Battery/Alternator Malfunction
08-21-2008, 01:56 PM
#1
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2002 C320 Wagon
Battery/Alternator Malfunction
Guys,
We had just replaced the MAF @ 88K due to a rough idle and occassional stalling. Things improved vastly. However, over the last 2 weeks, the Battery/Alternator Malfunction light has appeared, the idle is rougher and sometimes the engine dies out while at a stop.
My mechanic has had the car for the last 2 days, and he is unable to recreate the condition. The battery seems to have a full charge when tested. I will likely pick the car up tonight without any improvement.
Any suggestions from those who have experienced this issue?
Thanks,
Al
We had just replaced the MAF @ 88K due to a rough idle and occassional stalling. Things improved vastly. However, over the last 2 weeks, the Battery/Alternator Malfunction light has appeared, the idle is rougher and sometimes the engine dies out while at a stop.
My mechanic has had the car for the last 2 days, and he is unable to recreate the condition. The battery seems to have a full charge when tested. I will likely pick the car up tonight without any improvement.
Any suggestions from those who have experienced this issue?
Thanks,
Al
08-21-2008, 03:11 PM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
If the alt is putting out a full charge, and the battery is ok, check the cables.
Sometimes the acid gets inside them, and turns them into a giant resistor.
And sometimes cheap batteries short out.
Did the mechanic check the battery under load? Same for the alt?
I'm close to needing a new battery.
I've been getting it tested regularly and it's been dropping steadily from
800 to 700 to 600, and most recently 400 CCA. Enough for warm weather...
but it went from 600 to 400 in about 4 months.
Soon I will need a battery. And while it shows 12V NP, that doesn't mean it's able to hold the full charge. But I don't have any errors.
C320 wagon....cool. Don't see many of those.
Sometimes the acid gets inside them, and turns them into a giant resistor.
And sometimes cheap batteries short out.
Did the mechanic check the battery under load? Same for the alt?
I'm close to needing a new battery.
I've been getting it tested regularly and it's been dropping steadily from
800 to 700 to 600, and most recently 400 CCA. Enough for warm weather...
but it went from 600 to 400 in about 4 months.
Soon I will need a battery. And while it shows 12V NP, that doesn't mean it's able to hold the full charge. But I don't have any errors.
C320 wagon....cool. Don't see many of those.
Guys,
We had just replaced the MAF @ 88K due to a rough idle and occassional stalling. Things improved vastly. However, over the last 2 weeks, the Battery/Alternator Malfunction light has appeared, the idle is rougher and sometimes the engine dies out while at a stop.
My mechanic has had the car for the last 2 days, and he is unable to recreate the condition. The battery seems to have a full charge when tested. I will likely pick the car up tonight without any improvement.
Any suggestions from those who have experienced this issue?
Thanks,
Al
We had just replaced the MAF @ 88K due to a rough idle and occassional stalling. Things improved vastly. However, over the last 2 weeks, the Battery/Alternator Malfunction light has appeared, the idle is rougher and sometimes the engine dies out while at a stop.
My mechanic has had the car for the last 2 days, and he is unable to recreate the condition. The battery seems to have a full charge when tested. I will likely pick the car up tonight without any improvement.
Any suggestions from those who have experienced this issue?
Thanks,
Al
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; 08-21-2008 at 03:16 PM.
08-21-2008, 06:57 PM
#3
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2003 C230K SS
This just happened to me. The Battery/Alternator light would come on every 10 minutes or so when driving, so I took it to my local shop to get it checked out, and of course they said they couldn't re-create the problem and thought the alternator was fine. A few days later I was driving and the car stopped shifting out of first gear, then all of the electronics went out, very rough shaking, speedometer and everything got stuck where it was, then all of a sudden the gas pedal stopped doing anything. I pulled over and turned the car off and it wouldn't turn back on. I called AAA and they came and towed it to the Mercedes dealer, no more local shop. Turns out the Alternator and Battery went bad as well as something else. Got everything replaced and she runs like the day I got her.
Better safe than sorry, take it to the Benz dealer to get checked out, it was pretty scary
Better safe than sorry, take it to the Benz dealer to get checked out, it was pretty scary
08-23-2008, 07:31 AM
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2002 C320 Wagon
Update
I just picked up the car from my mechanic - they were unable to recreate the problem, thus, nothing was fixed, at no charge! I have not rec'd any malfunction codes, so who knows? Other than waiting to see if the problem happens again....
