SRS error, Coolant leak, and What i did for a bad left turn signal socket - read plz
06-05-2014, 03:49 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: So. Cal.
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'02 C320 Wagon, '78 308 GTS, '06 Highlander Hybrid
If you are losing coolant and don't see anything on the ground, then most likely you are losing it internally, probably in the combustion chamber. Also, check your oil. If it is kind of white and foamy, that is a sign of coolant in the oil. Could also be a very small leak that mainly occurs when you are driving, thus no puddles on the ground.
I highly doubt torquing your head will do anything...and you don't want to go over the spec...you can warp your head, or warp it further. The stop leak is a band-aid, it can also clog up small passages in the radiator or other places.
As for the SRS, can't help you there. But if you are willing, I need the carsoft to clear my SRS light too. If you are close or don't mind lending it out, I'd love to borrow that. I'm in Santa Barbara, CA.
I highly doubt torquing your head will do anything...and you don't want to go over the spec...you can warp your head, or warp it further. The stop leak is a band-aid, it can also clog up small passages in the radiator or other places.
As for the SRS, can't help you there. But if you are willing, I need the carsoft to clear my SRS light too. If you are close or don't mind lending it out, I'd love to borrow that. I'm in Santa Barbara, CA.
06-06-2014, 01:56 PM
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
Hi,
So 1st, lucky me, I've never had to replace seat sensor. But before you do that, I'd take a good look under the seat and see if any wires have come loose.
There's a plastic bracker that hooks in under the seat that becomes detached at times from setting the seat low, and then having some crap under the seat when you move it.
I'm guessing that's what happened, and then when you moved the seat either a wire(s) broke, or a connector became loose or detached.
So check that real good 1st. You might need to remove the seat to get a good look. And perhaps you'll be able to repair it yourself.
Next: So how is it you are able to clear SRS errors on carsoft? Can you provide me the procedure you used for doing this? I mean i have carsoft but couldn't find a way to clear SRS errors and this would be helpful as they occasionally pop up for erroneous reasons, and are a pain to clear. And you have no airbags at all when it is on. Again, I've been lucky they always clear and stay cleared.
OK, now....head gasket leak.
2002 has M111 engine which is notorious for head gasket leak on #4 cylinder.
Typically the coolant just blows out the side of the head, when heating up or cooling down, and therefore you might find it is not as necessary to add fluid when you are doing longer trips then shorter ones.
Just top it up when necessary.
My engine starting leaking around 150K miles, but no water in the oil or vs versa and only needed about 1 quart of fluid every couple thousand miles.
So I've just been topping it off. I was against the idea of using a gasket seal, though I've researched extensively, but if you try it let me know which one and how it works out for you.
I bought the gasket set and everything but no time to do the work, and now no place to do it.
Local mechanic charges close to 3 grand to do the work, and a used engine can be had for for around a grand from a wrecked car.
If I tear my head off, likely I'll need to do other stuff too, timing chain, and tensioner for certain. So my plan has been to perhaps just replace the engine with a used one and just keep adding fluid till it craps out.
I now have 215K miles, and it's getting to the point where I'm getting some water in the oil, so need to decide if I want to try a gasket seal and if it fails then go to a new engine. Problem with some of the gasket seals is they can clog the radiator and heater core. Seems to be 2 different kinds. The silica ones, that require you to drain and flush all the coolant or suffer really bad consequences, or the ones that use particles of crap to fill the gaps. Either option is kinda meh. But for me at 215K I have to wonder if replacing the gasket is even a valid option any more. That being said, it's tempting to just pull it, clean and slap a gasket in and see what happens. But I have some chatter on the #4 valve probably a lifter gone bad, so yeah, in the end another engine could be had much cheaper. And if it take it apart myself, I might run into to trouble reassembling. Never done a dual cam head gasket before. And the cost of having a mechanic do it, almost exceeds the blue book value of the vehicle. So...hey, yes it leak, but runs great, and if I try to fix it, it may never run again.
Meanwhile despite this, I just keep adding fluid and it runs fine, surprisingly. Maybe just do nothing and eventually just replace the engine as I said when it finally just dies.
Here's a link that show the gasket replacement process, and you'll see a picture of the gasket and what happens at #4.
It happens in the same way on the 6 cylinder W104 engine as well on the #6 cylinder. M111 is so bulletproof except for this.....
http://www.kokes.net/slk/Engine_head...ead_remove.htm
I also could just buy a whole other C Coupe for 4-5K with lower miles.
With this many miles who knows what else might fail. Trasmission?
So for now, I just keep driving it. It runs, and goes great despite the leak.
PS. Where are you located? Update your profile.
So 1st, lucky me, I've never had to replace seat sensor. But before you do that, I'd take a good look under the seat and see if any wires have come loose.
There's a plastic bracker that hooks in under the seat that becomes detached at times from setting the seat low, and then having some crap under the seat when you move it.
I'm guessing that's what happened, and then when you moved the seat either a wire(s) broke, or a connector became loose or detached.
So check that real good 1st. You might need to remove the seat to get a good look. And perhaps you'll be able to repair it yourself.
Next: So how is it you are able to clear SRS errors on carsoft? Can you provide me the procedure you used for doing this? I mean i have carsoft but couldn't find a way to clear SRS errors and this would be helpful as they occasionally pop up for erroneous reasons, and are a pain to clear. And you have no airbags at all when it is on. Again, I've been lucky they always clear and stay cleared.
OK, now....head gasket leak.
2002 has M111 engine which is notorious for head gasket leak on #4 cylinder.
Typically the coolant just blows out the side of the head, when heating up or cooling down, and therefore you might find it is not as necessary to add fluid when you are doing longer trips then shorter ones.
Just top it up when necessary.
My engine starting leaking around 150K miles, but no water in the oil or vs versa and only needed about 1 quart of fluid every couple thousand miles.
So I've just been topping it off. I was against the idea of using a gasket seal, though I've researched extensively, but if you try it let me know which one and how it works out for you.
I bought the gasket set and everything but no time to do the work, and now no place to do it.
Local mechanic charges close to 3 grand to do the work, and a used engine can be had for for around a grand from a wrecked car.
If I tear my head off, likely I'll need to do other stuff too, timing chain, and tensioner for certain. So my plan has been to perhaps just replace the engine with a used one and just keep adding fluid till it craps out.
I now have 215K miles, and it's getting to the point where I'm getting some water in the oil, so need to decide if I want to try a gasket seal and if it fails then go to a new engine. Problem with some of the gasket seals is they can clog the radiator and heater core. Seems to be 2 different kinds. The silica ones, that require you to drain and flush all the coolant or suffer really bad consequences, or the ones that use particles of crap to fill the gaps. Either option is kinda meh. But for me at 215K I have to wonder if replacing the gasket is even a valid option any more. That being said, it's tempting to just pull it, clean and slap a gasket in and see what happens. But I have some chatter on the #4 valve probably a lifter gone bad, so yeah, in the end another engine could be had much cheaper. And if it take it apart myself, I might run into to trouble reassembling. Never done a dual cam head gasket before. And the cost of having a mechanic do it, almost exceeds the blue book value of the vehicle. So...hey, yes it leak, but runs great, and if I try to fix it, it may never run again.
Meanwhile despite this, I just keep adding fluid and it runs fine, surprisingly. Maybe just do nothing and eventually just replace the engine as I said when it finally just dies.
Here's a link that show the gasket replacement process, and you'll see a picture of the gasket and what happens at #4.
It happens in the same way on the 6 cylinder W104 engine as well on the #6 cylinder. M111 is so bulletproof except for this.....
http://www.kokes.net/slk/Engine_head...ead_remove.htm
I also could just buy a whole other C Coupe for 4-5K with lower miles.
With this many miles who knows what else might fail. Trasmission?
So for now, I just keep driving it. It runs, and goes great despite the leak.
PS. Where are you located? Update your profile.
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; 06-06-2014 at 02:18 PM.
06-10-2014, 02:09 PM
#7
MBWorld Fanatic!
Hmmm... I wasn't aware we could clear SRS errors on our cars with CS.
If the process of clearing it isn't working, and you aren't getting any information from
carsoft on where the issue is, yeah, try to find an indy mechanic that has Star Diag (SDS) and have them reset it before you do anything else.
I never had that much luck with carsoft.
1st time this happened, I went by a local shop and offered him 50 bucks just to clear this, when normally he charges a 200 diag fee. He agreed to just clear the error without troubleshooting for 50.
Problem went away and didn't come back till I had water intrusion issues from a damaged hatch (since replaced) that required doing it again. By that time, I'd made friends with the mechanic and he didn't charge me.
Of course I also fixed his SDS computer and had to buy a CMOS battery for it and install it + started dropping by every once in a while with cold beers.
Loose headbolts aren't the issue. A low mileage engine can be had for under a grand.
Just keep driving it and topping up once in a while with 1/2 distilled water and 1/2 Zerex G-05.
If the process of clearing it isn't working, and you aren't getting any information from
carsoft on where the issue is, yeah, try to find an indy mechanic that has Star Diag (SDS) and have them reset it before you do anything else.
I never had that much luck with carsoft.
1st time this happened, I went by a local shop and offered him 50 bucks just to clear this, when normally he charges a 200 diag fee. He agreed to just clear the error without troubleshooting for 50.
Problem went away and didn't come back till I had water intrusion issues from a damaged hatch (since replaced) that required doing it again. By that time, I'd made friends with the mechanic and he didn't charge me.
Of course I also fixed his SDS computer and had to buy a CMOS battery for it and install it + started dropping by every once in a while with cold beers.
Loose headbolts aren't the issue. A low mileage engine can be had for under a grand.
Just keep driving it and topping up once in a while with 1/2 distilled water and 1/2 Zerex G-05.
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; 06-10-2014 at 02:15 PM.
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06-10-2014, 05:27 PM
#8
Moderator Alumni
Everyone keeps saying fixing the SRS issue is alot of work. It is not, the sensor is just expensive. Have a look at my thread - I left some info in there as to how to replace the seat sensor. If you can score a sensor on the cheap or an entire seat bottom, its really not hard to do, especially if you have done some basic car work. Maybe an hour and a half of work. Good luck!
07-07-2014, 05:19 PM
#9
Moderator Alumni
Thought i'd drop this here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-MERCEDES-C230-W203-FRONT-BOTTOM-CUSHION-SEAT-RIGHT-PASSENGER-/121380117010?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c42d19a12&vxp=mtr
Entire seat bottom w/ sensor and all for ~100 bux.
I have no affiliation w/ the seller/ebay link - just thought it'd be a good deal for someone looking for the seat sensors.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-MERCEDES-C230-W203-FRONT-BOTTOM-CUSHION-SEAT-RIGHT-PASSENGER-/121380117010?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c42d19a12&vxp=mtr
Entire seat bottom w/ sensor and all for ~100 bux.
I have no affiliation w/ the seller/ebay link - just thought it'd be a good deal for someone looking for the seat sensors.
07-07-2014, 05:47 PM
#10
Out Of Control!!
Well, if you're going to do that, might as well try for an entire seat. They're not much more expensive, assuming you can get a match. I picked up one last winter for $160 shipped from Tejas.
To the OP: I don't believe that anyone here has gotten the emulator to work, except for possibly infected. I forget what he did for his passenger's side Recaro (Recaro does or did make a resistor that worked for our car, btw).
To the OP: I don't believe that anyone here has gotten the emulator to work, except for possibly infected. I forget what he did for his passenger's side Recaro (Recaro does or did make a resistor that worked for our car, btw).
07-08-2014, 11:54 AM
#11
Moderator Alumni
Infected installed a new passenger seat sensor. He didnt run an emulator - I know, cuz I tried to buy his seat sensor. :P
Im just posting the entire seat bottom, but you could easily just buy the bottom, and remove the passenger seat sensor and install it into your seat bottom. Thats what I did and it was less than an hour worth of work.. No need to worry about matching colors/patterns etc.
Im just posting the entire seat bottom, but you could easily just buy the bottom, and remove the passenger seat sensor and install it into your seat bottom. Thats what I did and it was less than an hour worth of work.. No need to worry about matching colors/patterns etc.
07-08-2014, 05:29 PM
#13
Moderator Alumni
Tommy, its not hard at all.
On a scale of 1 - 10 where 10 is most painfully wrenching i've done. I'd give this job a 3.
Im certain you could do it - I took apart the seat base and swapped in the "new to me" sensor w/o having any previous experience removing the seat covers, cushions, seat base, or the sensor. You dont even need to remove the seat from the car as you can remove the seat base independently from the overall seat.
Rough steps from my memory:
Unbolt the seat from the floor (so we can tip it back/forth) - you might need to move the seat back and forth to access all the bolts.
Unplug the wires under the seat that connect to the car (no more power to the seat)
Tip the seat back towards the rear seats and look under the seat base.
Remove the black 4 "bolts" - they're not really bolts, just pressed in, i think.
Remove some clear covers that these bolts hold onto. (i think)
Tip the seat all the way forward and look under the seat base from the rear seats.
There are two springs and seats that hold the rear of the seat bottom to the seat.
Under the spring bases, you can pop out lil rubber lines that hold the springs in place.
Once the lines are popped free, twist/turn the seat bases towards each other and the springs will fall out.
At this point you should be able to remove the seat base.
Using your "new" seat base, you can see that its generally held together by some clips to keep the fabric/mbtext taught. You can pull up the edges and see that the "shape" of the seat base is just a metal bar that has little plastic clips holding it to the foam. Just remove some clips and free the new sensor. Put the sensor into your current seat base and you're done.
No Joke. If someone had told me it would be this easy, I woulda searched for seat bases sooner. If I had to do it again, it'd probably take me 45 minutes. Any tech who says "its a pain in the ***" and wants to charge like 4 - 5 hours of labor (i've had several quotes like that) is lying. Its a 45 minute job w/ a lil instruction.
On a scale of 1 - 10 where 10 is most painfully wrenching i've done. I'd give this job a 3.
Im certain you could do it - I took apart the seat base and swapped in the "new to me" sensor w/o having any previous experience removing the seat covers, cushions, seat base, or the sensor. You dont even need to remove the seat from the car as you can remove the seat base independently from the overall seat.
Rough steps from my memory:
Unbolt the seat from the floor (so we can tip it back/forth) - you might need to move the seat back and forth to access all the bolts.
Unplug the wires under the seat that connect to the car (no more power to the seat)
Tip the seat back towards the rear seats and look under the seat base.
Remove the black 4 "bolts" - they're not really bolts, just pressed in, i think.
Remove some clear covers that these bolts hold onto. (i think)
Tip the seat all the way forward and look under the seat base from the rear seats.
There are two springs and seats that hold the rear of the seat bottom to the seat.
Under the spring bases, you can pop out lil rubber lines that hold the springs in place.
Once the lines are popped free, twist/turn the seat bases towards each other and the springs will fall out.
At this point you should be able to remove the seat base.
Using your "new" seat base, you can see that its generally held together by some clips to keep the fabric/mbtext taught. You can pull up the edges and see that the "shape" of the seat base is just a metal bar that has little plastic clips holding it to the foam. Just remove some clips and free the new sensor. Put the sensor into your current seat base and you're done.
No Joke. If someone had told me it would be this easy, I woulda searched for seat bases sooner. If I had to do it again, it'd probably take me 45 minutes. Any tech who says "its a pain in the ***" and wants to charge like 4 - 5 hours of labor (i've had several quotes like that) is lying. Its a 45 minute job w/ a lil instruction.
