need to disconnect battery for 10 days... will this cause issues?
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Member
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 147
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2002 CLK430
need to disconnect battery for 10 days... will this cause issues?
I have a battery drain issue that I don't have time to diagnose. I am leaving tomorrow on business and the car will be in the parking lot at the airport for 10 days. The car only makes it 4 days before the battery dies. So... if i disconnect the battery for 10 days, when i get back can I just reconnect and go, or does having the battery disconnected that long cause issues with smartkey and or other things?
-J
-J
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 267
Likes: 2
From: Arizona
W208 CLK55
The battery will be fine, I've had mine out of the car for extended periods of time doing various work. The main thing is that you can't just "get in, and go", ever. You need to preform the necessary battery reconnect procedure. Here it is courtesy of fellow member A1EK:
"Preparation Steps:
1. Make sure your steering wheel is not turned to either side.
2. Make sure your windows are all the way up
3. Make sure your sun roof is completely closed
4. make sure your parking brake is released
6. Turn off your stereo.
7. Make sure you have your stereo's Anti-theft code
8. Turn off your heat/AC blower
9. Turn off your lights
10. Make sure your door are UNLOCKED.
11. READ THE WHOLE PROCEDURE BEFORE GETTING STARTED
Disconnect battery 30 secs.
Turn the key to position 2 (DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE)
1. Reseting your windows:. Bring down both windows at the same time by holding the switches just before the click that brings them down automatically. Once both windows are all the way down make both switches click by pressing them all the way down. This lets the ECU learn that that is the end of the window track and it records it in memory. Do the same closing the windows by holding both switches and making them click once the windows are all the way up.
2. Turn on your blower and make both sides go to 72 deg. by pressing both up and down buttons at the same time. This will calibrate the ECU
3. Turn on your stereo and enter you stero code. ify oud dont have it. you can forget about listening to the radio.
4. pull the sun roof all the way back and all the way forward then up and then donw
6. Turn all you lights on and off, including your fog lights
7. Turn the key back to position 0.
8. Turn on your engine. You will get 2 malfunctions, your ABS and ESP systems must be calibrated.
9. Calibrate your ABS and ESP systems by turning the steering wheel all the way to your RIGHT and then all the way to your LEFT. then bring it back to the midle. Notice the two yellow lights desapear from you dashboard.
10. Let your car run in idle for about 5 minutes and then take it for a spin. Remember your ECU is still getting all the readings from all the sensors on your car so drive slowly first then faster... and so on.. you are basically teaching your ECU how to handle your car."
Again, I did not write this, it is A1EK's work. The procedure is perfectly written and I've followed it multiple times without any issues. Good luck!
"Preparation Steps:
1. Make sure your steering wheel is not turned to either side.
2. Make sure your windows are all the way up
3. Make sure your sun roof is completely closed
4. make sure your parking brake is released
6. Turn off your stereo.
7. Make sure you have your stereo's Anti-theft code
8. Turn off your heat/AC blower
9. Turn off your lights
10. Make sure your door are UNLOCKED.
11. READ THE WHOLE PROCEDURE BEFORE GETTING STARTED
Disconnect battery 30 secs.
Turn the key to position 2 (DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE)
1. Reseting your windows:. Bring down both windows at the same time by holding the switches just before the click that brings them down automatically. Once both windows are all the way down make both switches click by pressing them all the way down. This lets the ECU learn that that is the end of the window track and it records it in memory. Do the same closing the windows by holding both switches and making them click once the windows are all the way up.
2. Turn on your blower and make both sides go to 72 deg. by pressing both up and down buttons at the same time. This will calibrate the ECU
3. Turn on your stereo and enter you stero code. ify oud dont have it. you can forget about listening to the radio.
4. pull the sun roof all the way back and all the way forward then up and then donw
6. Turn all you lights on and off, including your fog lights
7. Turn the key back to position 0.
8. Turn on your engine. You will get 2 malfunctions, your ABS and ESP systems must be calibrated.
9. Calibrate your ABS and ESP systems by turning the steering wheel all the way to your RIGHT and then all the way to your LEFT. then bring it back to the midle. Notice the two yellow lights desapear from you dashboard.
10. Let your car run in idle for about 5 minutes and then take it for a spin. Remember your ECU is still getting all the readings from all the sensors on your car so drive slowly first then faster... and so on.. you are basically teaching your ECU how to handle your car."
Again, I did not write this, it is A1EK's work. The procedure is perfectly written and I've followed it multiple times without any issues. Good luck!
Last edited by CJackson13; Oct 8, 2014 at 05:50 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,435
Likes: 0
From: Nebraska
99CLK320,
or, you can do it the easy way; before you disconnect the battery hook your battery charger(if you have one)or a maintenance charger to the hot lead and a ground under the hood at no more than 2amps. then disconnect the battery. once you reinstall the battery disco the charger. I did this when I changed out the battery and it saved the hassle of going through all the other steps listed above.
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: Florida
1999 CLK320 Cabriolet
I use a 2 amp solar panel I picked up on Amazon. I placed it on the rear deck under the rear window and snaked the thin cable into the trunk while the top is half way up. I do this when the car is going to be sitting for a while. The only down side is I need to remember to disconnect it before I start the car. User directions warned of a power surge from the alternator that would fry the panel electronics.
