I left my '04 w211 wagon locked for 4 days in the garage and today it was stone cold dead - not even an unlock. This has happened before, had the rear battery replaced, BCM software checked etc. At the time it was under warranty. Anyway, I got it going after a while with a jump battery to the posts under the hood.

Had the usual issues - Analog clock lost time, convenience functions off message until it ran for a while; ESP disabled malfunction until the steering wheel was cycled left and right.

One remaining issue is that the display cluster is now missing several items:

The gear indicator and transmission mode (S/C) are both blank.
The warning displays in the dash (like the ESP exclamation mark) do not light up. They are unseen in any key position and my understanding is they should light in lamp test position.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a way to reset the display module?

As to the dead battery, causes I've heard include:
battery age / capacity
battery connections
BCM faulty
BCM software
Alternator
current draws not shutting off including:
seat modules, instrument cluster, overhead lighting control

any others, or suggestions for isolating? The drain is very intermittent.

Thanks.

 

After another unintended power cycling (battery died again) , all dash indicators are back, *except* the transmission gear and mode indicators on either side of the odometer. Any thoughts on how to reset them?

I'd like to measure standby / overnight current draw - any tips on techniques? I'm unsure if the suspension air pump starts what the peak draw might be.

Would a 10Amp range be a good starting place?

 

I've the same problem with my instrument cluster the gear display and mode it's gone do u able to get yours problrm fix yet ??

 

I know this thread is old, but to follow up for anyone with the same issue, a mechanic with Star equipment found a conflicting transmission related setting in the cluster that restored the display.

 

Thats great that you got it fixed, but did you ever find out what was causing the battery to go dead? (and yes, this is an old thread)

 

Now that the cold weather is here, it's happening again. My indy / dealer has replaced both batteries, checked a bunch of things, and hasn't been able to reproduce. They thought there was a quiescent drain at one time, and then it seemed to go away. Having a fresh battery can also be misleading, as the battery protection / consumers shut off problem may not re-appear until enough time has passed for the battery to become discharged, which is a function of driving frequency / distance etc. I am starting to check standby current drain, which was their next step, if they could keep the car for several days. I chose to save the $ and hassle, and see if I could narrow it down myself.

Unfortunately my brand new DC clamp meter (Extech 623) isn't zeroing correctly on the 40A scale, so I don't have great resolution, but it appears I have a .2ish amp drain when all is in sleep mode, which is high.

I've requested a RMA for the meter and when and if I resolve this I'll create a new thread.