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TLDR: Does anybody have any recommendations for cloning/replacing my ECU in my 2010 E350 Base? I found a few online/ebay places. Reviews are mixed. I would feel more comfortable with a company recommended by this forum.
I'm now at the point of replacing the ECU. My latest troubleshooting makes this the next thing to replace unless there are some other things I should try.
Read on if you want to take the time to give it one last review before going with an ECU replacement:
In the past I had an error "Position sensor 1 for the accelerator pedal has a short circuit to positive" so I replaced the accelerator pedal. I tested it before replacing the manifold.
On a hunch, I started it (misfires and all) and mashed the accelerator pedal a few times. The same accelerator error came up. In desperation, I tried yet another used accelerator pedal and the same thing occurred.
What I have tried:
Replaced the manifold twice, first with a house-brand, then with an OEM
Replaced all the coil packs
Bought an injector tester and clean/tested all the injectors (new o-rings top and bottom)
Checked coil pack connector continuity to the ECU
Replaced the engine wiring harness (that was a lot of work)
Load tested the ground pins to the ECU
Cleaned the ECU and connectors with contact cleaner
Bought a compression tester, it has compression
Inspected the spark plugs - they were replaced within the last 10k miles, they looked fine
Replaced the accelerator pedal twice
Battery is fully charged and was replaced within the last two years
I can't think of anything else to check before going through the trouble and expense of cloning my ECU. I believe I have to send the ignition switch to them too.
TLDR: Does anybody have any recommendations for cloning/replacing my ECU in my 2010 E350 Base? I found a few online/ebay places. Reviews are mixed. I would feel more comfortable with a company recommended by this forum.
I'm now at the point of replacing the ECU. My latest troubleshooting makes this the next thing to replace unless there are some other things I should try.
Read on if you want to take the time to give it one last review before going with an ECU replacement:
In the past I had an error "Position sensor 1 for the accelerator pedal has a short circuit to positive" so I replaced the accelerator pedal. I tested it before replacing the manifold.
On a hunch, I started it (misfires and all) and mashed the accelerator pedal a few times. The same accelerator error came up. In desperation, I tried yet another used accelerator pedal and the same thing occurred.
What I have tried:
Replaced the manifold twice, first with a house-brand, then with an OEM
Replaced all the coil packs
Bought an injector tester and clean/tested all the injectors (new o-rings top and bottom)
Checked coil pack connector continuity to the ECU
Replaced the engine wiring harness (that was a lot of work)
Load tested the ground pins to the ECU
Cleaned the ECU and connectors with contact cleaner
Bought a compression tester, it has compression
Inspected the spark plugs - they were replaced within the last 10k miles, they looked fine
Replaced the accelerator pedal twice
Battery is fully charged and was replaced within the last two years
I can't think of anything else to check before going through the trouble and expense of cloning my ECU. I believe I have to send the ignition switch to them too.
TLDR: Does anybody have any recommendations for cloning/replacing my ECU in my 2010 E350 Base? I found a few online/ebay places. Reviews are mixed. I would feel more comfortable with a company recommended by this forum.
I'm now at the point of replacing the ECU. My latest troubleshooting makes this the next thing to replace unless there are some other things I should try.
Read on if you want to take the time to give it one last review before going with an ECU replacement:
In the past I had an error "Position sensor 1 for the accelerator pedal has a short circuit to positive" so I replaced the accelerator pedal. I tested it before replacing the manifold.
On a hunch, I started it (misfires and all) and mashed the accelerator pedal a few times. The same accelerator error came up. In desperation, I tried yet another used accelerator pedal and the same thing occurred.
What I have tried:
Replaced the manifold twice, first with a house-brand, then with an OEM
Replaced all the coil packs
Bought an injector tester and clean/tested all the injectors (new o-rings top and bottom)
Checked coil pack connector continuity to the ECU
Replaced the engine wiring harness (that was a lot of work)
Load tested the ground pins to the ECU
Cleaned the ECU and connectors with contact cleaner
Bought a compression tester, it has compression
Inspected the spark plugs - they were replaced within the last 10k miles, they looked fine
Replaced the accelerator pedal twice
Battery is fully charged and was replaced within the last two years
I can't think of anything else to check before going through the trouble and expense of cloning my ECU. I believe I have to send the ignition switch to them too.
A bad accelerator circuit triggers limp-mode!
if pedal is good + harness is good and ECU has good GND/12v and 5V-Reference circuit is good...
then no two ways: new ECU !!
@CaliBenzDriver I got the ECU cloned but the cloning didn't work so I am letting them try it again.
What is this 5V-Reference circuit and how can I test it? Is this a 5V reading on a pin on one of the sensors or at the throttle pedal?
Yes, do some harness testing using WIS Diagrams of your chassis VIN.
Pull the diagram for throttle pedal to see what signals are used then you'll know what exactly is happening.
Find the CGW and disconnect/reconnect the harness to it. All modules connect to CGW and problem there could give you the error. Disconnect/reconnect could change the behavior if it has bad pins in it.
In my 2012 S550 I had problem with the unsoldered pins in the CGW and I got all sorts of errors.
I don’t know where the CGW is located in the W212, perhaps forum can point to it?
Find the CGW and disconnect/reconnect the harness to it. All modules connect to CGW and problem there could give you the error. Disconnect/reconnect could change the behavior if it has bad pins in it.
In my 2012 S550 I had problem with the unsoldered pins in the CGW and I got all sorts of errors.
I don’t know where the CGW is located in the W212, perhaps forum can point to it?
CGW is married to F-SAM... They happily live together in a tub awaiting for judgement-day flood water.
W212 CGW is not solderless but Bosch upgraded the design to be "voltage sensitivity".
CGW gets increasingly unstable.... to prevent that:
-- REBOOT chassis to sanitize the CGW operation
-- Disable voltage swings with experimental "ALT-LIN"
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Mar 8, 2025 at 01:40 PM.
CGW is married to F-SAM... They happily live together in a tub awaiting for judgement-day flood water.
W212 CGW is not solderless but Bosch upgraded the design to be "voltage sensitivity".
CGW gets increasingly unstable.... to prevent that:
-- REBOOT chassis to sanitize the CGW operation
-- Disable voltage swings with experimental "ALT-LIN"
Would you please share more information to help me investigate this?
> CGW is married to F-SAM... They happily live together in a tub awaiting for judgement-day flood water.
Where is this physically located? Is there a chance that a clogged sunroof tube could cause water to reach it?
> CGW gets increasingly unstable.... to prevent that: > -- REBOOT chassis to sanitize the CGW operation > -- Disable voltage swings with experimental "ALT-LIN"
How is the chassis reboot performed? I'm guessing that both batteries are disconnected for a period of time.
What is ALT-LIN? Google search didn't turn up anything I understood. I have an iCarSoft v3.0 that can read/clear all of my modules.
Would you please share more information to help me investigate this?
> CGW is married to F-SAM... They happily live together in a tub awaiting for judgement-day flood water.
Where is this physically located? Is there a chance that a clogged sunroof tube could cause water to reach it?
> CGW gets increasingly unstable.... to prevent that: > -- REBOOT chassis to sanitize the CGW operation > -- Disable voltage swings with experimental "ALT-LIN"
How is the chassis reboot performed? I'm guessing that both batteries are disconnected for a period of time.
What is ALT-LIN? Google search didn't turn up anything I understood. I have an iCarSoft v3.0 that can read/clear all of my modules.
Thanks for sharing the link. So where is this CGW/F-SAM?
My online search informed me that it is located in the passenger footwell. I figured that is the "tub" you mentioned.
I removed the seat and pulled the carpet back. I only found one module underneath the aluminum foot plate that had "Continental" written on it. There were also some junction box looking things that appeared to be for wiring to the rear of the vehicle.
I disconnected both batteries and am taking a break while I try to figure out where a wiring fault might be located.
One of the errors I got, despite trying three accelerator pedals, is "Position sensor 1 for the accelerator pedal has a short circuit to positive." The connector on the accelerator pedal itself is clean. I'm hoping to find some corrosion or something that is shorting things together.
It is dark here so I'm going after it some more tomorrow. I believe the F-SAM is under the fuse box under the hood and the CGW is behind the instrument cluster. I hope I find something wrong with the F-SAM connectors. I'm running out of things to fix.
Last edited by RWagz; Mar 18, 2025 at 08:27 PM.
Reason: more info
Update on the ECU cloning. I bought a service on eBay where they provide the replacement ECU, so you just ship your ECU to them. They tried cloning it twice with the same results - anti-theft kicked in - so I'm back to using my original ECU and hoping that I can find a wiring fault of some kind.
Otherwise I have to take it to a specialist or dealer. Depending on the expense this could junk the entire car.
TLDR: Does anybody have any recommendations for cloning/replacing my ECU in my 2010 E350 Base? I found a few online/ebay places. Reviews are mixed. I would feel more comfortable with a company recommended by this forum.
I'm now at the point of replacing the ECU. My latest troubleshooting makes this the next thing to replace unless there are some other things I should try.
Read on if you want to take the time to give it one last review before going with an ECU replacement:
In the past I had an error "Position sensor 1 for the accelerator pedal has a short circuit to positive" so I replaced the accelerator pedal. I tested it before replacing the manifold.
On a hunch, I started it (misfires and all) and mashed the accelerator pedal a few times. The same accelerator error came up. In desperation, I tried yet another used accelerator pedal and the same thing occurred.
What I have tried:
Replaced the manifold twice, first with a house-brand, then with an OEM
Replaced all the coil packs
Bought an injector tester and clean/tested all the injectors (new o-rings top and bottom)
Checked coil pack connector continuity to the ECU
Replaced the engine wiring harness (that was a lot of work)
Load tested the ground pins to the ECU
Cleaned the ECU and connectors with contact cleaner
Bought a compression tester, it has compression
Inspected the spark plugs - they were replaced within the last 10k miles, they looked fine
Replaced the accelerator pedal twice
Battery is fully charged and was replaced within the last two years
I can't think of anything else to check before going through the trouble and expense of cloning my ECU. I believe I have to send the ignition switch to them too.
In regards to cloning the ECU, this video might help:
It shows most of my troubleshooting including replacing the engine side of the ECU wiring harness and load testing the grounds to the ECU. I have shot the parts cannon at it several times.
In summary:
I had this accelerator pedal error message before I replaced the intake manifold.
I mistakenly believed that the misfire issues were caused by the manifold replacement.
At my wit's end I tried mashing the (replaced) accelerator pedal and I was able to reproduce the accelerator pedal error message. That was the day that cyls 1 and 4 never fired again, they were coming and going up until that point.
I replaced the pedal one more time to be sure.
I haven't been able to get a clean clone of the ECU.
Extensive internet searches haven't turned up similar issues, except that the accelerator pedal errors were resolved by replacing the accelerator pedal.
Current state:
I'm on the hunt for corroded/shorted conductors, connectors, or modules.
The dealer cost to troubleshoot and repair might total the car, which would be a shame since it is in great condition.
It shows most of my troubleshooting including replacing the engine side of the ECU wiring harness and load testing the grounds to the ECU. I have shot the parts cannon at it several times.
In summary:
I had this accelerator pedal error message before I replaced the intake manifold.
I mistakenly believed that the misfire issues were caused by the manifold replacement.
At my wit's end I tried mashing the (replaced) accelerator pedal and I was able to reproduce the accelerator pedal error message. That was the day that cyls 1 and 4 never fired again, they were coming and going up until that point.
I replaced the pedal one more time to be sure.
I haven't been able to get a clean clone of the ECU.
Extensive internet searches haven't turned up similar issues, except that the accelerator pedal errors were resolved by replacing the accelerator pedal.
Current state:
I'm on the hunt for corroded/shorted conductors, connectors, or modules.
The dealer cost to troubleshoot and repair might total the car, which would be a shame since it is in great condition.
Can you post Fault Codes? Did you change all broken/superglued connectors ?
poster 13----where were you 13 posts ago as prior I have never heard so much mis information and sheer BS form so called wizardz in my life,but they love the comedy entertainment Look at post 12 the SAM is not a gateway aka a router, te SAM is a control module
Look at post 9 there is no chaos built into the W212, W 211, W210 or W213 they all have organized electronic systems to manage communication
Usualy idiot have a loud mouth , but some who has so much hatred in his heart towards helpful members.... have even a LOUDER mouth.
Front SAM has dual duty dude !!, it also contains N93 Central Gateway. This is not the same gateway as the other gateway called N93/7 ChassisGateway for Code 23P cars.
Go and spend your time reading on W212 CAN BUS topo, stop making a clown of yourself over and over again. See a shrink immediately.
SAM - Signal Acquisition Module and it controls basic functions like light's, etc
On w212/204 chassis, as you already posted the N93 ( CGW) and N10/1 (Front SAM ) are two modules completely different ( 2 different processors...) integrated under the same case and PCB
The processor corresponding with CGW manage the functions like any other separate CGW from any othe chassis including Data Container, System Diagnosis, Global Coding, etc
On w212 23P, there is indeed a second Gateway, but this is a Chasisis /Drivetrain Gateway that manages some extra functions and hardware.
This is the precursor of CPC.
Both 23P and non-23P vehicles still use the common CGW inside the case of Front SAM for connecting to the OBD to broadcast messages to all CAN networks, to monitor System Diagnosis, to keep Global Codings and so on.
Its nothing to do with you.
Its for Plutoe, King of Troll who loves to target Cali and me and some other members.
The past few months something went wrong with him.
condensed version of the problem, with some hindsight:
The start
Full throttle caused it to go into limp mode. Shutting off and restarting the car returned things to normal.
Full throttle caused it to happen again. I pulled the codes and replaced the accelerator pedal.
It gets worse
Unwisely I replaced the intake manifold at the same time (swirl flap issue) - huge distraction from the real problem!
Misfires start. They stop for a while after I disconnect and reconnect the coil packs. The misfires come and go.
I thought I had it fixed. I floored it and the cyl1+cyl4 misfires became permanent.
All the troubleshooting surrounding the manifold, injectors, coil packs, testing injectors, etc do not change the problem.
Even replacing the ecu engine-side wire harness doesn't change the issue.
The accelerator pedal problem returns - is the manifold work unrelated to the issue?
I floored it while it was misfiring and the accelerator pedal code showed up again.
I replaced the accelerator pedal a second time, none of the problems change
Hunting the electrical bug
Can't get a good clone of the ECU
Just removed and reinstalled the fuse box / cgw / f-sam - nothing wrong with the wiring. All clear and clean
Listen, you already posted several times all those useless spendings,
As the thread reach the CGW splendor, I would choose the full part of the glass and take advantage from the power of software implementation from the CGW.
With 10th percent of your spendings till now, you could search here on forum a link from where you can install proper Xentry, without any Spybots, no "special" manipulated OS on a SSD, that can run on a decent Windows laptop with Antivirus enabled. Together with an Openport interface you could reach 80$ top.
As you may know, misfires can be from combustion side ( too much or too little fuel quantities, pistons broken, air leakage, etc) or from electrical like sparks, injectors, etc.
Starting with a simple - not Chinese based Autel/Launch - step by step Xentry troubleshooting you could filter the defective part very easy......as your car like all MB's has a very well engineered CGW that can broadcast into the entire CAN network a lot of test and measurements routines, user friendly, with decent English, bla, bla....
The posted Fault codes are currently present on your car?
Removing parts to make a diagnosis, is not useful on premium brands and at almost in 90% of cases can complicate further repairs, not to mention about safety risk like fire or future accidents.
The CGW is directly connected to the OBD on one side and to the entire car at the other side.
Besides folklore, this little module can help you a lot.
Imagine how smart should be the technician that tries to diagnose a Ford or a Subaru....here on MB, anyone can get a proper way to make repairs only because Xentry has all the steps needed for CGW to start any routine.
Agree 100% nobody is perfect, but nobody should be offensive to other members out of the blue, as though as other members is his punching bags.
You don't know the full story, I suggest you stay clear and not be in the list of his punching bags
Agree 100% nobody is perfect, but nobody should be offensive to other members out of the blue, as though as other members is his punching bags.
You don't know the full story, I suggest you stay clear and not be in the list of his punching bags
Duly noted! Thx,
I would stay on technical side of this great forum.
RWagz, I just noticed this post and have not read through all the responses, however if you are looking to clone an ECU I had that done, the post is here Cloning ECU - MBWorld.org Forums. I have messaged you with the email of who I used and was very happy with.
The misfire symptoms you're seeing, that get worse upon high demand/acceleration and resolve at low/idle rpms, could be caused by a clogged catalytic converter. Easy test is to remove the upstream O2 sensor. When my car did the same thing yours is doing, I removed the O2 sensor and the car ran down the street like a very loud scalded dog. Put the O2 sensor back, symptoms returned. Replaced the cats and it was smooth sailing...
Last edited by dgmitch11; Jun 5, 2025 at 11:19 PM.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
, but some who has so much hatred in his heart towards helpful members.... have even a LOUDER mouth.
