This just happened to me, windows didn't work, etc....MB customer service didn't have a clue. So right before I hung myself I thought I might take a look at the book they gave me with the car, 2001 CLK320. Voila!! It explains how to resynchronize all these things back to normal!!!! It appears quite regularly and it's fairly normal and what pisses me off is there are some MB guys on this site telling everyone they have to take it to the MB dealer, get some computer module replace and reprogramed to the tune of a few thousand!?!?!!? With BrothersUnderTheHood, UTube, Google, and all the info online there's nothing a reasonable mechanic can't complete himself. It's great being part of this site and I urge everyone to sign up on Brothersunderthehood at my facebook page. I used it again last week when I needed help replacing all four wheels and tires!

 

I have a huge problem. I have replaced my dead battery in my 2006 c230. I connected positive first and then to the negative. When I do, all hell breaks loose! Headlights come on, horn starts blaring, wipers start, and the window wash starts spraying. I can't move the vehicle the brakes appear to be locked. I can't seem to get into my trunk to access the fuse box. I know that going to the dealer will be a couple of thousand. Even though it only has 53,000 miles and is in wonderful condition, I would have to let it go. Does anyone have any fixes or ideas to help? I really love that car but my wife is now referring to it as "the lawn ornament".

 

I’ve jump started my 06 C230 sport several times when i first bought it because of a bad battery. I bought a new battery and installed it and no problems. My kid turned on the dome lights and I didn’t know so the battery was dead the next day. I jumped the battery from my ford truck with no problem. I never pay attention to how I disconnected the battery the several times I have disconnected it and I’ve never had any issues with anything. Changing the battery should not become a pandora’s box situation. I’m sure MB didn’t make these cars so that changing the battery would possibly mean eminent death for your electrical system.

 

I use a NOCO battery maintainer when having to disconnect my MB battery. 1) plug it in the wall, 2) plug it in the OBD2 port and the car has power and you can then remove battery safely. Works for me. Will work for you. Plus the model I got, genius g7200, can charge batteries too. Other companies make them as well. Get you one.

 

Whatever you do do not disconnect the battery when the vehicle is running .You risk costing yourself thousands of dollars .The alternator voltage spikes as much as 18 volts . Every light bulb in the car will get bright momentarily then burn out ,all on board processors /modules will get the same voltage spike and blow the internal fuse or the capacitors that control their operation. The cost can run into thousands easily .On very old cars that had generators ,you could disconnect the battery with engine running and all you would do is damage the generator.The armature would short out and melt the soldered connections inside the generator . In the shop /repair manual there are diagnostic procedures to test and repair systems . The procedures should be followed unless there are updated bulletins to do it differently.
.

 

This would seem a NO Brainer, but none the less Excellent advice. My several battery changes in the 3 MB's over the years were done like all the other battery changes in many vehicles over the last 45+ years. Turn the car off, remove the key and let the car sit for several minutes, let the Benz's stop making ANY and ALL after noises(breathing, buzz', whirring, clicks, ticks, etc...) then disconnect the leads. I believe conventional wisdom says: DISCONNECT +/ POS first, - / NEG next. RECONNECT - / NEG first, + / POS second. I have always had good luck and NO issues following these procedures. NOTE: Other than resynchronizing the roof, windows, etc.(easy directions are in the manual), the Driver aids, ABS, ESP, etc. have SOMETIMES blinked warnings but then reset during the first moments of the test drive.

 

This may not be the exact thread I need to be in but this thread is the closest I could find to my issues and I am new to participating on this site although I have referenced it many, many times. I have a 2008 ml550. It has been graduated to my bfs work vehicle and while he was driving it home yesterday, it became possessed for lack of a better description. We had just fixed a P0017 code by replacing the cam magnets. While replacing those we also went ahead and replace the 2 front wheel sensors that were damaged during wheel bearing change and replaced the battery since the battery light had been on for about 2 months. We followed the typical disconnect of positive then negative. When we turned the car back on, our abs light was still on. We went ahead and replaced the other 2 rear wheel sensors. The ABS light remained on and we also noticed the ESP and SRS light and a message for the the front passenger side airbag sensor. We didn't worry about it too much sense it was only a work car now and he went about driving it, until yesterday. First, the rear windows started rolling up and down repeatedly. Then, went down and wouldn't roll back up. Then, the headlights began flickering and the wipers went nuts. Then, the car shut off. It would start back up and shut right back off. He was very close to home and after sometime, he was able to start the car and drive another mile or two. Then, it started going crazy again and shut off. Repeat waiting 10 mins, starting and driving another mile if that. Repeated possession. So, I head out to go get him. When I get there I can clearly smell burnt wiring behind the rear doors. So, we unplug the rear doors. He starts it up and it drives the last few miles without issues besides the wipers doing their own thing, not turning off. Today, he decided it would be wise to take it to work. About a 40 min drive. He encountered no issues but the wipers are now not working at all... assuming he may have possibly burnt the motor. Pulled the rear door panels. Thinking the wiring in there may be faulty. No faulty wires. Checked the wiring boots on the doors, they are in perfect condition. So, thinking the burning smell was caused by the window motor going haywire rolling them up and down very quickly over and over. Anyways, shortly after we replaced the battery we did attempt to reset the abs/esp by turning the steering wheel all the way one way then the other but it did not work. I am walking him through trying that again and resetting the windows. Ohh, and when we attempted to run my OBDII scanner on the car and it would NOT scan the car. The scanner just gave an error messaging saying it was unable to connect. I'm just praying it is not too late. I wanted to get rid of the car when we bought the new one and now I am regretting agreeing to keep it as his work vehicle. Aghh. So, any advice and/or a list of possible causes/fixes would be great. Honestly, I am not gung ho on taking it to a dealer and forking out thousands. I have seen mentions of resetting the faults? How would I go about doing this? I do have a cheapo OBDII scanner but it only clear engine light codes. I would much rather buy the equipment to do so than pay a dealer to do it when it would be just as much or more then the cost of the equipment to do it myself. I just need to know exactly what I need to buy to do so. When we were thinking about trading it in and they only wanted to give 1500 for the thing so not super excited about dumping a ton money into it but since my DHs f450 needs injectors replaced he really does need a running car for work. I don't even need it "fixed" just running. Lol

 

Yes, you need to be in W164 forum.
https://www.google.com/search?q=w164+front+sam+mbworld
See if you can resurrect one of the threads there.

The typical battery disconnect sequence is always NEGATIVE then positive...
You may have fried the front SAM module by the symptoms.

 

I have a problem with the PSE vacuum pump on my Mercedes S320 1995, the one on the right side on the floor of the passenger seats.

When i put the car in reverse, the trunk lid pop out, but the reverse assistant antennas dont come out.

when i put the car in drive the trunk lid go inside again.

i never replace this pump, so the hoses are in the right places.

This start to happen after the battery died.

 

You posted this same thing 5 times and this is not the correct forum for your vehicle model

 

Good Day, first time using the forum and requesting some advice please and thanks!
Parked vehicle in garage about 8 months ago and found battery dead. Hooked up battery charger and immediately the fog lights and tail lights started flashing.
Disconnected battery charger and jumped online and read all sorts of do's and dont's and consequential related issues.
Please could I ask some advice on my next move? Greatly appreciated!!

 

Hey parchy,

Sounds like maybe the alarm? Although why the siren did not go off is weird.
When I used to disconnect the battery for >1month storage I would unlock the driver door, disconnect negative terminal, and then lock the door using the metal key.
If the alarm was armed as battery died, perhaps when you "re-connected" the battery/charger the alarm went nuts.

Maybe try to disconnect the battery (just the Negative terminal) and charge it for a few hours, then connect back the Negative and see what happens. Try to "unlock" the car from the keyfob if it keeps flashing..

 

Hi VVF,
Really appreciate your suggestions. Will definitely give that a try tomorrow.
Was thinking the battery may be done as well, do you think if I disconnected it and took it to get tested I may have more issues?
Again appreciate the help!
Kind regards

 

I have an 07 c230 sport and since the disconnecting and replacing I have no headlights, running, highs, lows, or fogs. No horn, no windshield wipers, my key fob doesn't work, my ambiant air sensor is not reading. So far that is it

 

Hi VVF,
Many thanks for your suggestion of removing the negative lead while charging. The charger is doing it’s thing now without the flashing fog and tail lights.
More to follow after reconnecting when the charge is complete.
Thanks again
Kind regards

 

Hi Rae Diane,
Kind thanks for the info, well received. Hopefully this will help to straighten out these issues.
Kind regards

 

​​​​​​
1st I have not done this with my newer Mercedes however I have done this with many other vehicles on the farm.
I swap batteries around all the time from trucks one truck to dump truck for example or from tractors to truck etc and I do it leaving them running.
As well as cars.
I also did do this with my older Mercedes M series.
never effected them to leave engine running and switch batteries around.

 

You should NEVER disconnect a battery cable while engine is running .. It causes a electrical surge that will damage modules ,components ,bulbs .I have seen every bulb in a vehicle get bright then burn

out when a guy disconnects a battery cable while engine is running.I have seen modules ,processors .elect components go bad also. If you havent damaged something on your vehicle doing this ,be thankful

and dont do it again .I worked as a Senior Master gas and diesel vehicles for forty years at dealership ,now retired ,have seen many vehicles towed for this and the damage can be extensive / expensive.

When doing any diagnosis use the procedures in the vehicle shop manual with tech bulletins with updates. The elect system isnt designed for it .I have seen repair bills as high as $9,000.00 . If you doing

work on your own vehicle invest in shop manuals ,of course tools.A shop manual is like having a senior master tech helping you.Its not easy to quote someone with brand new vehicle four or five grand to

replace every single bulb on their vehicle because a cable was removed while engine is running.The alternators get the diodes ,capacitors,volt limiter damaged the volt surge does the damage.Also when

you disconnect either cable when its running there is a noticeable spark that will ignite excessive acid fumes and will explode ,then you have a two piece battery.Of course you wont know it untill you wash

the battery acid from your face and eyes and your ears stop ringing from the explosion.

 

Hahahah I love how everyone is an "expert" on the internet
I guess your 40 years of working on cars undoes my 40 years of doing it hahhahaha
Look Not only have I worked on cars for as many decades (yes professionally) but I also live in a solar home.
trust me I know batteries and battery charging.
This issue like so many has people who have no clue what they're talking about chiming in often as in your case with pastes from something they look up.
Again I have done this 1000s of times without exaggeration.
in fact I'm thinking of making a video to prove the point.
It's a myth that you cannot disconnect a battery from a running vehicle UNLESS that vehicle has a system in place that would make it an issue.
I do this ALL THE TIME.
Again I am constantly swapping batteries around using vehicles as a charger for low voltage batteries on my home etc.
Again I havent done it with my GLK Mercedes which I have two.
But did do it with the two ML series I had as well as Porsche, BMW, Volvo and SAABs back in the day
Not to mention all the fords, chevys, dodge vehicles too and Toyota etc.
I have done this a lot.
A........LOT.....
As for "spark" exploding a battery sorry but spark can happen anytime you hook up a battery wrong.
If your getting "spark" when you connect a battery you are connecting it WRONG
(Not very good for a guy with 40 years real experience) you have to connect the positive first. Then the negative and wala NO SPARK.
But if you hook up the negative first then positive it will spark.
as for the "electrical surge"
Also a load of crap.
Your alternator puts out power at its rate via RPMS.
It doesnt put out MORE power because the battery is disconnected.
The FACT is when your engine is running it is running on the alternator and the voltage regulator controls the voltage regardless of the battery.
A bad battery can certainly be a DRAIN on the system but no battery doesnt make MORE voltage that's also BS.
The votage is what the voltage is based on what the voltage regulator puts ot to.
Not Based on the battery
A the battery does is start the vehicle and that's it.
It is not the power source of the vehicle just a storage unit of power for a TEMPORARY call of power to the starter to get the engine going.
once it's running it runs on the alternator
NOT the battery.
Again depending on the vehicle the battery can be pretty monitored and if your vehicle detects a fault in the circuit it throws a light, but the vehicle can and will run even with a dead battery so long as your alternator is good.
QUOTE=yaknart33;8603810]You should NEVER disconnect a battery cable while engine is running .. It causes a electrical surge that will damage modules ,components ,bulbs .I have seen every bulb in a vehicle get bright then burn

out when a guy disconnects a battery cable while engine is running.I have seen modules ,processors .elect components go bad also. If you havent damaged something on your vehicle doing this ,be thankful

and dont do it again .I worked as a Senior Master gas and diesel vehicles for forty years at dealership ,now retired ,have seen many vehicles towed for this and the damage can be extensive / expensive.

When doing any diagnosis use the procedures in the vehicle shop manual with tech bulletins with updates. The elect system isnt designed for it .I have seen repair bills as high as $9,000.00 . If you doing

work on your own vehicle invest in shop manuals ,of course tools.A shop manual is like having a senior master tech helping you.Its not easy to quote someone with brand new vehicle four or five grand to

replace every single bulb on their vehicle because a cable was removed while engine is running.The alternators get the diodes ,capacitors,volt limiter damaged the volt surge does the damage.Also when

you disconnect either cable when its running there is a noticeable spark that will ignite excessive acid fumes and will explode ,then you have a two piece battery.Of course you wont know it untill you wash

the battery acid from your face and eyes and your ears stop ringing from the explosion.[/QUOTE]

 

My 40 years of experience includes forty years of training by manufacturer.It also includes my experience with motorcycles ,go karts ,boats ,lawn mowers any thing

with a engine .Engines running on gas ,diesel ,lpg ,propane ,hybrids,elect,even flying car conversions .It seems that you think being a trained certified tech and the info

I have posted is just some cut and paste b s from an article I read you are mistaken.I only share what I know from training and hands on experience.Anyone with basic

training knows you dont disconnect pos cable then the neg cable .Neg cable gets removed first then pos cable .With ground side actuators components you are asking

for problems .Even then if there is any load you will get a spark . With modules ,on board diagnostics this is recipe for problems . The number of vehicles I have

repaired from back yard mechanics over the years because they knew more then trained tech has paid for many things for my family . To post info that is incorrect like

your "myth" of disconnecting batt cable with engine running is incorrect. I usually dont post much because people like you that think they are right and trained

experienced techs are wrong ,you are the person that can fix anything ,but can you fix it without creating other concerns? Your take on alternators is wrong when the

alt has diodes,capacitors that limit voltage/amps often an internal volt regulator. Its not unusual to see ,at idle,it putting out 20 plus volts 100 plus amps after

disconnecting batt cable when running ,it would have a direct short as well.

I would like to see your self taught repair videos ,it would be like "Primitive Pete" . Hes the guy your high school auto shop taught you not to emulate ,uses diagnostic

dice ,wrong tools ends up doing more harm then good. Of course the diagnostic dice you roll them and repair what it says then try again ,rinse and repeat. Make your

video I could use some humor . For those that want to do repairs on your own cars do not follow this guys lead he has no clue .Get shop manual read it follow it ,you

will be way ahead of the game . I will be waiting for your video ,in meantime you can pick up some Petersons repair manuals ,look at the credits you will see my name

in most of them as I was one of guys that put it together starting back in early seventies. You Fact on engine running on alt without battery is untrue ,how can a PCM

that requires minimum voltage of 6-9 volts and a max of 15-16 volts going to operate with diodes and capacitors burned out and the alt heating up to melt all the solder

joints in alt. Have you ever overhauled a alt,starter,master cylinder? Batteries wont cause a drain on the system but they can have shorted or dead cell that affects

it,drains are from a component or system. The bad part of your post is its so incorrect someone will try it and get hurt or damage his car .

 

Έχω το w203-045 του 2000 επειδή δεν το χρειάζομαι συχνά έχω βάλει ρελέ και διακόπτω την μπαταρία πολύ συχνά....1,2 φορές την εβδομάδα και δεν μου παρουσιάζει καμια ένδειξη βλάβες η κάποιο άλλο πρόβλημα.

 

Hmmmm.. ok, so what does it mean if you hook up the positive terminal first , then the negative terminal but it sparks?
Anxiously awaiting answer from internet expert. ... no wait, i think I know. If you have anything drawing a load from the battery, (ie a dome light, etc) then you WILL get a spark when connecting the positive terminal first and then the negative terminal. And you dont need the key in the ignition to trigger the dome light, you just have to have the door open.

 

I have a few questions...

1) many people mentioned that the rear sam (the one in the trunk for a w203) is easily fried, either complete failure or partial failure of some of the equipment the rear sam provides power to. How does one troubleshoot the rear sam? The only way I see this as possible is by testing each relay and fuse in the rear sam. Can the rear sam still fail if all relays and fuses check out ok?

2) a MB certified mechanic posted that the rear sam failures are almost always related to ~pre~ facelift w203's. What year is he referring to as "pre" facelift and what all did the facelift consist of?

 

My understanding is the facelift was before 2005, it started that year. It's mostly a new center console, new grille, new lower bumper and bumper strips. There are some other changes, but nothing that's a major deviation from pre-facelift. Big thing I noticed going through the parts catalog is the pre-facelifts used CANbus distributors, one in each door and under the dash, which control the SRS, airbags, stereo, and just about anything electronic in the car. From what I saw, and what dealer parts counter mentioned, was CANbus distributors were a culprit of issues, it's literally just a little plastic ribbon you plug wires into, and it looks like they switch to a cntral distribution system in the kicker panel on the drivers side after.
I just went through a hell with the supposed it's the rear SAM module, replace it theory. I was working in the dash installing a camera, and shorted something. All the elements of rear SAM were there; no high beams, no dash, no steering wheel controls, no reverse lights, brake lights, etc., so it had to be the rear SAM. Ordered a replacement, knowing it'd have to be programmed. Also ordered a $500 Autel from Amazon, claiming it could program. Nope, it couldn't, but it also couldn't read the front or rear SAM. So I took it to an indy dealer, and they couldn't see either SAM either. Looked at the wiring diagrams, and there's a CANbus line that connects the front distributor and the door distributors together on a daisy chain, and after replacing one distributor that controlled the rear SAM, I took it back to the indy, having put the original SAM back in. As I had feared, it was a short on that daisy chained line, but in the end it was an hour of labor and a diagnosis and $240.
I sent the Autel back, as I had another code reader, but a lot of those hand held code readers only tell you the code issue, not faults or read the SAMs. I was worried I was looking at a much higer bill.
If the SAM is bad, replacing a bunch of fuses and relays is only going to make you angry. I got my second hand repalcement on eBay for like $60, moved everything over, and still had the issue. Was able to send it back minus $15 for shipping. But I'd look for a reputable indy mechanic and see if they can read either SAM, front or rear.

 

I crossed over the battery cables and now my tail lights radio ac or heater is not working. Do any one know what can cause this?