Hello everyone,

I did a dumb thing last week and left the key in the ignition (on position). The battery in my 2001 CLK320 conv drained all the way down. This battery is an OEM battery, that I put in the car 7 years and 7,000 miles ago.

I opened the trunk with the laser cut key. I called the dealer and asked them their best advice. They said I could jump start it with no concerns. I explained that I didn't see a good bare metal spot in the trunk to ground the negative, and they told me that going direct to the post was no problem. I then asked about what I believe is a positive charge post in the engine bay (driver side, under a square black plastic flap/cover with an "X"), and they said this was not a positive charge post, but rather was a "junction".

I did attempt the jump start, connecting directly to both battery pos/neg posts, and being very careful about the connection order. I also made sure the cables didn't touch anything other than the battery posts. The donor car was running. Once connected, the CLK had lights, stereo, etc...but the engine would not turn over. I only received a click. I left the donor car running for about 10 more minutes and tried again, with the same result. Only a click.

I then decided to use a trickle charger. I connected directly to both battery posts, and set the charger to 12V and 2 Amps. I left it charging for 15 hours, and then disconnected and tried to start. The CLK320 did start, but I could tell the battery was still not at 100% so I am continuing to charge.

All that said, here are my questions:
1. Does this car have a positive charging post in the engine bay, under the black flap/cover marked wiht an "X"? Can this be used to jump the car? Or, as the dealer service gal says, is this a "junction", and should NOT be used to jump the car?
2. Is is "OK" to jump start the car by connecting the negative cable on the CLK320 directly to the negative post? I have always heard this is a non-non due to potential gas build-up. If this is not recommended, does anyone know where the negative can be grounded in the trunk area? I didn't see any promising spots.
3. Does anyone have any advice/recommendations/concerns re: using trickle chargers on our cars?
4. Now that the car is coming back to life, I of course have the ABS and BAS malfunction messgaes on the dash. Also, the driver window refuses to stay all the way up. It goes to the top, and then goes back down a few inches. Can anyone point me to the correct reset procedures for these issues? (NOTE: Never mind on this one...I found the steering wheel left/right/center procedure to get the ABS/BAS lights off, and the window reset procedure to get the window to operate normally. I am in good shape on this one.)
5. Is there a MB online service manual for this car? I have looked but did not find it. If anyone can share a link, I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance. I hate to be paranoid, but I can't stomach the thought of causing electrical gremlins in this car. I wasn't convinced I was getting good advice from the dealer, so I wanted to see what advice I could find here.

Thanks! Jeff

 

Did you ever find an answer to your question? I have a black lid on two posts, in front of the fuse box on the drivers side, and they ring out as plus and minus but the manual does not mention this and clearly states in the manual to numb start from the battery in the trunk. It mentions nothing about trickle charging.

 

No, in almost 10 years, you are the first to respond!

 

I just asked an AI app (ChatGPT) about this, and it confirmed this IS a positive remote jump start terminal. I wonder why it isn't addressed in the manual? I may call the dealer again. Thanks for making me think about this again, it would be much more convenient than the trunk location.

 

you still have this car? and yes, crazy it took 10 years for some one to respond. sounds definitely like a battery related issue after all of this time.

 

Yep, I still have the car.

Hows this for irony...I am charging the battery as we speak!

And..yes, I pulled the battery and am jumping it from another vehicle 🤣

 

wild, well lets get it figured out!!! i cant believe you still have it with it not have been running lol. you are going to need to change out the gas.

 

Yes, that and possibly some other fluids. It only has 19,xxx miles. Life happened, but I'm not wanting to sell it just yet.

 

All that said, here are my questions:
1. Does this car have a positive charging post in the engine bay, under the black flap/cover marked wiht an "X"? Can this be used to jump the car? Or, as the dealer service gal says, is this a "junction", and should NOT be used to jump the car?
2. Is is "OK" to jump start the car by connecting the negative cable on the CLK320 directly to the negative post? I have always heard this is a non-non due to potential gas build-up. If this is not recommended, does anyone know where the negative can be grounded in the trunk area? I didn't see any promising spots.
3. Does anyone have any advice/recommendations/concerns re: using trickle chargers on our cars?
4. Now that the car is coming back to life, I of course have the ABS and BAS malfunction messgaes on the dash. Also, the driver window refuses to stay all the way up. It goes to the top, and then goes back down a few inches. Can anyone point me to the correct reset procedures for these issues? (NOTE: Never mind on this one...I found the steering wheel left/right/center procedure to get the ABS/BAS lights off, and the window reset procedure to get the window to operate normally. I am in good shape on this one.)
5. Is there a MB online service manual for this car? I have looked but did not find it. If anyone can share a link, I would appreciate it.


Better late than never:
1: Yes you can jump the car from there, but the battery would be better.
2: Yes both posts on the battery can be used to jump or you can use chassis ground for negative.
3: Nothing wrong with using a trickle charger.
4: You got the answer.
5: There are plenty of online manuals that you can purchase and download. I don't have a link.
-John

 

Been there! Even if you sell it, I agree -- fix it yourself first. Has it been garaged or do you think it could have developed issues related to rain? Are you in North America?

I also have a low mileage 01 CLK 320, and I have been dailying it, which it never knew in it's first 20 something years. Some quirks, but nothing I can't handle. One thing was my headlight wiring harnesses -- although my car was largely garaged most if it's life -- they are quite deteriorated. I have replaced one side.

If it's been garaged and you restored it to pretty good running order, and you didn't want to keep it -- you could consider it a bit of a classic and could resell it on BringATrailer, or otherwise. No it's not Mercedes in their hayday, and no it's not an AMG model or S class based model, but they are at least somewhat desirable and/or should at least be salvaged with lower mileage. The M112 is so good.

If it hasn't been garaged, I would argue there's at least 2-3x as many problems you would have to deal with immediately or eventually. Unfortunately with the wiring, seals, windows, gutters, etc., these cars just have a few sets of quirks... if nothing is quirky and the engine is running, you're pretty much golden. I'd run fresh gas with Techron through it just in case the fuel lines, filter, pump, tank have any undesirable debris in them, but I'm sure plenty of people would argue the Techron isn't even necessary. Lets get this car running! happy to help

 

Wow, awesome reply, thank you!

 

Thanks! the only issue with the car is the LCD clock display is a little faded out. Other than that, it's perfect. Runs great, always garaged, no dents/scratches/rust. Even the cabr top is in great shape. I do plan on keeping it and driving on sunny days like today! Thanks for the thoughts, I may do the Techron. Fingers crossed I don't have anything goofy/expensive pop up and I can continue to enjoy hte car.