Nx04benz

Alright so after quite a few years of dreaming I finally got my first Benz a few month's back. Love the car, however, about a month ago, on real cold mornings I started getting the battery error light and a couple days later after making a slightly hard left turn, suddenly ESP and ABS errors with "visit workshop" appears. No problems with driveability until yesterday, I was driving home from work and a couple miles from home I stop at a stop sign and proceed, for some reason the car became stuck in first (or second?) gear. I hobbled home at about 25 MPH and 3000 RPM and upon pulling in my driveway I noticed the steering had become a bit tough. Now the check engine light is on and I'm getting nervous. Any input would be greatly appreciated. The car is a 2004 E320 4Matic. I did an oil change last week but I highly doubt that's relevant.

samaritrey

We need to get the codes out of the computer to really help you. Sadly most code readers won't be of much help with ABS and ESP errors but if you have one give it a shot and post it. Over wise you need to find someone with a star or similar system (fellow member on here, dealership or indy) to get the codes. Add your location as that will let us know if any one local has one or we know of a good shop.

Sounds like you car went into limp mode which can be caused by tons of different things. Are you still getting the battery error in the morning? How long have you been driving with the lights on i would be careful with that as if it is a more serious issue you may make the issue worse.

Nx04benz

Indy? I've put about 150 miles on it since the initial ABS/ESP errors. Probably 15 or so since it went into limp mode. As I don't want to cause further damage I haven't driven it since that day. My location, New Castle, PA, about an hour north of Pittsburgh. I'm apprehensive about taking it to get scanned because aside from the check engine light, no additional warning lights have appeared so I have my doubts about how useful a typical auto parts store scan could be if at all. I've been reading around and it seems these cars go into limp mode quite easily. Personally, I think the way the limp mode feature is set up in these cars is a joke, I can't get out of second but it will let me drive down the road at 4500 RPM all day long, doesn't make sense. Needless to say, I'm highly disappointed because I've wanted a Benz for as long as I remember and after only 3 months I have a very expensive paper weight sitting in my driveway. I treat it like my first born child, never beat on it, heck I rarely take it over 3000 RPM and in the middle of a drive it just started acting up. Extremely frustrated.

Nx04benz

Add: battery light hasn't come on, it, only seems to when it's below 30 degrees or so.

samaritrey

Indy as in a independent shop that works on Mercedes.
You are right most basic readers won't give us much but its a place to start and really everyone should have one as they are under $50 heck the Bluetooth one i have was like $10. You just need one that supports CAN.
Limp mode is annoying but usually comes on so that way you can get the car off a highway or whatever and parked to be towed not really meant for driving more than that.
Without getting the car on a star system we won't really know whats going on. If my car didn't possibly need a new timing chain i would make the trip but until I know that the chain is in good shape I am not taking any road trips. That said if I can get that all sorted quickly I might be able to make the journey for fuel costs which in my Diesel would be like $60.

Nx04benz

Going to call around tomorrow and see if I can find a local shop that can run a scan, I've owned nothing but GM up to this car so I'm not too sure what, if any Indy shops are in town, but if it's in town and close do you think driving it to a shop if I keep it at 25 mph or less would be ok? I'm really hoping it's one of the lesser expensive issues as replacing the entire transmission is going to be ridiculously expensive by what I've read so I'm pretty nervous about that. I appreciate your help. Will post an update tomorrow.

samaritrey

I would say you would probably be find driving it slowly 5 miles or something but much over that would bother me if I didn't know what the issue was.
You don't happen to have a friend with AAA do you?

Nx04benz

That I don't know for sure. I do have pretty comprehensive roadside assistance through my insurer (Allstate)

mikebaglini

Regarding transmission issues, you're jumping the gun here, as what was mentioned about limp mode is that one of your sensors has identified an issue and is putting the car in a mode that prevents you from normally driving it.


When you get to the point of getting it diagnosed, if ANYBODY tells you that you need a new transmission, don't believe them.


IF, issues arise with the transmission, they are usually related to parts that can be easily replaced.




Start here... this is a multi-part series on the 722.6. A common issue is the electrical plate mounted above the valve body, which is a common weak point, and easily replaced. The point is that this transmission is nearly indestructible from a mechanical perspective with a few low cost exceptions (related to the valve body).


Review this series to become an educated MB owner, so at a minimum you can properly manage your repair, or best case, repair it yourself.


Good luck.

Nx04benz

Thank you. Very informative. I had auto zone run a scan since there's one quite close, I got two codes, P0720 and P0500. Vehicle speed output sensor or something like that. I've heard more often than not, it's an electrical issue of some sort which is a big relief because I've heard as much as $8,000 to replace the transmission. I'll take a look. Thanks again.

Nx04benz

Also, is it at all possible that my ABS and ESP errors are related to this issue?

mikebaglini

I'm not sure. What I am sure about, is my recent ABS/ESP Inoperative issue, which I fixed today, was due to my left rear ABS wheel speed sensor cable coming out of it's two holding points, and draping across the drive axle and getting it's insulation and wiring frayed to the point where it was making intermittent contact with the CAN bus. The system couldn't determine the speed of all four wheels so it shuts itself down.


Replacing the sensor on that wheel resolved my ABS/ESP/Power steering issue. $54 for a PEX sensor (PEX are made in Germany and Hungary and are the OEM for the major German automakers). The one I took off I think was made by Bosch for MB. The MB part is around $160.


I don't know if the transmission speed sensor plays into this system as well.


Did they both come on at the same exact time?

Nx04benz

Edit: P0500 is Vehicle speed sensor malfunction
P0720 is output speed sensor circuit malfunction.

Not sure how exact of a diagnosis that is because it was an OBD scanner.

Nx04benz

Also, cruise control won't engage, I noticed it right after the ABS and ESP error a first occurred.

mikebaglini

The ABS/ESP Inoperable indicators along with no assisted power steering and no cruise control are all tied into the ABS/ESP system... the ABS wheel speed sensors fit into the hub casing of each wheel, right behind the break dust shield. Try to look at the wiring of each sensor to see if there is something obvious like mine... where the wire was pulled out of both clips holding it in place and then wearing through the insulation from the drive axles. It will be obvious when you see it.


Did the check engine light and the ABS/ESP lights go on at the same time?


I don't know if the check engine light/transmission locked in 2nd gear and ABS/ESP issue are related... if they did go on at the same time, they may be related.

Nx04benz

The very first problem was the battery icon on rare occasion when it was very cold. Happened probably 3 times. Then about a week or two later, the ABS/ESP errors displayed on the center display, along with the ABS light behind the tachometer. I drove the car on a very limited basis because I didn't want to cause further problems. Then last week I was driving and it was fine for the first few miles (I was heading home) and a mile or so before I got home I slowed to turn and it wouldn't shift above second, this is when the power steering either quit all together or is just significantly harder to turn, and a minute or so later, the CEL came on. Haven't really touched it since. Would be a great relief if that's all it is. I changed the oil a week prior and I doubt it's related but just wanted to be as informative as possible. I'm going to climb under tomorrow and take a look. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks.

Nx04benz

No visible damage to any wheel sensors, whosoe

Nx04benz

Alright, so no visible damage to any of the wheel sensors, however, I noticed two wires to all wheels except the rear passenger side, it has one, but doesn't appear to have a place for a second one and is slightly different looking than the drivers side. Is this normal? Also, I found an Indy shop with a star scanner, I have an appointment for Friday.

mikebaglini

Well, certainly a proper diagnosis will help determine what issues you may have. Good luck with that... and remember if they tell you your transmission is shot and you need a new one, don't accept that.

mikebaglini

Also, yes your rear brake pad wear sensors are only on the right side, not on the left, so the left has one less sensor wire going to the hub area.

mikebaglini

OOps...or the other way around... in any event the rear has only one brake pad wear sensor... only on one side.

Nx04benz

Alright I had to put this project off to the side for a while, in the mean time I changed the FR coil spring as it snapped for no apparent reason, I also changed the valve cover gaskets because a small leak was developing. I've been doing a lot of research and have a few likely culprits of my ESP & ABS errors plus the check engine light. I have ABS wheel speed sensors on the way, hoping this is my problem. I've been told by more than one source that It's more than likely one of the RL or FL ABS speed sensors. If not, I've heard the brake light switch can cause this but my brake lights do light up when I press the pedal, although I've read that doesn't necessarily mean the switch is good (if anyone can confirm that I would be grateful) another possibility is the magnetic reluctor rings which I guess are at the end of the axles against the hub? I've seen more threads regarding problems like mine but typically these folks also have a BAS or ETS light along with it, I only have ABS and ESP malfunctions, plus a CEL. Has ANYONE had this problem? How did you fix it?

Nx04benz

I changed one sensor tonight, didn't seem to resolve it. Going to try another tomorrow. Question is, if I were to replace a problem sensor how long would it take to know? Meaning will the error messages go away if that's the problem or does it need reset?

johnsodd1

I have aftermarket open honeycomb style wheels on my 06 E-500. Every time I wash my car and my brakes are directly in contact with water I can't shift the car in gear when trying to crank it. After the sensors appear to dry it allows me to shift in gear but then the steering is hard as if power steering is deactivated. The next day my car is back to normal. However the last car wash the same exact thing happened. However, this time when it allowed me to shift into gear the car seems to be driving only in 2nd gear. I've read a couple of threads here about limp mode. This maybe the current state. Can anyone tell me what the correlation is to washing the car (and assumingly getting water on some sensor on/around the brakes) with all these problems (no cruise control, ABS malfunction, ESP malfunction, and Transmission). All of these issues are somehow linked to when I wash my car. It's happening every time now. The transmission issue has me worried.

JNicole123

Thank you for this! My 2009 CLS 500 has been displaying the "ESP INOPERATIVE" error message. After the dealer telling me I needed a new tranny, but no error code stating what was wrong with the tranny, I held firm and got a second opinion. Thanks to this thread, I had some hope. And my local mechanic confirmed that it was indeed the conductor plate. The cost is 10% of a new tranny. 8K v $800.