getting power. Car pretty much acts the same except NOW the electric fan in the engine bay comes on and spins on high. Regardless of wether I remove the ECM or not. Which I did remove completely to open up and inspect as well as see if it was contributing to this new fan thing.

I"m not sure but it seems if I turn the key OFF right away the fan will cut off w.it, but if I leave it for too long it just keeps spinning till I disco the battery.

Not sure where to go from here or if I should find some info on jumping the starter relay or something? I'm kinda lost other than to go back and recheck for a third time everything I have already. Or possibly open up the radio hole. But I really don't know what I would expect to find in there.

nanu13

I lost the ebay bid for a STAR by a long shot. Right now I'm considering buying from aliexpress.com or cnautotool.com unless anybody has any suggestions on a reputable source. All said and done I can afford to spend in the 7-8 range shipped

tusabes

As I said in benzworld , the fan on high. Means a bad ecu/ecm