sarcophagus

Orange ABS light as well as the other two orange friends of ABS came on the other week so i scanned for codes to find out which corner failed on me this time and i got 14 codes under the ABS section of my innova 3100RS obd-ii scanner:

- C1140-008 (1/14) (current|MIL) N49 (Steering Angle Sensor)
- C1100-016 (2/14) (stored) L6/1 (Left Front Speed Sensor) open circuit in wiring
- C1100-008 (3/14) (stored) L6/1 (Left Front Speed Sensor)
- C1100-007 (4/14) (stored) L6/1 (Left Front Speed Sensor)
- C1101-016 (5/14) (stored) L6/2 (Right Front Speed Sensor) open circuit in wiring
- C1101-008 (6/14) (stored) L6/2 (Right Front Speed Sensor)
- C1101-007 (7/14) (stored) L6/2 (Right Front Speed Sensor)
- C1102-016 (8/14) (stored) L6/3 (Left Rear Speed Sensor) open circuit in wiring
- C1103-016 (9/14) (stored) L6/4 (Right Rear Speed Sensor) open circuit in wiring
- C1200-008 (10/14) (stored) S9/1 (Stop Lamp Switch) plausibility
- C1210-000 (11/14) (stored) unknown fault code
- C1022-023 (12/14) (stored) Fault in CAN Communication with control unit N3/10 (ME-SFI [ME] Control Unit
- C1140-012 (13/14) (stored) N49 (Steering Angle Sensor)
- C1140-008 (14/14) (stored) N49 (Steering Angle Sensor)

since it was clear to me that the ABS sensors did not fail all at the same time and it was not readily clear to me which corner actually needs my attention, i proceeded to clear all codes with a method that never failed on any of my other cars - disconnect both battery terminals and connect them together in order to drain all of the capacitors in the ecu/ecm and force them to cold reboot.... long story short, benz being benz, that procedure did not work on the ml320.

so i decided to call innova technical support and asked them if their obd2 scanners record fault codes in sequence; hence, the problematic ABS sensor would be the one on front passenger side [ C1100-016 (2/14) (stored) L6/1 (Left Front Speed Sensor) open circuit in wiring)] and the reply was 'no', i should not assume that that was the problem and he gave me a scenario which explained how the very first fault code could be any of the other entries... he was also baffled by all the repeating codes, he said he's never seen any of that before; thus, i should take the car to an authorized mercedes dealership and pay them to rape my ***.

in order to move forward, i then tried to reset the steering angle sensor by turning the wheels stop to stop several times and that made no difference whatsoever...

i have pretty much searched all mercedes forums i could find, i found about 30 of them on the netz, i compiled a reasonably long list of how to reset ecu/ecm and nothing worked....

so here i am... asking if anybody came across something like this in the past and would know how to move forward...

thanks in advance for brainstorming with me...

CaliBenzDriver

Collection of marginal ABS/ESP Module faults.

You don't see other faults with ECU/TCU...
Does your engine starts normally?

Personally I don't recommend anyone to short circuit battery leads to drain-out quickly... let 10mn of time do that for you!
It's too risky to waste a good module and I don't know positive reason for it.

You're not going to eliminate your hard issue with a soft-Reboot. it is useful for troubleshooting purposes to see how system responds... ie. go ahead reboot but don't expect lasting magic from single step.

There may be more module faults in the party but you can concentrate your testing on ABS .

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

1. Get a Mercedes-specific scan tool (e.g., iCarsoft MB V3.0, LAUNCH Creader Elite BENZ, etc.) and clear your codes. Generic OBD readers are crap for Mercedes.
2. The iCarsoft has a SAS (Steering Angle Sensor) function that I assume is intended to recalibrate your SAS, though I have not used it.
3. Search YouTube for how to reset/recalibrate the SAS.

It's likely all those codes are because of the SAS needing recalibration.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Not sure what's going on here. Maybe this is a DIY fix instead of taking it to the dealer?

sarcophagus

when the three orange lights came on, there was absolutely no difference in driving even though after a while i noticed the steering wheel was, and still is, slightly off the center position...
and after i let the charge drain out of all the electronics ( except the ecu apparently - btw, i left the +ve and -ve cables connected overnight) the car started up, idled and drove great .. no difference
and as far as other codes being stored, i have not found any other than some warnings related to emissions but we dont do emission test in my area so i dont worry about those..

sarcophagus

thanks for the suggestion... i have done this procedure more times than i care to remember but i have not done it so meticulously as shown in those vids... i guess i have done a sloppy job and i will try it again, this time paying more attention to how i do it and report back if i got it right this time

sarcophagus

that's the reason^ why we're on here, isnt it? we just dont like the cost of lubrication which the dealerships wants for it to slide in and out like that ...

sarcophagus

do the scan tools you recommended actually erase all the codes? or they fake deleting the codes? i bought the innova 3100rs because the company claimed that they do erase ABS codes but i found out, after talking to them for quite a long time, that what they do is fake deleting the codes rather than actually deleting them... this is how it works:

3100rs displays the abs codes and offers to delete them so when i press "delete", it asks are you sure, then does whole lot of accessing, displaying progress bar, etc. and comes back that the 3100rs instructed the codes to be deleted... when i confronted innova and told them the unit doesnt work as advertised, the tech support admitted that all they do is send a request to the ecu 'monitor' module to delete the abs code... the problem is that the ecu will delete the codes only if the problem was fixed first, hence, it's not the 3100rs deleting it, it's the ecu deleting it if the problem was fixed... and that is useless to me... thus, i was trying to cold reboot the ecu which did not work as i found out today that benz is using EPROM to store the codes...

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

The codes are deleted if Stored. If the problem persists, the fault will be detected and displayed as Current. That's the same when using XENTRY.

Well, you can get either the iCarsoft or the Launch tools on Amazon and try them. If you are unhappy, send them back. The only time a code cannot be erased for me is when the problem was not fixed.

CaliBenzDriver

So your troubleshooting shows car responded well to reboot testing therapy. Great!!

No faults came right back, correct?
That means you may be dealing with a transient fault.

sarcophagus

thanks for those^ two suggestions.. i have also found both scanners on ebay at decent prices. i have been looking for reviews regarding deletion of codes from the eprom memory... i am at a stalemate and not sure how to move forward from here hence the reason i am so **** about the deletion of codes even if the problem is not fixed is because my plan is to delete everything in the ecu, put it into live mode and watch which code appears first so i get an indication where to start fixing the problem...

the innova 3100rs walks users thru the deletion process and then fakes the "deletions" by "telling" the ecu to delete it instead of the 3100rs deleting it directly.

also, from reading about these scanners, my understanding is that the tools you suggested that i use are intended primarily for benz vehicles and not really for other makes of cars; would that be correct?

here's what i found... i am linking these scanners here just to make sure it's the scanners you recommended:

h
ttps://www.amazon.ca/iCarsoft-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter-Diagnostic-Actuation/dp/B08ZH9T8C7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=iCarsoft+MB+V3.0&sr=8-1

these^ are the exact tools you recommended, amirite?

sarcophagus

what i meant by "responding well to the reboot" was that i did not break anything by draining all electronics of charge stored in capacitors... the end result of the "reboot" was that nothing changed,.. all 14 fault codes were there, no other/new codes appeared as a a result of the reboot and the driving style remained the same, i.e. it did not reset the transmission learnt driving style, it did not flag the steering wheel angle sensor again as misaligned, etc... which actually surprised me as i read in other threads that drivers noticed changes for the better... i did not notice any change, no improvement in fuel consumption, tranny is shifting the same, i still have to reset the fuel gauge via fuse F5, etc.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Eek! 😳 Are those in Canadian dollars? The scanners on the US site are about half the prices shown there.

You can get a multi-vehicle scanner, but make sure it's not a generic, one-size-fits-all scanner. The LAUNCH Creader tool allows your to add other brands separately (I added Honda/Acura to mine), but I bought it as a Mercedes reader. So, if you have other than Mercedes, you may want to look closely at that one. ($139 with a $30 coupon on the US site.)


What you are trying to do is not possible without risking turning your ECU into a brick. The reason Mercedes uses an EPROM is specifically to preserve the DTC. If you want to figure out which module is the problem, clear all the codes and see which comes back. Then you can look at freeze-frame data to determine when and under what conditions the fault occurred.

CaliBenzDriver

ok, your car is mostly driveable: we like that!

So let's recap this as ESP faults get displayed now and then... this being your main concern, right?


Getting DTC faults is useful to diagnose what networked modules are disrupted.

> Do yourself a favor:
1-- clear faults to see how fast and when, what comes back. - Understanding that will be the basis of next step.

2-- Right now you do not want to disturb anything that does not deserve attention.

3-- Where are we going ??? ... towards "voltage glitchings" - Lets see what the tea-leaves show us....

sarcophagus

i have started diagnosing the problem with ABS by following this very simple method outlined in the vid you provided to align the steering wheel... and that did not work so i proceeded to the next, more involved, method which was described in your next vid (below)...

sarcophagus

i have tried diligently to execute this^ procedure twice, wait 2s at each stop and drive about 1/2 mile at 20mph and that did not work either so i proceeded to check the fuses and the module as outlined in the vid... now i am thinking and getting suspicious the SAS might be shot

i checked the fuses and they were fine so i proceeded to check the module wires for changing voltage while turning the steering wheel...

the vid shows that the mechanic connected his multimeter to some terminal which i did not find... i think he spliced the wire...

the electrical diagram shown in the vid references white and green leads which i found and hoped they were the correct ones... they both went to a single plug between the two banks of connectors... i unplug the connector and check for voltage on both sides with the key ON ... i got 2.5V (see pics) but the voltage did not change when i turned the steering wheel so at this point i am wondering if i checked the correct leads and if i did then the SAS could be faulty...



voltage check (green lead) of what presumably are leads to SAS

voltage check (white lead) of what presumably are leads to SAS

sarcophagus

testing the SAS as described in vids you provided produced the following DTC's

1/ the previous code i posted when i started this thread looked like this :

• C1140-008 (1/14) (current|MIL) N49 (Steering Angle Sensor)

• and after my testing the SAS as shown in the vids changed to this:

• - C1140-008 (14/14) (stored) N49 (Steering Angle Sensor)

basically, the code status was updated from (current|MIL) (1/14) to (stored) (14/14)

2/ and then all the unplugging of leads and connectors generated this code (which i deleted and it didnt come back)

P0720 (1/2) Stored - output shaft speed sensor circuit DTC security 2 of 3 - repair immediately

so now i am thinking i have two options:
1/ find a different test to diagnose the SAS directly... i guess some place under the steering wheel
2/ wait for a reply from launchx431.net technical support, which is one of the diagnostic tools you recommended, confirm the tool works as advertised, delete all codes and monitor the ecu for the very first DTC the unit throws at me...

needless to say, i am concerned that the problem actually might be the SAS itself and not the ABS... i looked for the SAS on rockauto, ebay, amazon, napa and a few others and these sensors are nowhere to be found for the ml320... and the cost appears to be around $500 if i can find it

sarcophagus

yes, correct ... the problem with ABS started some time around mid-summer and the car drives and handles just fine.

if the ml320 was my car, no ESP/BAS/ABS would be of any concern to me.. i learnt to drive on a 4sp manual, RWD farm truck with no ABS and none of my current cars have any ABS or traction control whatsoever; however, this being my wife's car who brakes during icy blizzards the same way as on a nice sunny summer day and expect the same response and handling from the car, the ABS fully functioning is an absolute must on this car since we have already got our first 3" of snow and ice on roads and i worry i'll get a phone call that the car is in the ditch.

my current diagnostics tool, innova 3100RS, does not delete ABS codes and that is the main reason why i started this thread since my original plan was to delete the codes first and see which one pops at me first...
i am now looking into purchasing iCarsoft MB V3.0 or LAUNCH Creader Elite BENZ which @JettaRed recommended and i am in contact with the tech support to make sure it works as advertised... the reason why i am so **** about making sure it works as advertised is that the innova 3100rs was advertised as a tool which deletes ABS codes but later i found out the 3100rs fakes deleting these codes instead of actually getting rid of them...

what is "voltage glitchings?.. i have never come across such term or diagnosis..

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

I know the iCarsoft has an SAS reset function, so the LAUNCH Creader should too. They are pretty comparable, but different interfaces. Ideally, you should have a XENTRY and C4 multiplexer, which would walk you through troubleshooting your DTCs. But that'll run $600 to $700 and take a while to get. Then you need to go through the setup, which may already be done if you buy it as a kit. eBay and AliExpress have them, but you need to be careful to get a good one. Search MBWorld for lots of info. I know @BenzNinja can recommend a good source for everything.

sarcophagus

yes, those are canadian dollars.. you see, canada went communist about a decade ago and communism doesnt come cheap... we canadians are forced to pay for all the illegal african engineers, scientists, doctors, philosophers, intellectuals who stream here from sub-saharan afrika illegally and then we put them and their large families on 4 start hotels, pay for everything and dont ask them to work... that's how much we love diversity and cultural enrichment... hopefully this bitter statement explains the crazy prices we pay to live in marxist paradise such as canada.

i have sent a message to launchx431.net with an inquiry re the deletion of codes and upgrades and i have not received a reply yet...
would you mind if i asked you for a technical contact and support for your unit which i presume came with the product when you purchased it... perhaps i will get a faster reply if i direct my inquiry directly to technical support which comes with the purchased unit... i am trying to avoid any returns or surprises so i thought it's better to know in advance what the unit does, how it does it and what the limitations are... thank you!

sarcophagus

reading your recommendations, it's becoming clear to me that the best way to move forward is not trying to start fixing anything on the car until i get a proper diagnostic tool which deletes all stored codes and it also tests and resets sensors.... this is how you would go about it, amirite?

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Yep, that's pretty much it. Do keep in mind that no diagnostic tool will delete a code for a fault that has not been repaired, not even the Mercedes XENTRY system.

WRT a contact at LAUNCH, I don't remember any documentation in the package, though I'm sure there was some. Instructions are for wimps! (Until you need them.)

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

How does Prince Charming keep getting re-elected? But, just like our own numb-nut politicians, it takes a village to destroy a good thing.