SRS & ABS lights
 

Coming home tonite on the freeway my 190E's SRS light came on the dashboard. 3 seconds later, the ABS light came on also. What causes this problem and how can I fix it?

Bad OVP Relay or blown fuse on it is the normal cause. Is the engine idling differently?

It seemed the engine started lacking a little power, but I could be wrong. I got a little freaked out when the lights on the dash started lighting up and I might be saying a little cautiously saying the engine was off. That said, what is an OVP relay and what fuse would I check? Isn't the SRS the safety restraint system and the ABS the anti brakelock system?

This is getting weird. I got up and drove my car to work and the ABS and SRS didn't light up. On my way home, I stopped at a store, and as I was pulling into the parking space both of the lights came on again. I was in the store maybe 10 minutes, and when I tried to start the car, the battery was so discharged it couldn't even start the car. The battery is only 3 months old, the alternator was replaced about a year ago, and I just had it serviced 8 weeks ago. Most of my driving is on the freeway, and I was told this is the easiest type of driving you can put on your car.

The OVP is the Over Voltage Protection Relay. It runs the ABS, SRS, and CIS-E Fuel Injection Systems. It is behind the false cover behind the battery and is silver with a red top with a fuse or 2 fuses under the clear plastic cover. About 80 bucks from the dealer if it is bad. The solder connections inside sometimes crack, you can open it up and resolder if you are handy with a soldering iron.

I'm a soldering fool!! Thanks for the great insight. Since it has something to do with the fuel injection, would that be the reason why, for the last week or two, my car starts right up in the morning, but after driving a block or two, it stalls. It then takes at least 5 minutes to start again. Once it starts again, it is fine. I always thought it was fuel deprivation that was causing this since I couldn't ever smell any gas fumes while trying to start it for so long. If this is caused by the OVP, that will solve all of my problems after I fix it!

Voltage regulator on the alternator.

I found the OVP but i can't get it out. The wires that feed thru the bottom of it are too short to allow me to remove it out of it's holder. Are the bottom feed wires connected to a plug or are they hardwired?

The OVP is plugged into a big black socket. Sometimes it is hard to unplug due to limited room.

My friend put his battery charger/tester on my battery today and it came up with bad alternator code. The alternator is about 14 months old. I replaced one in my Pantera 7 years ago and that still works fine, and it was half the price of the MBZ one. Go figure.

C43 is right. Voltage regulator is part of the alternator and can be replaced separately. OVP will NEVER cause SRS light to come on in these cars. SRS system does not go through overvoltage protection relay. I suggest you get this fixed immediately to avoid damage to the very expensive SRS control unit.

I just replaced the alternator and voltage regulator this morning. I am going to the Sharks game tonite and it isn't my day to drive so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if this fixed the problem. After the replacements, my car no longer showed a bad alternator code.

Since replacing the alternator and voltage regulator 5 days ago, i'm happy to report that I am no longer getting the ABS and SRS warning lights on the dashboard. Couldn't be happier! Thanks, guys!

That's what this forum is all about...people helping people. :y Glad we could help !

You guy's ROCK!