mrgraphic

HELP...I just left my car in a shopping mall. I was driving along when a few messages started to appear on my display, one said brake wear-visit repair shop, another said ESP, the orange brake symbol lit up, the speedometer stopped working, the check engine light came on, the cruise lever did not work and the ESP button on the dash did not respond when pushed. The power steering felt sluggish and the idle got a little rough. I checked the brake lights and they operate normally when the brake pedal is pressed. The car starts right up but I can't get the gear shift lever to move out of Park. Never had any of these issues before. Car has 120k miles, fairly recent brakes a few months ago. If the brake lights come on can the switch still be bad? Can anyone help? Thanks. JB

Glyn M Ruck

2005 saw brake switch deleted & feed taken from the ABS unit. The interlock won't let you move the lever because it can't "see" that you have your foot on the brakes.

You really need to read stored codes with an OBD scanner & post or we are just guessing.

I presume you have restarted the car multiple times to reboot all microprocessors.

Good luck!

Glyn M Ruck

BTW - what all was done to your brakes? I suspect a problem in the ABS block - ESP module is attached to the ABS block. Guessing!

mrgraphic

Thanks for the reply from South Africa. Brakes were done several months ago including rotors, pads and simple bleeding at the calipers. Also replaced Emergency brake shoes. Never had any brake problems since. What about that brake pedal switch - could it be defective even if the brake lights come on?
Thanks

Glyn M Ruck

Does your car have a brake pedal switch? Is it pre facelift in other words? Post facelift cars have no brake pedal switch.

Glyn M Ruck

After 2005 facelift:

mrgraphic

I think I have the pre-facelift model. It has more than 3 louvers in the front grille. Not to sound ignorant but I don't really know how else to tell.

Glyn M Ruck

If it has this style console it is pre facelift & will have this switch on the pedal.





If it has this style console it is post facelift & will not have a switch on the pedal as in my previous post.



Good luck!

mrgraphic

To Glyn Ruck,
Thank you for taking the time to assist with my ESP problem. After realizing that there is no brake switch in my car (post-facelift model), I read a little bit about the Electronic Brake Control Module and decided to focus on that.
This morning I returned to the car and decided to try a few things before calling the tow truck. First I started the car a few times and shut it off. Each time, the display indicated a brake problem. The gear lever would not move out of Park.
I then opened the hood and checked for loose wire harness connections around the Module. All seemed well. I pulled the connector from the module, examined the contacts and looked for anything obvious that might cause a problem. All looked OK so I refit the connector.
I started the car and there were NO malfunctions showing on the display. The gearshift moved smoothly into all gears, all previously mentioned issues were gone, all components work normally and I drove the car home (about 15 miles) without incident.
I plan to pull the connector and clean it and spray some contact cleaner on the connection, then refit and cross my fingers.
Hopefully I won't need to return here with more issues.
Thanks again for taking the time!
JB

Glyn M Ruck

Excellent news. Yes ~ use CRC contact/switch cleaner on connectors. Make sure there is zero grime or corrosion present.

This is why I'm anti engine washing on these cars. The connectors are not waterproof & the electronics are sensitive.

whtclk

+1

I had a burnt out zenon replaced by the dealership and the light went out again after only a little bit of rain. I went under the hood and I noticed that the inside plastic cover of the headlight had fallen to the bottom of the engine bay (I have long arms and skinny wrists). The light is pretty much fine now (kind of turned a little yellowish) even during the rain but I was totally surprised that just moisture is enough to stop the zenon from working.

1005749

Glyn is really a great asset to this forum. Great job

lars

Ahh. My plan to rinse down the shock towers and inner fender area this week is changed to cloth, brush and detail spray! Thanks Glyn.

mrgraphic

Here I thought the ESP module problem was solved when today, while waiting at the drive-through, there were 2 malfunctions showing: the Brake Wear-Visit Repair Shop and Instrument Malfunction messages again. The car was already running and in gear so I drove home, shut it off and restarted the engine. No malfunctions appeared on the display and all was OK again.
I plan to drive the car to the nearby Auto Zone tomorrow to have them read and clear the codes if they can. Could stored codes be causing this problem?
Thanks!

mrgraphic

ESP Problem IS BACK!! CRAP!!
Here I thought my ESP module problem from Saturday was solved when today, while waiting at the drive-through, 2 malfunctions appeared: the Brake Wear-Visit Repair Shop and Instrument Malfunction messages came back again. The car was already running and in gear so I drove home, shut it off and restarted the engine. No malfunctions appeared on the display and all was OK again.
Could stored codes be causing this problem to re-occur?
Is it worth buying an OBD Scanner?
Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks!

Glyn M Ruck

Stored codes can't cause this problem. I think you disturbed what is causing the problem. Check & clean all those connectors.

mrgraphic

Thank you Glyn,
While awaiting a reply earlier I did just that...pulled the connector again and gave all pins and connections a good blast, then reassembled.
Do you have any thoughts on using Electrical Contact Cleaner & Lube (used for tuners and switches on stereo components)? It is supposed to prevent future corrosion/oxidation.
Thanks again.
John

Rudeney

A generic OBDII scanner likely won't help as you need specialized equipment to read the non-ECU system like SRS, ABS, etc. FYI, the Brake Wear message won't store a code - it only happens when the sensor either goes to ground or the wire is broken (due to contacting the rotor when the pad wears). I had a wear sensor once the would give me errors when it got wet. I was able to clean it and put a small amount of grease on it and it quit acting up.

FraKctured

Hey MrGraphic---Welcome to the University of Southern Glyn--we're all freshmen here!!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Glyn M Ruck

Yes - any of those good non conductive sprays are ideal for the job!

Glyn M Ruck

Remember to select sprays with no silicone in them. If the engine ingests silicone it can poisen the O2 sensors.

mrgraphic

I'm really getting frustrated now. Don't know what else to do short of going for a good hosing at the MB dealer. I was sitting in a parking lot today with the engine running and the gear selector in park and after 5 to 10 minutes the dreaded malfunction message appeared again (brake wear-visit shop as well as instrument malfunction). Previously I cleaned the contacts of the plug going into the brake control module (post facelift model) and refit the plug, and all seemed fine, but I didn't drive the car very much after that. Looking back it seems that all 4 times the malfunction message appeared, the car was sitting for between 5-10 minutes with the motor running, sometimes in drive with the foot brake on, sometimes in park with no brake on. The last 2 times this problem occurred I shut the ignition off and was able to start the car right away with no malfunctions showing and the car was fine to drive again.
I HATE electrical problems. Any input is much appreciated.
Thanks
John B

mrgraphic

Interesting note...I just started the engine and there were no malfunctions displayed. I tugged on the harness and plug going into the brake module, checked the display and no malfunctions appeared. I then tapped lightly on the cover of the brake module (black cover held on with 3 screws) and the round metal cover at the other end (looks like a cover for an electric solenoid or motor), and malfunction showed immediately on the display. Perhaps something going on inside the module?

Rudeney

It may just be a loose connection between the control unit and the ABS pump assembly. You can remove it - there are a few bolts holding it in place. Also, did you use contact cleaner on the connector?

mrgraphic

Thanks for the reply. I did remove the black module piece and cleaned the 2 contacts that go through the aluminum block to the solenoid (?), then reassembled, started the engine and tapped on the unit again as mentioned earlier. This time, no malfunctions showed up. Check engine light was on upon starting, but after shutting the car off for an hour or so and restarting, it cleared itself. I will cross my fingers. Thanks again.
John