E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

Inconsistent starting

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Old 08-20-2019, 05:44 AM
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2003 A211 E500
Inconsistent starting


This text goes with the pics submitted..

This goes with pics..SORRY..
I am so new and struggling with navigation on the site. hope i'm doing this right...Very recently purchased a 2003 E500 W211 and issues I'm having are what I believe is battery drainage or a short? it's been a nightmare.. it will start after i use a charger and place it under the hood at drivers side by fuses.. that access spot starts it up quick.. The reason I am not doing it from the main battery is because the trunk will not open.. With a full charge, key fob or switch on door will not open it. The manual key goes right in and turns all the way both directions but doesn't pop it.. I saw a video with clear tubes that somehow pump air through to pop trunk open. i'm thinking it may be an issue here. So as for starting, when i start it with battery charger and drive it like 80 miles or so, it will start for about 4 days.. if i go to start it and have to jump, and i do not make a long trip it will need to be jumped the next day..


*i have pulled both plug ins under driver and passenger seats that are electrics seat switches and was told they could be the problem draining as they go 24/7. i left them out for two days.. it still had the issue. plugged them back in..

*had aux. battery checked and its 12.86

*when accessed the trunk 2 mos. ago, replaced main battery

* a friend told me that he beleives the alternator is in great shape.. #still a mystery

*Codes appear off and on at random.. 1)consumer battery ?? switched off 2) ESP not available..see owners manual 3)all in red letters and key will not turn until i put on charger, says something about the brakes .omg, I don't remember. Maybe a message to do with SBC system???? 4) visit shop ..SOS phone (not connected and not in car, but always get the message..




With all that being said I discovered two alarming things 1) while battery charged and driving, i plugged a USB phone charger into both lighters front and back with an adapter. i looked at the phone and it was @ 19% and it showed charging flash off and on.. it went to 2% within 10 min. i found it strange.. didn't charge, but killed it!!

The second insane discovery while taking bottom back seats up to see about going into trunk, i saw first the carpet with broken window glass and started to vaccum it. lifted the carpet and I will show a series of pics of a gooey substance that I thought was chocolate syrup, but very thick and no smell.. I lifted other sear and found some there, but not as much.. this substance was covering certain electrical wires. I am so confused about this and hope it is familiar to someone.. So sorry for the long message, I really do apologize..thank you in advance.

This is behind driver seat with seat lifted and carpet lifted..

same, but closer up

glass pieces mixed in with this.. i removed it and soaked up this stuff.

carpet lifted to show rubber side on bottom of the carpet. it's a sticky liquid that is mysterious to me..

a view of it from above..

passenger back seat lifted , more glass on this side too..

lifted the carpet to show this rear seat under the carpet

Also a view of the back passenger seat from above..

Last edited by penny brown; 08-20-2019 at 07:43 AM. Reason: Text was supposed to submit before pics.
Old 08-20-2019, 05:51 AM
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2003 A211 E500
Text did not appear....

This goes with pics..SORRY..
I am so new and struggling with navigation on the site. hope i'm doing this right...Very recently purchased a 2003 E500 W211 and issues I'm having are what I believe is battery drainage or a short? it's been a nightmare.. it will start after i use a charger and place it under the hood at drivers side by fuses.. that access spot starts it up quick.. The reason I am not doing it from the main battery is because the trunk will not open.. With a full charge, key fob or switch on door will not open it. The manual key goes right in and turns all the way both directions but doesn't pop it.. I saw a video with clear tubes that somehow pump air through to pop trunk open. i'm thinking it may be an issue here. So as for starting, when i start it with battery charger and drive it like 80 miles or so, it will start for about 4 days.. if i go to start it and have to jump, and i do not make a long trip it will need to be jumped the next day..


*i have pulled both plug ins under driver and passenger seats that are electrics seat switches and was told they could be the problem draining as they go 24/7. i left them out for two days.. it still had the issue. plugged them back in..

*had aux. battery checked and its 12.86

*when accessed the trunk 2 mos. ago, replaced main battery

* a friend told me that he beleives the alternator is in great shape.. #still a mystery

*Codes appear off and on at random.. 1)consumer battery ?? switched off 2) ESP not available..see owners manual 3)all in red letters and key will not turn until i put on charger, says something about the brakes .omg, I don't remember. Maybe a message to do with SBC system???? 4) visit shop ..SOS phone (not connected and not in car, but always get the message..




With all that being said I discovered two alarming things 1) while battery charged and driving, i plugged a USB phone charger into both lighters front and back with an adapter. i looked at the phone and it was @ 19% and it showed charging flash off and on.. it went to 2% within 10 min. i found it strange.. didn't charge, but killed it!!

The second insane discovery while taking bottom back seats up to see about going into trunk, i saw first the carpet with broken window glass and started to vaccum it. lifted the carpet and I will show a series of pics of a gooey substance that I thought was chocolate syrup, but very thick and no smell.. I lifted other sear and found some there, but not as much.. this substance was covering certain electrical wires. I am so confused about this and hope it is familiar to someone.. So sorry for the long message, I really do apologize..thank you in advance.

Old 08-20-2019, 07:23 AM
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Seems silly, and possibly unrelated - but my battery leads were lose and causing a problem starting every now and again. I would check them just to be 100% sure. I ruled them out at first because the dealer replaced the battery...don't be dumb like me lol.
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Old 08-20-2019, 07:32 AM
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2003 A211 E500
Thx

I'm thinking that leads just mean like just checking the battery cables and post, etc. To see if it's a tight connection.? I hope that's what you mean.. sorry.lol. If so, the problem with checking the main is that I cannot open that trunk. Thank you very much..
Old 08-20-2019, 01:36 PM
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Yes, check the terminal connection. Your key fob has a real key built in that will allow you to open the trunk - unless there is another problem keeping the trunk closed.
Old 08-20-2019, 06:04 PM
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2003 A211 E500
Originally Posted by boardboy330
Yes, check the terminal connection. Your key fob has a real key built in that will allow you to open the trunk - unless there is another problem keeping the trunk closed.
So yes i beleive so..., there is a real problem with that trunk right now.. I have been looking for an image that shows where those air tubes are located because there could be a solution there. My manual key goes in and turns perfect the counterclockwise way that they say to do it. So I am so very curious if you or any one has seen a sight like in the pics of what i found under my back seats.. its a liquid substance that makes me wonder if damage could have occurred from it. i have no idea what it is or where it came from. i cleaned and dried it up real well..
This is back seat behind driver side under seat and then carpet lifted..

Old 08-25-2019, 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by penny brown
So yes i beleive so..., there is a real problem with that trunk right now.. I have been looking for an image that shows where those air tubes are located because there could be a solution there. My manual key goes in and turns perfect the counterclockwise way that they say to do it. So I am so very curious if you or any one has seen a sight like in the pics of what i found under my back seats.. its a liquid substance that makes me wonder if damage could have occurred from it. i have no idea what it is or where it came from. i cleaned and dried it up real well..
This is back seat behind driver side under seat and then carpet lifted..

The key, as I recall needs to be pushed up(inward) once its turned.
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Old 08-25-2019, 01:17 PM
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Is that brown goo sticky or waxy?

Oily?
Runny? Like honey or tacky?
maybe its pepsi syrup from a long ago spill of soda or a sealant of some type.

Last edited by ot1; 08-25-2019 at 01:21 PM.
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Old 08-25-2019, 07:54 PM
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Thx for that question

It's a good one because in a couple areas it did seem like it had a little of both. In that particular pic, where the round hole and wire going in, did have the thick and kinda sticky stuff before I cleaned it. When I lifted the carpet higher and is also in the pic, I found more and it seemed runny and kinda like oily, maybe melted and mixed with glass fragments.. Soda spill sounds reasonable because over time it may do just that. No smell , but again over time could possibly change the whole makeup of it. My wonder or concern is if it was on any of the wires somewhere and could be causing problems. I have completely and thouroghly cleaned it up underneath all wiring and anywhere else. And don't remember if I mentioned but it's obvious there was an accident because I vacuumed out soooo much glass. Mostly all behind drivers side seats and lots of little broken chips crammed underneath bundles of wiring along that door. Even thought maybe glass under the clear tubes may have cut through. It was that bad.. I put it all back together after I cleaned it up. So still waiting to get this resolved. Thanks for the response and I hope the info. I have you was what you were asking.

Last edited by penny brown; 08-25-2019 at 08:05 PM.

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