GLK-Class (X204) Produced 2008-2014

2010 GLK350 4MATIC

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Old Nov 9, 2021 | 01:24 PM
  #1  
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GLK 350 (2010)
Unhappy 2010 GLK350 4MATIC

Hello folks of the MB community. I find myself in quite a pickle.
2 days ago I went to start my GLK and it turned and stopped turning. So, I figured I've had the car for 6 years, the battery must be a bit low so I hooked up the battery charger. Charged it up and eventually the car started. I immediately went to the parts store, bought a brand new battery for the car. went through the proper process of removing the old battery and installing the new one. As i installed the new one, I heard a click somewhere near the battery. (Kinda felt normal sound of things settling into place). But when I went to start the car, it just does not start, does not even turn actually.. Made certain I have a fully charged battery, voltage is good at 12.25V. Checked most fuses under the hood, etc. I do have a diagnostics tool ICar MBII but I am unsure what to look for. Any thoughts?
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Old Nov 9, 2021 | 01:36 PM
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
Originally Posted by Stephane Dubois
voltage is good at 12.25V. ... Any thoughts?
12.25 volts is at best half charged. Fully charged is about 12.7 volts.

Last edited by John CC; Nov 9, 2021 at 01:39 PM.
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Old Nov 9, 2021 | 01:54 PM
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+1 on this.

You need to top-up the new battery. Once it's topped off, it should retain a full charge, unlike the old one.

Hopefully you got the same specs on the new one vs the old? As in same CA and CCA ratings.
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Old Nov 9, 2021 | 05:51 PM
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Does anything work or light up when you hooked it up ? You shouldn’t have been sold a battery at 60% charge.
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Old Nov 9, 2021 | 07:02 PM
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
Originally Posted by Mmr1
You shouldn’t have been sold a battery at 60% charge.
Not many places that sell batteries these days do anything to keep them charged. They just sit on a shelf until someone buys them. It's a good idea to fully charge any new battery you get.
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 10:18 AM
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GLK 350 (2010)
So I topped off the new battery with the charger, voltag4e should be good.I will of course test with my voltmeter and reinstall the new battery. Thanks.
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 10:19 AM
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Yest the dash board does lite up, the position lights do too but not the light beams or High beams
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 11:51 AM
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I believe the headlamps don't turn on until the engine is running; marker lights and daytime running lamps in the bumper would be on.

Once you have the new battery topped off, you need to drive it regularly to keep it charged. I'm assuming that's going to be the case, so you should be fine heading into winter.
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 02:17 PM
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So, the Battery is nominal, I checked the fuses (#7 20 gage) should be the starter and does seem ok. Still no joy...When I put the key in the dashboard lights up, the steering colomn drops to my prefered setting, the inside lights are on but the engine just doesn't turn... I'm at a loss.
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 03:27 PM
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Any chance the wiring to the starter has come loose? Or the wiring at the battery terminal(s)? BTW, i would disable that comfort entry/exit setting for the steering wheel. If the mechanism breaks, it's no fun to have to replace. Just set the steering wheel where you need it and leave it there. OK, sorry for the unrelated rant...

I would double-check the wiring to/from battery and to/from starter.
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 03:33 PM
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I will check the wiring just in case but highly doubtful on this being the issue, Nothing out of the ordinary happened to the car really, it started fine Saturday, Sunday morning did not start so I charged the battery, it started so I took a chance and went to the autopart store and bought a brand new bnattery that would be compatible for my car. came back home, removed the old battery and installed the new one. Just wont turn anymore. I tried putting the old battery back in and still nothing.
It's as if a connection is lost somewhere. But where?
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 04:51 PM
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A bad starter ? Hit it with a hammer a few times. You said you heard something click when trying it.
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Old Nov 10, 2021 | 09:23 PM
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From: New Hampsha
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When you try to start it, what happens to the dash lights? Do you hear any clicks or other sounds when you turn the key to start? (Do you have keyless go?)

Check the connections to the battery to ensure they are clean and tight. Make sure the heavy ground wire to the engine block is tight. Measure the voltage when you try to start, at the battery itself, then at the terminals that connect to the battery.
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 08:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Mmr1
A bad starter ? Hit it with a hammer a few times. You said you heard something click when trying it.
I can try that. the click how ever seems to have come from near the battery though and not like a bad starter that wont engage. I've had that before on another vehicle and it definately was not like that.
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by John CC
When you try to start it, what happens to the dash lights? Do you hear any clicks or other sounds when you turn the key to start? (Do you have keyless go?)

Check the connections to the battery to ensure they are clean and tight. Make sure the heavy ground wire to the engine block is tight. Measure the voltage when you try to start, at the battery itself, then at the terminals that connect to the battery.
Hi, No keyless go, When I open the door to get in the dash lights turn on as usual, I put the key in the ignition, the bell sound goes on, then I turn to get it started and nothing, not a click or anything. Just will not turn or start. As though there is a link broken somewhere
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 09:37 AM
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Hmm, that's definitely starting to sound more and more like ESL failure to me. Could be out of the blue and have nothing to do with the battery. If the ESL goes, the steering column doesn't unlock and the car can't be started.

We've ruled this out definitively?
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by andreigbs
Hmm, that's definitely starting to sound more and more like ESL failure to me. Could be out of the blue and have nothing to do with the battery. If the ESL goes, the steering column doesn't unlock and the car can't be started.

We've ruled this out definitively?
Hi, thanks. How can we test this? what is an ESL?
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 10:29 AM
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ESL is the electronic steering lock on the steering column. Normally when you put the key in, and before you turn it to start the car, you should hear the steering column unlock. If you don't hear that, the ESL is likely dead.

Just guessing now, since we don't know much else. You can do a search on ESL, here's just one result: https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...-no-crank.html
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by andreigbs
ESL is the electronic steering lock on the steering column. Normally when you put the key in, and before you turn it to start the car, you should hear the steering column unlock. If you don't hear that, the ESL is likely dead.

Just guessing now, since we don't know much else. You can do a search on ESL, here's just one result: https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...-no-crank.html
Thank you very much for the insight. I will look into this, Seems promissing yet complicated to fix. I did find this also :
to check out

I"ll keep posting if this fixes the issue for future reference.

S
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Old Nov 11, 2021 | 03:07 PM
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
Originally Posted by Stephane Dubois
Just will not turn
OK, so the key won't turn in the lock? Yes, sounds like the steering wheel lock. I assume the key locks and unlocks the doors, right? So it's not the battery in the key (not sure if that would do it anyhow.)
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Old Nov 12, 2021 | 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by John CC
OK, so the key won't turn in the lock? Yes, sounds like the steering wheel lock. I assume the key locks and unlocks the doors, right? So it's not the battery in the key (not sure if that would do it anyhow.)
Hi, the key does turn in the ignition switch, but when I put it in the 3rd position(to start the engin) it turns completely but no contact seems to start the engin. nothin, not a clic or anything just dead. The lights in the dashbord do turn on as usual it just will not start...
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Old Nov 15, 2021 | 08:20 AM
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Other development, I can turn the wheels, would that eliminate the possibility of a defective ESL? Or could it simply be still defective but stuck in the unlock position?
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Old Nov 15, 2021 | 09:47 AM
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I would say if you can turn the key in the ignition AND the steering is unlocked, then it's likely not the ESL. Although...you should hear the steering lock when you remove the key and hear the mechanism in the column unlock when you insert the key.

It could have died in the unlocked position, but I haven't experienced that - maybe others have? Did we ever get error code(s) checked on it? It would be a good idea to have a scan tool handy.
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Old Nov 15, 2021 | 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by andreigbs
I would say if you can turn the key in the ignition AND the steering is unlocked, then it's likely not the ESL. Although...you should hear the steering lock when you remove the key and hear the mechanism in the column unlock when you insert the key.

It could have died in the unlocked position, but I haven't experienced that - maybe others have? Did we ever get error code(s) checked on it? It would be a good idea to have a scan tool handy.
I don not hear the mechanisme working at all. I tried hitting the colomn from underneth with a hard rubber mallet just to see if it would jog the mechanism a bit but nothing.. I do have a scanner tool but nothing indicates esl or anything like that

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Old Nov 15, 2021 | 01:37 PM
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If you can't hear the mechanism lock or unlock, I think that indicates the ESL has failed. This would be the only thing preventing the car from starting, if all else has checked out (battery, fuses, fuel and air, no other error codes).

When mine failed on a 2008 C300, I was able to unlock the car with the keyfob and put the key in the ignition lock, but the steering wheel column did not unlock and I also heard no mechanism noise when inserting or removing the key. This should be clearly audible. Not knowing what it was, I ended up paying $2500 for the dealer to fix including the tow.

If you can find someone local, or a workaround like some that are available now, I'd give that a try. I wouldn't go to the MB dealer unless its the last possible option.
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