Please suggest how to find the mystery short
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 26
Likes: 2
From: NJ
E450 2019; 560SL 1986
Please suggest how to find the mystery short
So - please suggest how I may look for a short that seems to be a "trickle" or less. I have no pattern of behavior for the dead battery (daughter is only one that has seen it)
This looks like a good "Who done it" novel, the 1990 300E 2.6 has a short someplace, and the battery dies occasionally. (I describe it as an electric leak)
My daughter at school swears the battery dies, though it never dies when I'm driving it or when I'm near it. One reason it dies may be that she's at school, and does not drive daily. (It could also be that she leaves the lights on - but swears that that never happens - even the boy friend agrees the lights go off)
For other reasons, I replaced the OVP and the battery. (I don't recall the reason I replaced the OVP).
Well - she continued to have trouble. I took the car to a professional (only works on MB & BMW) whom I trust. The first visit he suggested the OVP needed replaced - with a Mercedes one. He suggested the after market one I installed may have been defective. Well, the car continued the inconsistent dead battery syndrome. I took the car back to him and he watched it between other jobs for a week, and he thinks he found one short. But yes, the car occasionally dies again.
And yes, the battery has been replaced (via the store) again.
I had the alarm disconnected - and we suspected that the alarm may have been going off (as the horn was disconnected). I reconnected the horn, and we don't see the alarm going off (and yes, the lights do flash when the alarm is triggered.)
So I'm at a loss - no known symptoms, but the battery dies. I have the car now, but I drive it daily, and suspect any battery drain will be recharged the next day.
I did find this "Headlight Trick", is it something I should try? I do realize that something is always using electricity - it is just a challenge to find the wire that is using electricity and should not be.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...lved-phew.html
Your help and suggestions for finding the "short" is greatly appreciated.
This looks like a good "Who done it" novel, the 1990 300E 2.6 has a short someplace, and the battery dies occasionally. (I describe it as an electric leak)
My daughter at school swears the battery dies, though it never dies when I'm driving it or when I'm near it. One reason it dies may be that she's at school, and does not drive daily. (It could also be that she leaves the lights on - but swears that that never happens - even the boy friend agrees the lights go off)
For other reasons, I replaced the OVP and the battery. (I don't recall the reason I replaced the OVP).
Well - she continued to have trouble. I took the car to a professional (only works on MB & BMW) whom I trust. The first visit he suggested the OVP needed replaced - with a Mercedes one. He suggested the after market one I installed may have been defective. Well, the car continued the inconsistent dead battery syndrome. I took the car back to him and he watched it between other jobs for a week, and he thinks he found one short. But yes, the car occasionally dies again.
And yes, the battery has been replaced (via the store) again.
I had the alarm disconnected - and we suspected that the alarm may have been going off (as the horn was disconnected). I reconnected the horn, and we don't see the alarm going off (and yes, the lights do flash when the alarm is triggered.)
So I'm at a loss - no known symptoms, but the battery dies. I have the car now, but I drive it daily, and suspect any battery drain will be recharged the next day.
I did find this "Headlight Trick", is it something I should try? I do realize that something is always using electricity - it is just a challenge to find the wire that is using electricity and should not be.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...lved-phew.html
Your help and suggestions for finding the "short" is greatly appreciated.
