Yeah the seat problem is totally unrelated to the Radio issue, I figured i'd post it up and discuss it since we are talking about electrical issues. It is something I want to fix as well. I'm tired of people complaining that they can't sit correctly lol.

 

If you need a radio I have my old one that I took out when I did my Command Upgrade. I will give you a good deal it has been in my moms basement for two years lol.

If you want to use it just to test I would gladly ship it to you for shipping costs.
watching the video it looks to me like something is shorting out or causing a can bus error.

One last thing did you do anything that could have disrupted the fiber cables anywhere on the car. If one had a kink or a pinch point that could cause some crazy errors. I doubt it would cause the radio to cut off but could explain a cd changer issue and some of the errors you get could be related to a break in the ring.

 

PM'd

 

So yesterday I removed the center console, under extreme caution. And I managed to successfully remove the center console and take the Radio out. Thanks to an old thread that I found from BenzWorld that had the directions clear cut on how to remove it. The wires looked pretty clean to me and I couldn't see anything immediately wrong with any of the wiring. So I don't know what is going here are 7 videos posted below of me removing the center console and playing around with the Radio describing the problem in detail. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks a lot! .

VIDEOS SHOWING THE CENTER CONSOLE REMOVED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDPnNhyww7s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N037pbGkRU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lL97E60AMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPUIiMqavGY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e692kvX5Gz8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zyR4m_agXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juq-WxHYhSg

Vlad

 

Thanks to samaritrey! Thanks So much man! .

THE RADIO WAS FAULTY AND IT CAUSED THE PROBLEMS

Anyway the BIZZARE ELECTRICAL problem that i've been having with my car for nearly 4 months is now FULLY SOLVED. Trey sent me his old radio, I installed it and the problems ceased, its as if nothing was ever wrong with the car.

And to add to the joy, the CD Changer works flawlessly again with Trey's radio! ! So something must've really happened to my old radio. I'm not sure what it is, the car is about 10 years old now, so I guess its just old age.. I still find it inexplicable, and totally Bizzarre though how a radio could literally cripple the entire car's CANBUS network and cause all three SAMS to literally shutdown and lose all electrical functionality. Its really hard to believe that problems shown on the previous pages were all linked to a faulty radio, what an epiphany!!

And it sucks because I browsed the internet for 4 months (Since March)for these symptoms and I couldn't find a single thread that hinted the Radio as the issue. Both flagship dealers in Nassau County were stumped, Rallye Motors and Lakeview Motors here in Nassau County Long Island could not determine the problem. I threw away nearly $400.00 to drive a loaner car for a week. Its all really surreal. And it turned out it was something as simple as a radio. . The Dealer suggested I replace the Front Sam and the Alternator, good thing I did not do that. The car is closing in on 80K so its still fairly young mileage for a 10 year old car, on average Alternators are changed at around 120K.

PROBLEMS GONE AFTER REPLACING AND SWAPPING RADIO

So anyway, I recieved Trey's radio this morning (which was in immaculate condition I must add, I thought the radio was new, lol) that he had removed from his C320 today and once again dismantled the center console. I removed my faulty old radio and swapped it with his and it was pretty much plug and play. I installed it in, took much less time than it did before since I actually dismantled the center console 10 days ago, lol.

Within 30 minutes the car radio was working. No codes needed the car recognized the radio seamlessly. So I started the car, Audio with dashes is GONE everything works perfectly, no issues with the CD Changer, no Display Malfunction, No Lightning Bolt, No Beam Light, no ABS, NOTHING the CANBUS is clear with no problems. The only issue that remains is the SRS Warning Light so now I have to go to the dealer to get that cleared, or find someone who has the Star Diagnostics Tool to get it removed.

SO FAR SO GOOD...

So Far So Good!! I didn't drive far yet though with the car so I'll have to truly test the car tomorrow, but for now its safe to say that the problem is solved. Finally! I'm keeping my fingers crossed .

Anyway Becker is offering me a deal. If I send them my old radio, they will allow me to trade it in for an upgraded model with the Auxilliary and front CD Input. They'll give me the updated version for half price.

I really must thank everyone for their kind support! Figured I'd do a few shoutouts: Trey, Glyn, Mleskovar, SilverC, Carsy, Merzman, Annonymousmouse, without you guys I'd probably still have the problem today, thanks everyone for your help. Its still not over yet though!! Here is a smaller minor problem that I'm now looking to solve.. Since it is electrical I might as well keep the thread active. Or maybe start a new one, we'll see. See the reply below!

 

PASSENGER SEAT CONTROLS KEEPS BLOWING 30A FUSE


The problem with my passenger seat is whenever I put the 30A Fuse in the Rear SAM in the trunk, the seat would work for a day or so, and then suddenly the fuse blows. So basically the the Passenger Seat Fuse just keeps on blowing over and over again, I visually inspected all wiring underneath the passenger seat, I couldn't find anything remotely wrong.

The next logical thing to do would be to remove the carpets and the seat alltogether to see if there is anything that I could be overlooking. Someone who posted earlier suggested replacing the seat control module. But before I do that, another thing I noticed though is the AIRBAG OFF light doesn't stay on when there is nobody sitting on the seat.

Normally the Passenger Side Airbag should be disabled by law when there is no passenger sitting on it to avoid additional injury to the driver in the event of an accident (*knocks on wood*). Except it doesn't come on period, it only comes on for a brief second after starting the car up. I wonder if it also has to relate to the seatbelt warning chime as well, because that also no longer works when starting the car. Any ideas? Could it be a bad ground or perhaps is it just the control module that has to be changed?

BTW this seat module is the basic one the one that adjust the height of the back rest and the height of the seat. Otherwise the seats are totally mechanical as in sliding up and down by holding on to the lever on the lower left hand side.

 

Glad it is fixed. As i said already the radio was doing me no good chilling in my moms basement for two + years lol

 

I used to have this ''display malfunction, visit workshop". When it happens like that the power windows do not work and the windshield viper too does not. What i have done is to remove all the fuses and place the right fuses at the right place!

 

I'm bringing this thread back up because its still a bizzarre problem that I find it hard to pinpoint. Two new bizarre electrical issues:

Trunk Light Dead after Changing Passenger Fog Light Bulb??
----------------------------------------------------------------
After changing the passenger fog light, the trunk light no longer illuminates. This is interesting because when I looked at the older bulb that I changed, looked fine and intact. So I spent 30 bucks and brought another silverstar one from AutoZone. I put it in and now suddenly my trunk light stops working. This isn't the first time I had this issue. I've had issues with my trunk light before in fact the dealer couldn't even figure out the issue without charging me more labor so I left it alone and then suddenly it started to work again. Its hard as heck to take the trunk light bulb out too, so I didn't even bother.

Seat Blows Fuse Everytime!!
------------------------------
I went through all of my 40A fuses for my passenger seats. I don't know whats causing it. For some reason my motor on my front passenger seat keeps blowing the fuse in the trunk. Not sure why. But from what I've been told people have said that sometimes coins could come into contact with the tracks which I doubt because I checked everything and it all seems to be clean and clear. My guess is the seat control module has to be replaced for the passenger seat. Any suggestions?

Vlad

 

The trunk light issues is probably the sensor that turns it on and off. Mine has been on the fritz for years but never bothered to look into it.
What function blows the fuse do you know? or does it happen if you move any of the parts? if it is just one of the movements either that motor is bad or it needs some lube

 

I know this is an old chain her , But I am having the exact same issues how ever my 01 c320 (w203) is doing this exact same thing . It all started when I tried to eject the cd cartridge radio just shut off. DEAD then alt batt light came on . I figured the radio shorted out , bought a new radio but have not put this in yet . The only concern is like I said , when my radio went out it just would not power on at all and I see yours was more intermittant . Is any one else having this issue ? or similar issues ?

 

I did the fuse and all voltage tests , found my battery was weak, so I replaced it did not solve the problem, I removed the radio fuse still same issue , I was down $ 200.oo on the Battery at this point . So I asked my wife what she did when it started to Trip out , She stated she was trying to eject the cd cartridge from the cd changer . At this point I tried your method of thinking , Pulled the cd changer and unpluged the power wires from it and " VIOLA " All of the Freak faults disappeared , plugged it back in came right back all of the gremlins came back , so I removed the power connection once more , Bingo the issues had stopped . I left the cd changer power plug disconnected , and wired in the Stereo she wanted in it since we had it just had not got around to doing it yet , These c class's wiring system is a trip to have all of this happening due to a short in a radio or a cd changer . I am so glad I did not take it to the dealer , I did call them and all they could say was Bring it up here we will scan it for $ 150.oo... Uh no Thanks .... Vlad thank you for your posts on this issue and detailed information . You and your car \videos and posts really helped me out . Thanks alot ....

 

c320 2001 62K miles recently acquired.


driving at relatively low speed. suddenly buzz in dashboard(?behind key?), indicators go to zero, dash and radio and windows and air off but car still running. High pitched motor noise seeming from r engine compartment. Turned off car and restarted. All well for about 30 seconds, then repeated. happened 3x, 3 days ago, not since.


Possibly related: car already had one or more stepper motor and /or stepper motor actuator problems that I've been living with.


How to troubleshoot?


Thanks.

 

You need a star machine to really get into the systems and see if you can pinpoint where the errors are coming from. I would guess something on the CAN bus is causing issues or a wiring issue somewhere.