ML500 CD changer - a good outcome
11-20-2011, 02:49 PM
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2002 ML500
ML500 CD changer - a good outcome
First off I want to thank this board and all the generous members. I have been lurking here - when I am in need of information - for the past couple of years. One of the posts here helped me to diagnose and fix a brake warning light (I needed a new brake pedal plunger that I was able to buy and install thanks to you folks), and now most recently, I dealt with the infamous CD changer issue. I want to share my results to give a tiny bit back hopefully.
We have a 02 ML500 that I love dearly, but she does require her upkeep. Just yesterday after changing the battery, I got the infamous "no CD changer" message, and the actual changer was frozen, with a CD in the reader, and therefore the cartridge/magazine was stuck. When I pushed the eject button, it turned green and I could hear a whirling/clicking sound, but no magazine eject.
After much fuss, I decided to take the unit of the vehicle and start the research. Long story short, I read countless posts here about the taking the unit apart, so I took the chance and did it, with great results.
All I did was remove all the outside screws and the two square plastic tabs on the sides, and then I popped off the from plastic "face" by pushing in the small plastic tabs around the face. The I carefully pried the unit open. As one of the CDs was actually lodged in the reader, I was unable to really do anything substantial - all I did was gently wiggle the arm and related pieces on the mechanism that feeds the CD into the reader. I was NOT able to retract the CD into the magazine, and I was not able to remove the magazine. With little hope of any improvement, I put the thing back together last night and plugged it back into the ML this morning as a last chance effort before I began a search for repair or replacement, and wa la, it began working again.
We have a 02 ML500 that I love dearly, but she does require her upkeep. Just yesterday after changing the battery, I got the infamous "no CD changer" message, and the actual changer was frozen, with a CD in the reader, and therefore the cartridge/magazine was stuck. When I pushed the eject button, it turned green and I could hear a whirling/clicking sound, but no magazine eject.
After much fuss, I decided to take the unit of the vehicle and start the research. Long story short, I read countless posts here about the taking the unit apart, so I took the chance and did it, with great results.
All I did was remove all the outside screws and the two square plastic tabs on the sides, and then I popped off the from plastic "face" by pushing in the small plastic tabs around the face. The I carefully pried the unit open. As one of the CDs was actually lodged in the reader, I was unable to really do anything substantial - all I did was gently wiggle the arm and related pieces on the mechanism that feeds the CD into the reader. I was NOT able to retract the CD into the magazine, and I was not able to remove the magazine. With little hope of any improvement, I put the thing back together last night and plugged it back into the ML this morning as a last chance effort before I began a search for repair or replacement, and wa la, it began working again.
