2nd S Flooded This week! S Owners Keep your Drains Clean!!!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 229
SL55, S500
Yeap luckily, I noticed just in time because my front carpet was partially wet and damp and so was the lining underneath it.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 301
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles, CA
2000 E320 2009 E550
Water Damage to Vehicle
I had a Jaguar XKE a while back that would cut off while driving in the rain and some of the water would splash up over the engine. I would pull over to the side of the road wait a couple of minutes and then I was able to drive again.
Now I know that to drive with extreme care when there is water or rain in the area.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 301
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles, CA
2000 E320 2009 E550
WATER DAMAGE TO VEHICLE
The dealer did all my flood work. They took out the seats, floor mats and all the carpeting. I did not see the vehicle when it was under repair. I did receive some photos from the insurance adjuster.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 56
Likes: 3
From: Kankakee, IL
2009 E63 AMG
This happened to our R350 last year with the first signs being the blower motor failure. Quickly followed by a seemingly possessed car! Long story short, $2500 later with a replaced BUS bar, all is well.
But please...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD....check those drains!!!!
But please...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD....check those drains!!!!
Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 76
Likes: 1
2004 S600 (V220.176)
Blower failure
Just as well you guys posted again. As I had a temporary blower failure twice (just no blower for 1-2 minutes) i started listening.
Guess what? The drains were all blocked up with dirt, not leafs. It was quite a performance to clean it.
This will possibly explain the weirdest thing that happened this summer: on a hot summer day the aircon was blowing on all cylinders except rear right, where the heating was blowing also on full power (I have separate a/c in the back)
I hope that this will have killed the Gremlins.
By the way, I did not spot the problem easily. The blocked drain disguised itself as normal "plastic". You need to look under the grid at very bright light. THe drainage hole is only about 10" (25cm) under the grid. If there is no hole then there is a problem, even if it all looks "nice and tidy".
Guess what? The drains were all blocked up with dirt, not leafs. It was quite a performance to clean it.
This will possibly explain the weirdest thing that happened this summer: on a hot summer day the aircon was blowing on all cylinders except rear right, where the heating was blowing also on full power (I have separate a/c in the back)
I hope that this will have killed the Gremlins.
By the way, I did not spot the problem easily. The blocked drain disguised itself as normal "plastic". You need to look under the grid at very bright light. THe drainage hole is only about 10" (25cm) under the grid. If there is no hole then there is a problem, even if it all looks "nice and tidy".
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
cl 600
help please, car won't start
Hey guys i need some help,
I also had this problem, the drains where blocked with leaves and after some rainy days my whole passenger side got wet. The car didn't start anymore and my electrical system was all messed up. Lights going on and off alarm going off and many electrical malfunctions. I read some stuff here and removed my carpet and passenger seat and saw an inch off water everywhere. I started to dry everything took the sam module in the right back seat out and dry'd it green mush everywhere on the electrics but managed to clean and dry it quit good. Now i put everything back together but the passenger seat because i wasn't sure if the problem was fixed. Now all my electrics seem to work fine, no malfunctions or anything that i can notice, but it still wont start. the motor turns but it sounds like no gas is going to the motor just keeps turning and then shuts off. Please help anybody i dried everything on the floor and in the back but i didnt touch the dashboard on the passenger side could there be some wet stuff in there?
I also had this problem, the drains where blocked with leaves and after some rainy days my whole passenger side got wet. The car didn't start anymore and my electrical system was all messed up. Lights going on and off alarm going off and many electrical malfunctions. I read some stuff here and removed my carpet and passenger seat and saw an inch off water everywhere. I started to dry everything took the sam module in the right back seat out and dry'd it green mush everywhere on the electrics but managed to clean and dry it quit good. Now i put everything back together but the passenger seat because i wasn't sure if the problem was fixed. Now all my electrics seem to work fine, no malfunctions or anything that i can notice, but it still wont start. the motor turns but it sounds like no gas is going to the motor just keeps turning and then shuts off. Please help anybody i dried everything on the floor and in the back but i didnt touch the dashboard on the passenger side could there be some wet stuff in there?
Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: NY
2003 s500 sport
3 days ago I had the same issue as described below.
https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ter-floor.html
Car worked fine and the only possible damage was heater acting up and not blowing heat hot enough but this got resolved on it's own.
Now yesterday we had a lot of rain and today I couldn't open or start the car. Opened the car with the metal key but no action when key put in ignition.
I changed the battery and tried again and nothing. I did have issues with this key before as it's old and plastic buttons broken off so any little moisture causes it to stop working but the key was dry and I see the red light on the key blinking when the open door button is pressed.
Before the rain I already cleared the drain in the engine compartment which was completely blocked and caused all this in the first place so there wasn't any additional water getting in. What do you think it is? Could the additional humidity and moisture from the overnight rain cause some modules in the car to stop working?
I am drying the key just in case and will try in 30 mins but I have a bad feeling that it could be the car and not the key this time.
The carpets in the back didn't get wet and there is no water on the floor on the passenger side although the carpet is still damp.
Any help and ideas on what to check are much appreciated.
https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ter-floor.html
Car worked fine and the only possible damage was heater acting up and not blowing heat hot enough but this got resolved on it's own.
Now yesterday we had a lot of rain and today I couldn't open or start the car. Opened the car with the metal key but no action when key put in ignition.
I changed the battery and tried again and nothing. I did have issues with this key before as it's old and plastic buttons broken off so any little moisture causes it to stop working but the key was dry and I see the red light on the key blinking when the open door button is pressed.
Before the rain I already cleared the drain in the engine compartment which was completely blocked and caused all this in the first place so there wasn't any additional water getting in. What do you think it is? Could the additional humidity and moisture from the overnight rain cause some modules in the car to stop working?
I am drying the key just in case and will try in 30 mins but I have a bad feeling that it could be the car and not the key this time.
The carpets in the back didn't get wet and there is no water on the floor on the passenger side although the carpet is still damp.
Any help and ideas on what to check are much appreciated.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,150
Likes: 533
Mercedes
Have you pulled up the passenger side carpet down to the metal floor ? There are "electrical runways " under there and I guarantee you it is soaking wet.
The runways go from the front all the way to the rear seat electronics and the water flows straight through from front to back . Pull up the carpets get the hair dryer and dry all thus before All your electronics will eventually die from this
The runways go from the front all the way to the rear seat electronics and the water flows straight through from front to back . Pull up the carpets get the hair dryer and dry all thus before All your electronics will eventually die from this
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 37
From: North Carolina
2003 S500 - Toyota Corolla (in the rain)
If you want to see it work after cleaning the drain just take a bottle of water and pour a bit in the drain. It should see the water on the ground under the passenger side of the car.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Canada
2012 R350 BT - Acura TL SH AWD 2011 - Mustang GT 1994
I have posted several descriptions of my experience with a plugged drain on my R500 in this and other forums. It cost me $3,000 to repair, but it could have been worse. In my case the defogging system suddenly fogged up the car screen at highway speeed in bad freezing weather, and the SAM and Yaw sensor failed at the same time. Could have caused a nasty accident etc.
The really annoying thing is that it could have been avoided by MB advising owners of the possible issue, and the requirement to keep drains un-plugged. This could be in the owner's manual.
What do the MB dealerships advise? In my experience they claim they do not to know about the issue. MY car was serviced by them just befor this event.
MB Canada Customer Service advised me that I should expect this to happen.
I wonder how many MB owners with vehicles that have similar air intake designs have encountered this problem?
IF YOU HAVE AN MB WITH AN AIR INTAKE DRAIN THEN KEEP IT CLEAR OR RUN THE RISK OF EXPENSIVE MODULE FAILURE - OR WORSE.
The really annoying thing is that it could have been avoided by MB advising owners of the possible issue, and the requirement to keep drains un-plugged. This could be in the owner's manual.
What do the MB dealerships advise? In my experience they claim they do not to know about the issue. MY car was serviced by them just befor this event.
MB Canada Customer Service advised me that I should expect this to happen.
I wonder how many MB owners with vehicles that have similar air intake designs have encountered this problem?
IF YOU HAVE AN MB WITH AN AIR INTAKE DRAIN THEN KEEP IT CLEAR OR RUN THE RISK OF EXPENSIVE MODULE FAILURE - OR WORSE.
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
s500
open the hood.... look on the passenger side under the wiper... there is a large duct with a grill on it.. (as seen in picture).... See the dirty hole in the bottom outer side allll the way on the bottom.... that hole gets clogged and that area fills to a point to which it spills over inside itself and enters the cabin.... So a visual inspection is usually fine... unless there is stuff in there.. then an air gun or a long screwdriver to push the crap through is good....
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,473
Likes: 439
From: Ball Ground, GA (N of Atlanta)
2003 S500 2007 GL450
The grille is held in place by three or four tabs that snap down around the outside - you just pry each of the tabs enough to lift that part of the grille until it pops out. All done from the top, no problem.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,150
Likes: 533
Mercedes
just stick a long chopstick or other long thin object through the grid and through the drain hole , no need to even remove the grid
Member
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 202
Likes: 19
2001 S600 Lorinser Body Kit & W215 Front-End Conversion
Just cleaned my reed valve yesterday and thought why not make a video of it since it's a simple, yet overlook procedure. Hope it helps:
Last edited by shooffnyc; Nov 27, 2017 at 03:31 PM.
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
2000 clk 320 w/ 17 aftermarket et38 on 225/45/17 all around using 7mm front and 20mm rear spacers.
Flooded water heater out
Flood water then blower motor went out? My question is did you have to replace just the fan part or did you go and get the resistor to the blower fan as well. They are all one price but can be purchased separately.. I got a used blower motor and mine still will not work. The fuse was blown and I replaced it too.. maybe the used one was broken too?
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
w220 2001 S320CDI
This is just to update this thread and is taken from the thread link on my earlier post.
Well I took a good look at the car this past weekend (Saturday's weather was dry for the morning!!).
I looked at what would be obvious causes for my water ingress into the rear seat area. I first looked under the bonnet (raised into service level height) to follow what happens to the water from the windsheild and bonnet etc when going through the grated area at the top of the bonnet.
It all collects into a large plastic dish which spans across the grated area to catch the water. If the car is flat or leaning towards the passenger side (UK) then all water will flow into the large reservoir tank with the problematic rubber drain plug thing at the bottom. (Mine was blocked 3 years ago and flooded the front of the car which seems to be common). This was clear and has been since.
I then tested what would happen if the car is parked so that it leans the other way (drivers side - UK) and found that the large reservoir tank becomes redundant and the water goes towards the other side of the large plastic dish area. The design has a small rubber outlet to stop overfilling of this large plastic dish item, but with the car parked leaning towards the drivers side, this too becomes redundant.
I removed this large plastic dish item to get a better look.
Then it hit me, the drivers corner within the engine (UK driver side) is where all of this water will be directed and so upon looking closely with a torch, this area was choc full of leaves and mush (broken down leaves/dirt & sludge), and created a kind of small reservoir itself.
"This can't be good and must be the problem" I thought to myself. I vacuumed as much as I could and scraped out the crap which a long screwdriver, paper towelling, fingers etc and then vacuumed again. This area has the windscreen washer pipes running from the engine area to the washers themselves and so had to pull the pipes away slightly to get to this area.
I then retested and no more water collecting. It now runs straight out of the front drivers (UK) wheel arch area through a drain hole and some also came out of the rear drivers (UK) wheel arch area through a drain hole, so hopefully this is it.
I checked the rear seat area with all electronics and no water came through
I checked again yesterday and all good bar a small amount of water trickle which seems to be coming from the wiring tunnel from the front of the car to the rear (i.e. where the water is getting into the rear seat area from) which I am hoping is merely the water left from within this tunnel from before my fix and not fresh.
I am now planning to use a mains powered dehumidifier inside the car to draw off the remaining water/moisture as the weather sucks in the UK about now until April. Can someone recommend do I close all windows when this dehumidifer is on, what percentage setting should I use and I guess I will know when it has done it's job as no more water will collect?
Sorry if the above goes on a bit, but I am thrilled that I (hopefully) have found the culprit for my very frustrating water ingress problem.
p.s. It rained all day yesterday and was parked in the position that caused the water problem beforehand and all was good (apart from the small trickle which hopefully is what I said above).
Well I took a good look at the car this past weekend (Saturday's weather was dry for the morning!!).
I looked at what would be obvious causes for my water ingress into the rear seat area. I first looked under the bonnet (raised into service level height) to follow what happens to the water from the windsheild and bonnet etc when going through the grated area at the top of the bonnet.
It all collects into a large plastic dish which spans across the grated area to catch the water. If the car is flat or leaning towards the passenger side (UK) then all water will flow into the large reservoir tank with the problematic rubber drain plug thing at the bottom. (Mine was blocked 3 years ago and flooded the front of the car which seems to be common). This was clear and has been since.
I then tested what would happen if the car is parked so that it leans the other way (drivers side - UK) and found that the large reservoir tank becomes redundant and the water goes towards the other side of the large plastic dish area. The design has a small rubber outlet to stop overfilling of this large plastic dish item, but with the car parked leaning towards the drivers side, this too becomes redundant.
I removed this large plastic dish item to get a better look.
Then it hit me, the drivers corner within the engine (UK driver side) is where all of this water will be directed and so upon looking closely with a torch, this area was choc full of leaves and mush (broken down leaves/dirt & sludge), and created a kind of small reservoir itself.
"This can't be good and must be the problem" I thought to myself. I vacuumed as much as I could and scraped out the crap which a long screwdriver, paper towelling, fingers etc and then vacuumed again. This area has the windscreen washer pipes running from the engine area to the washers themselves and so had to pull the pipes away slightly to get to this area.
I then retested and no more water collecting. It now runs straight out of the front drivers (UK) wheel arch area through a drain hole and some also came out of the rear drivers (UK) wheel arch area through a drain hole, so hopefully this is it.
I checked the rear seat area with all electronics and no water came through
I checked again yesterday and all good bar a small amount of water trickle which seems to be coming from the wiring tunnel from the front of the car to the rear (i.e. where the water is getting into the rear seat area from) which I am hoping is merely the water left from within this tunnel from before my fix and not fresh.
I am now planning to use a mains powered dehumidifier inside the car to draw off the remaining water/moisture as the weather sucks in the UK about now until April. Can someone recommend do I close all windows when this dehumidifer is on, what percentage setting should I use and I guess I will know when it has done it's job as no more water will collect?
Sorry if the above goes on a bit, but I am thrilled that I (hopefully) have found the culprit for my very frustrating water ingress problem.
p.s. It rained all day yesterday and was parked in the position that caused the water problem beforehand and all was good (apart from the small trickle which hopefully is what I said above).
I am facing a similar issue with a W220 S320CDI 2001 and its very frustrating/worrying. May I ask on a little bit of clarification from yourself? The large plastic catch dish that you mention (which has drain holes which were clogged) how did you take this off and where is this located? Do you need to lift the car to access this?
Also you mentioned 2 cloges that you cleaned to get rid of the issue. One from 3 years ago and another after this, where are these present?
Any guidance would be very helpful = thank you.
Haris
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
w220 2001 S320CDI
Thank you tusabes - sorry i dont know how i missed it and thanks to shooffnyc for making it.
Am i correct in understanding that the reed valve opened in this video can be responsible for rear seat and boot flooding as well - just so surprising that the water would travel all the way to the rear end of the car from this front end position...
Am i correct in understanding that the reed valve opened in this video can be responsible for rear seat and boot flooding as well - just so surprising that the water would travel all the way to the rear end of the car from this front end position...
