Advice please, before my wife disowns me
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Joined: Jun 2012
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2005 C230 Kompressor
Advice please, before my wife disowns me
2005 C-230 Kompressor with a problem. Every once in a while the radio stops, the dash lights flicker and we get the ESP and ABS messages. What the heck? I've searched for a loose connection, to no avail. What do you guys think?
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Joined: Jul 2008
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2019 G70 6MT & 2022 Ford Maverick XL
It sounds like you have voltage issues. How often does this happen? Is the battery new or old? Do you get a warning on the dash in the red screen that says Battery/Alternator or anything?
You can put the car in dyno mode:
1. Get in the car and close the door
2. Turn the key one click so the radio comes on but dash lights do not light up
3. Press the reset button on the instrument cluster 3 times quickly
This will pop a screen up that says "UB" and a number like 12.7. This is the voltage. You can keep it in this screen while you drive and see if it fluctuates. If it were to drop too low or spike suddenly too high you will get issues with the electronics. It should read anywhere from 12.2-12.7 with the engine off. 13.5-13.6 with the engine running at idle. 14.2 while driving. It should not exceed 14.2. My car has 142k miles on the original alternator so at idle mine sits around 13.0-13.1 without any issues.
A spike in voltage is typically indicative that the voltage regulator is toast. Consistently low voltage could mean the alternator needs replaced.
You can put the car in dyno mode:
1. Get in the car and close the door
2. Turn the key one click so the radio comes on but dash lights do not light up
3. Press the reset button on the instrument cluster 3 times quickly
This will pop a screen up that says "UB" and a number like 12.7. This is the voltage. You can keep it in this screen while you drive and see if it fluctuates. If it were to drop too low or spike suddenly too high you will get issues with the electronics. It should read anywhere from 12.2-12.7 with the engine off. 13.5-13.6 with the engine running at idle. 14.2 while driving. It should not exceed 14.2. My car has 142k miles on the original alternator so at idle mine sits around 13.0-13.1 without any issues.
A spike in voltage is typically indicative that the voltage regulator is toast. Consistently low voltage could mean the alternator needs replaced.
Last edited by LILBENZ230; Jul 31, 2012 at 09:32 AM.
