onehighfocus

Just called Sean to see if number is still valid and if he is still doing this and he told me yes, however it is now $500 for the emulator and programing. He does not do the removal or installation of parts,

Z71Man

Thanks everyone for all the really useful information in this thread. I'm dealing with this issue now with my 2010, but am a little confused. When it occured and I couldn't start the car, I was able to push the vehicle and steer it into a place to work on it. However, now that I have removed the 13mm nut on the ESL from underneath, I cannot push the threaded part in (it moves just a little and no more) to get the ESL out. I can still turn the steering wheel freely, though. I was under the impression that if the ESL failed locked, the steering wheel would be locked so this seems abnormal compared to previous posts. I'd really like to be absolutely sure that it has failed locked before I have to remove the whole column but am unsure what to try next. Perhaps I have the dreaded partially locked condition that causes the chip to blow when you put a new motor in?

In my case, when reading it with my iCarsoft scanner, I see the code A25464 "The electric steering lock has a malfunction. There is an unreasonable signal"

Does anyone know what my next step should be?

blimey

Tricky one Z71Man,
That the steering works freely implies the locking pin which engages with heavy splines in the steering shaft has partially withdrawn.
That the locking bolt does not fully push in implies the steering locking pin has not fully withdrawn.

This has further implications -
1. You need to remove the steering column, drill the hole and work the internal mechanism of the ESL to fully withdraw the steering shaft locking pin in order to remove the ESL.
2. Since your current situation is that you have to remove the steering column, you have nothing to lose by taking out the key and reinserting, perhaps many times to try to fully withdraw the locking pin. Lightly tapping the body of the ESL may help.
If you can get that pin fully withdrawn, start the car. that pretty much identifies the ESL as the only culprit.
3. If you go the emulator way it is usual to leave the old ESL in place. With your steering lock pin only partially withdrawn, you should not do that.

There are two other issues -
1. Your problem may be the electronic ignition switch EIS, or the key, or both. My locksmith (Connor) told me it was almost always the ESL, but your situation is unusual.
2. There are two microswitches in the ESL, the mechanism moves in such a way as both are closed when the locking or unlocking actions are complete. It would seem to me, as a design engineer, that one consequence of those switches would be to isolate the high current motor circuit from the control circuits. Failure of those micro switches to close may be the real reason for failure of the chip. It is also the fundamental reason you can't start your car.

Natch. I don't give advice, just views from my own experience, but that suggests to me that you need a good locksmith to install an emulator.
My repaired ESL only lasted two years - it is still in the car, but disconnected - my locksmith assures me he has never had a recall on the emulators he supplies.

Cheers G.L.



There are two other issues -
1. Your problem may be the Electronic Ignition Switch EIS, or the Key. Your scanner has directly implicated the ESL and my locksmith (Co

Z71Man

Thanks Blimey. Since my post yesterday, I have pulled the steering column out of the car and drilled the ELS. I started turning the gear (inadvertently the wrong way) and I spun it a few teeth and the bolt became completely locked and lost its original play. I then spun the gear completely the other direction and it unlocked the bolt and I was able to remove the ELS. I have ground out a slot in the steering column hole to prevent ever having the ELS locked in there again in the future.

I have a new motor from ebay in hand and plan to try it today. What I'm wondering is if I should:
1) install it and leave it completely unlocked
2) install it, then spin the gear to completely lock it
3) install it, then spin the gear and try to approximate the amount of play the bolt originally had when it failed.

I will plug all the wires in and try it prior to completely installing the steering column bolts etc. I suppose I shouldn't worry too much about doing it wrong as I'll likely need an emulator anyway. But, I'd rather get the car back on the road (and move it from where I pushed it to) than have to deal with shipping keys and the EIS around or calling locksmiths to see who knows what an emulator is!

Thanks all!

Z71Man

Quick update: I just connected the old motor to a 12v power supply and it ran fine in both directions. Does that condemn the EIS, indicate the ESL board is fried...or something else?

After seeing that the original motor worked with 12v supplied, and because the lock was between locked and unlocked when it failed, I have decided to ship out the EIS and key to one of the ebay emulator sources so hopefully that will resolve this.

blimey

Hi Z71Man,
The old motor works - big surprise! They usually fail because the brushes disintegrate. Running it no load would probably finish them off.

So you have to assume your problem is different to most, and getting an emulator programed to your EIS and key would be the way I would go.

Ring around to see if you can get a mobile locksmith - took me one call to a guy who knew a guy who knew the guy who could do the job. All done in an hour and a half including install and programing a new key and cutting a new blade. Good price too.

Good luck.

blimey

To answer Z71Man's initial questions.
When reassembling the ESL and setting up the ESL's worm wheel which activates the steering locking pin and the additional levers which open and close the micro switches ** - think in terms of what the car is expecting.
If the key is out of its socket the EIS will have sent a signal to lock the steering - so install the ESL in the locked position, however it's much easier to install the ESL unlocked so put the key in the EIS first.
I may be wrong there and the chip may have enough intelligence to correct any errors of installation.
I think there is the option if you have a problem to disconect the cable to the ESL and toggle the key position (inserted or not) and try again. My impression was it was pretty forgiving.

I am quite sure there is a lot more to know over my short experience (about damage to the chip etc) but likewise I fear there is a bit of disinformation put out by those who would charge you a grand for their service or 150 bucks for a 'Genuine MB motor' lol.

** dont get fazed by the apparent complexity - it is actually a very simple mechanism which closes both microswitches when the lock is fully open and again when it is fully locked.
Remember to lubricate well - I used lithium grease.
Remember too that MB never expected DIYs would ever do this work, or even that they would ever have too! Its just that someone stuffed up by taking a few cents out of the brush end of the motor.

Cheers.

Z71Man

Just to conclude my experience, I sent my EIS and key off to one of the ebay sources and they returned it all with an emulator for ~$120. The unit is very small and easily zip-ties to the steering column. I plugged it all in and it worked perfectly so the car is back on the road.

I didn't end up further researching the condition of my ESL- it just didn't seem worth the trouble to keep investigating it and worring about whether to lock it or not when reinstalling, especially given that many have had replacement motors go out again within a few years.

Thanks for all the info here on this problem!

SDR

Care to share which seller you went with? I'm torn between an ESL motor replacement and an emulator. The motor seems easy enough to replace (and I'm currently unlocked), but don't want this to leave me stranded somewhere in the future.

Thanks!

Z71Man

I went with the following link:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/233911940961

It all worked out fine, the only downside was that the car was out of comission for an extra couple days while I shipped it out and they shipped it back (it was turned around within 24 hrs by the ebay seller). One consideration is that you have to send your EIS and a key to them for programming. It is very easy to get the EIS out if the steering column is removed, but I don't know how easy it is to get it out if your column is still in place.

I am happy to have the emulator now (even though you can see I was resistant to going that route during troubleshooting), as I am very displeased about the original design and the liklihood of the vehicle not only stranding the owner but stranding them with the steering column locked.

SDR

I have four cars in my home that are sure to suffer the same fate, so I may as well get used to the repair options. I'll try an emulator on my C63, a replacement motor on my wife's E350, a hammer on my Sprinter and we'll sell my daughters GLK

Thanks for the link and all the details!

domwild

The problem with ESL repairs is that the motor is Chinese-made and mechanics reconditioning them can only get Chinese motors. Even the original German ESL only lasted 13 years and 130,000km, so an emulator sounds like a better alternative.

meazz1

I was like you, so before my ESL failed I talked with a locksmith. He disabled the original ESL and put a chip, I think, and reprogrammed the computer. It cost I $450 -$500 approx. So far, I have had no issue with whatever he did. I had to replace the battery and I was afraid the code he programmed might stop working but all was good after the new battery.

SDR

Just to close this chapter on my C63, I used the same seller Z71Man shared and it was very straight forward and the dude was very fast - even over the holidays. I mailed my EIS and key on the 28th of December and had the emulator in my car and working on the 5th of January. He literally turned it around the day after he received it. About $140 with taxes and shipping costs.
The R&R was pretty straight forward following the great guides herein, and I'm sure I could do it again in under 30 minutes while drinking a beer. I'll go this route if any of the other cars show signs of a failing ESL.
One item to note: I blew fuse #19 at some point. When I first installed the emulator the symptoms were exactly the same. I found the blown fuse, replaced it and instant gratification.

domwild

Great to read that the emulator is a solution to this common problem. The company called Australian ECU Repairs fixed my ESL by putting a new Chinese motor (US$5) inside, which I could not do. That company claims they have had to fix emulator repairs, but that might just be BS.

I had a locked steering column and had to pull out the entire column and made a mistake and have to do it again. In that case the bolt holding the ESL has to be cut to remove the ESL from the column.

bykim5

ESL failed on my GLK when I had the wheel turned all the way to the right (was installing HIDs). Based on my understanding I have to remove the steering column and either cut the bolt or drill a hole to manually unlock it OR hammer the column before taking it out to see if the bolt will loosen, right? Then i can go with the emulator route to fix the problem?

thanks in advance

aznmode

I would try the hammering the column first so you wont have to cut the bolt to remove the esl.

And if you go this route and the bolt unlocks you still have the option to just replace the motor which will cost you less than $20 to fix. And get your car running sooner.

domwild

Yes, hammering the column may just get the last bits of carbon brushes of the ESL to loosen the locking and start the car for one last time as long as you remember then NOT to remove the ignition key completely as it would lock again! To be sure, remove the earth (- ve) at the battery, then you can take the key out.

1 Not locked: Simple to remove the ESL if you have a M12 (?) socket with some means for turning attached - not enough room from there to the fire wall. MICKEYZ on Youtube shows you how.
2 Locked: Youtube is your friend here. Remove the minimum of covers behind the column. Pull out the column and cut the bolt to free the ESL. Made the mistake of drilling out the pins at the ESL lid, should have made or bought a driver with conical square ends to turn the pins, no thread. During Covid I bought heaps of Chinese ESL motors at US$5 + postage and that pin driver, still have some, so contact me. If you have good eyes, drop the motor in the correct way and pray.

Could not fix it myself, so I had to send the ESL plus ignition switch to Australian ECU Repairs and got it fixed for $450. Also made another mistake and put the column in 180 deg. out, so parts of the wheel cover my speedo! Have to do it again. I let the ESL hang from the column, that will make it easier to fix again once the Chinese motor fails, but will no longer lock the column. Your car is no longer insurable against theft as you modified it!

Going the emulator way I suggest contacting a company with good reviews. They will let you know what to send them.

dweb4

I'm having this same problem of aligning the spline and yoke, so you're saying pull the yoke shaft pictured out of the boot on the floorboard? I can reconnect the spline and yoke on the bench and then install the booted shaft back into the floor?

domwild

Yes, pull it out of the rubber boot at the fire wall BUT mark the position as I managed to put it back in 180 degree out! The boot is covering the best fit, so I will try to pull the boot away.

Joseph Sager

Thank you to the OP and everyone who contributed to this thread. I wanted to add my two cents from my experience.
Note: while this thread is for a W204 C-class, I was doing this on a 2011 GLK350, which is mostly the same vehicle but there may be some differences.

The f-king pins:
I really struggled to get the pins out. Every YouTube video I saw showed it being difficult but not as hard as I seemed to be struggling.
I ultimately managed to remove the pins with a drill. Not by drilling them out, but basically using a drill bit similar to a bolt extractor.
I found my smallest drill bit which was just smaller than the pin but bigger than the hole in the center of the pin.
While holding the trigger of the drill, I jammed it into the center of the pin like I was going to drill it out and as soon as I could feel the drill bit digging into the pin, without releasing the trigger, I pulled back on the drill and the pin came out with the drill bit. This worked on all 4 pins, was very quick, and didn't damage the pins.

Tips on the internals:
I sprayed some white lithium grease on the worm gear and in the track that that pin moves through. Lithium grease is safe for electronics and plastic but don't over-do it since the new motor is also going to spray more black dust from the motor brushes and you don't want that mixing with your lubricant.
I cleaned the circuit board with some electronics contact cleaner, which is basically isopropyl alcohol in a can with some propellant, so if you've got some isopropyl alcohol, that should work too. I wanted to remove the black dust from the motor brushes that got on the circuit board, especially on the contacts for the motor.
Be sure when re-installing the circuit board to make sure the limiter switches are properly aligned and seated. I had to push one in while installing since it got hung up. Nothing worse than putting it all back together and getting an error message!

Re-installing the ESL:
The wire for the ESL seemed too short and I couldn't quite reach it to plug it into the ESL.
Two things helped:
1. I cut a zip tie that held the wire harness to the dash which gave me a bit more slack
2. My friend reconnected the plug by laying on his back under the dash and reached straight up. I was trying to reach up the dash from outside the car. I suspected I might need to do this so before I started, so had preemptively removed the rear bolts from the driver's seat and moved the seat all the way back so if I needed to get under the dash, I could just remove the front two bolts and pop the seat out so I'd have more room to lay on my back. Honestly, consider removing your driver's seat because reaching up under the dash looked way easier from the floor than outside the car. Be sure not to disconnect the wire harness under the seat while the battery is connected or you'll throw an SRS code.

Installing a used ESL unit:
Until I really dug into this, I thought I could just buy a used ESL unit on e-bay and throw it in there, but after reading more and more, the ESL needs to be programmed so unless you've got a STAR laptop and multiplexer lying around, the $25 motor kits on Amazon are your best bet.

Pelican Parts DIY article:
I love Pelican Parts. They have a DIY article on the ESL which includes links to their articles about removing the airbag and steering wheel, the combination switch, and the instrument cluster. Their DIY articles are just amazing.
https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...eplacement.htm

Honestly, I'm curious how much extra effort it would've been to just remove the whole steering column and remove the ESL outside the car. It wasn't too difficult removing and reinstalling the ESL blind, but it wasn't especially fun or easy.

NZ-Merc

I have just completed installing a new motor in my 2008 C200k, it started to fail at 151,000km.

Removal of the ESL went smoothly and the steering column was not removed for this operation.
New motor installed and everything assembled also replaced the key fob batteries and car battery at the same time.

The brushes were totally worn away with the motor full of black powder.

Daredevil6

What you said. I am going with an emulator.

nismosr

My ESL went bad and went with electronic emulator

Hankster1234

Wanted to add my experience with a NO START E350 Cab. Fob worked fine. I jumped the ignition coil and got the car to start just no steering. No click/slide when the lock on the steering releases. I replaced the brake light sensor and still no go. Finally figured it was the ESL. My last hack was the good ole tap with the hammer. Tap tap tap with moving the steering wheel back and forth lightly. Turning the key and finally it unlocked. I know I am not out of the woods . I assume it’s just a matter of time, but I wanted to share my story.