not looked on the 221 (and checking parts drawing can't see what I'm suggesting) - under the drivers floor carpet in many Mercs is a pre-fuse box that links all the big boy cables from the alternator etc. - its the unit some blow up when they decide to save money and connect the battery up back to front

but fiddling around whilst some of the cables could be lose would bring some fun - and I'd suggest worth checking more carefully than finding something responds to a cursory poke then walking away

 

Terrible design. And now I'm seeing so many videos of W221 with drainage issues from crap getting into the drains from the bottom of the windshield area. Fortunately, this vehicle is stored indoors, but I know on my CLK for example I've cleaned out the drains to the best of my ability multiple times, especially after heavy winds like we've had recently here in LA (Still going on today even in some areas) with now rain forecast for the weekend.

I've looked under the passenger area when I removed the LoJack and everything seemed clean and dry thankfully. I think something got fiddled down there on the driver side during the brake job when they had to use so much force to get the rotor off as well there were crazy strong pulsations when braking after the initial brake front pad and rotor change. I'm definitely going to take a better look it was late last night so I left it for now, but hopefully will have the chance tonight.

I also for example checked the drive train CAN distributor (X30/21) under the driver seat and the circuit board along with the plugs/wires look good physically. I'm trying to look for the drive train sensor CAN distributor (X30/38), which I believe may be in the driver footwell area since the picture I have shows it in the Front SAM area, but I think that must be for a 2007-2008 with dual battery system.

I may contact him as well. I think I need a good power source to keep the battery strong when doing the coding. I honestly did not think of this and it makes so much sense.

This whole situation reminds me of an issue I had with my CLK last year. Knock on wood, she's been good since.

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...-car-wash.html

I've checked the pre-fuses under the passenger seat (Surprising was very easy to open up compared to the driver side being much for difficult). I will test the pre-fuses there as I did not do that, but as far as water intrusion, it's dry and clean everywhere. This car has not been used as a daily so it's avoided a lot of weather related situations.

 

Makes sense what Botus said as related to what you experienced when you first started mucking about with the carpet on drivers side. something got pulled and killed the power. I totally second getting the BenzNinja onboard to help with the diagnosis and fix ( with coding )

It might be possible that the mad pulsation after the brake issue damaged something, I think it would be from the rotor(s) not be installed correctly, wobbling all over. That could cause the ABS system to light off. So would the bearing and hub being damaged during the service allowing the hub to wobble. Mad pulsation would be from the ABS system then lighting off. .. Then again they might just have not re-connected the ABS wire back or damaged the brake pad sensor. Lots of things to actually lay hands on :-) Re rotors and hubs ..Check for lateral and vertical runout on the rotors and check the play in the hub/bearing. IIRC there is a thread on here re the front bearings/hub and getting it right.

Be very careful of mucking about in the drivers footwell with the batteries still hooked up ..you dont want to short something out and cause damage or even a fire....

If it was me, I would source another garage to do the mechanical work based on your experience..just sayin'

 

The carpet removal attempt on the driver side was the latest thing I did after checking under both front seats and the passenger footwell. I figured the issue would be there since it is the closest to the front driver side wheel area. What led me there is assuming the drive train sensor CAN distributor (X30/38) is down there since I can't find it anywhere else up front. I also rechecked the passenger side and tested all the pre-fuses down there as well as the pre-fuses in the junction box in front of the main battery in the engine bay. All posts are good and have +12V.

I believe this as well. To also note, even after the rotors were changed out to a second new set, there was still some slight pulsation and I doubt the pads got deformed by that time. Thank you. Definitely need to get that wheel off and set what's up. As stated before, even the tire shop when trying to balance the wheels had no issue getting all the other wheels off except the driver side front wheel because two bolts were extremely difficult to remove and required replacement (The Visit Workshop Without Changing Gears warning popped up the first time when trying to put it into park at the tire shop before the work was attempted and it refused to go into park or reverse). I removed both front ABS sensors from the hubs and they don't seem to be damaged at all, but again visually can be deceiving since they're electrical parts. I never got any ABS warnings or codes stored in the vehicle. I found a video on how to test them. I didn't think of the brake pad sensor on the passenger side if that could be causing an issue.


My main issue regarding getting to a specialist has been not being able to put the car in neutral. Was hoping to just get it to do that and then have it towed off, but if I have to have it towed in park, I guess we'll have to come up with some creative measures to get it out of the garage and onto the tow truck. I have a family member that specializes in Mercedes and he has a DAS or Xentry system at his shop, I just don't regularly use him, hence why the car had gone to another shop. If the ISM is also indeed damaged at this point, I have found a specialist that offers repair services for these somewhat near me, so if I could get it off the side of the transmission and take it and bring it back it would help as well.

 

There's another odd new code that is coming up now under XALWA_L - Xenon Headlamp, Left(Front End CAN Bus):

501C: CAN Signal 'Reverse Gear Engaged' From Control Unit ME-SFI Is Implausible.

Does anyone know where the front end can block is located?

Also, while inspecting the ABS pump, I noticed the bracket that holds three of brake lines is broken into two pieces and separated.

 

lots of CAN stuff by the CGW (driver side near the socket)
lots more CAN under the alloy plate less passenger footwell (lift up the carpet)
others say lots behind the drivers seat (around that vent (I’ve not bothered looking here yet)

I doubt its CAN faults - as I said battery volts and then the ISM is likely dead they ALL do it

 

Probably just the lighting ...but have those right two lines been bent? kinda looks like it..bears inspecting properly..since you are saying there were issues getting the brakes done with ABS issues...
Maybe use the tow truck sling to raise the rear end up and pull it out that way. Place rear tires on roller pads to pull up onto flat bed. Then have it taken to your family member with Xentry for proper diagnosis...Then report back

 

I'll check by the socket too. I've checked the other two spots already and everything looks good.

Yeah I want to get the ISM off as I found someone that has ability to both repair and reflash them.

I checked that bracket and it's definitely broken into two pieces (They move separately). I checked my other cars and they are good those brackets. The bend points look okay not damaged when I rechecked this morning.

Thank you. I really appreciate this input for how to tow the car. I know the dealers have a free wheel adapter I read on here, so was going to check if my relative has that and I can pick it up to have the tow truck put on the wheel and send off to him.

Also, I decided to check my brake fluid this morning. Seems too high even after the front pads and rotors replacement (It's all the way up to where the inner cap mesh sits and is slightly seeping through the mesh).

 

its a disgusting colour - Germans like it fully flushed through every two years - that looks original

 

/\/\ what he said 2nd ed flush the whole system ASAP.

 

I know. I told the shop it should be flushed when they did the brake job. The paperwork says check and refill brake fluid. I think it's an issue with the tech honestly because I had a problem with my CLK the last time this particular tech at the shop touched it, but I didn't want to make a comment cause it could've been a honest mistake, but now I'm going to have to have a talk with the shop about this guy. When the second rotor set was put on, a different tech I trust more did the job.

 

sorry but that doesn even look like it was filled it would at least be a lighter colour of yuck brown if topped off. Demand your money back and find another competent place to work on the most important part of your car...the brakes

 

Well another update. So I mentioned about the left Xenon error code. When the code first came up, I was not able to clear it with the scanner. I decided to remove the brake wear sensor that plugs into the pads and for some reason after that the Xenon code is able to be cleared. It still comes up, but I'm able to clear it every time I try. Also, even though no gear is highlighted when I turn the ignition on, if I hold the brake and put it into Drive, the cluster will show D highlighted, but no arrows (Only can get it to highlight D, none of the other gears).

Two other odd things I noticed. When I hit the front driver side rim or the headlight with the palm of my hand, I hear a strange buzzing sound come from somewhere either around the rear of the headlamp area or further back. No such noise on the passenger side. As well, I just noticed when I turn the ignition on, the ABS pump / ESP module will make a constant clicking noise and it does not stop. I still think it's an ABS sensor or similar issue. The reason I'm leaning to this is because of a thread I found on here on the ML forums as well as a thread on another forum (Even though his vehicle had temperamental starting issues while mine started with temperamental ISM issues).

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/i...ervice.198909/

He had a similar sequence of events as me: Took vehicle in for a Service A, transmission service (He mentions this later in the thread), as well as brake job. His solution was to replace all 4 wheel sensors and a relay in the front SAM (I tested that relay in my vehicle and it's working fine). I have also been getting sometimes codes show up in the Comand module scan (Shutdown due to low voltage), but they haven't come back since removing the brake pad wear sensor.

 

from the state of your brake fluid its clear the car has not been serviced well....

does it have air tragic suspension ? likely as it was std - you need to check (and likely replace) all three level sensor link rods - they seize and snap off - one each at the top inside of the front wheels - and one hiding at the back above the park brake actuator. These also operate the headlight levelling - which is driven from one master headlamp (I forget which one it is)

All the original issues sound like the garage messed up the brake disc replacement - I don't believe its possible to leave a car with ABS permanently active - that said I have had a motorbike with a dead rear ABS sensor leave the traction control permanently active and the vehicle became unrideable, as the engine power cuts out

I believe all along we said drive the car looking at live data from each ABS wheel speed sensor - if they don't match going slow in a straight line one is playing up - and must be fixed

there are always two parts to the sensor operation - the sensor and the bit that gives it something to be excited about - the reluctor - aka the lump of iron that disturbs the magnetic field the ABS module seeks to understand. On the Front - of non 4x4 models - this element is built into the inner wheel bearing seal

check the old seal in the picture below - the pattern on the black bit is magnetised brake disc gunk, reacting due to magnetism in the seal face, they come smooth like the new one - you can only clean and check it by removing the front hub - no amount of trying in situ has any effect. If the front wheel bearings are way out of adjustment that could also lead to issues.




rear suspension level sensor link rod - and the silly bracket (holding the ball) that snaps each leg off one by one over time - till the car drops to the floor and becomes undriveable



.

 

Well thinking some more I decided to remove the ECU and found fluid on some of the pins.

 

early cars had leak-by cam shaft sensors - there was a free mod to fit gunk protectors - short fly leads between the engine loom and the cam sensor multiplugs

even so some filth like, moisture, combustion gases, acids, and oil mist can wander down the engine loom and blow the brains out of the engine ECU - quite common, quite expensive, quite a nuisance
if this happens either replace the engine loom (whilst replacing all the other bits) - or go to great lengths to flush out the crud or you blow up the new ECU

I'd start with cleaning up corrosion / gunk - if brave pry open the engine ECU and use contact cleaner - do not use heat, its not needed and tends to make the aged sealant sticky again - manipulate the silly cover back to normal before refitting with appropriate sealant - when apart clean and look for blown capacitors - they die from heat and as they leak can blow up the chips beneath that control the coil voltage - YouTube videos of those specialist repairs

might get lucky just cleaning things up

 

I was thinking all along - an engine misfire will give juddering - but its distinctly different to a brake related judder - but its far worse for the car, and you should pick it up idling - just walk round the back on tickover put your hand on each exhaust outlet - and feel the pulses - it should be a smooth constant sequence of pulses - if there's a single gap / odd beat, a cyl or more is down

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155773606238

 

I cleaned all the oil stains on the ECU and tried to clean the plugs as best I can. Was thinking of using an electrical connector cleaner on the plugs if that's a good idea? The car has those extended wire plugs hooked up already to the cam sensors.

Could it be transmission oil seeping up through the plug at the transmission not engine oil?

Yeah no misfires at all. Shifting was all smooth after the service. Only issue was the vibration with the brakes. It wouldn't happen right away either. Would take about 2 miles. Even after they changed the rotors, there still was a slight vibration.

 

electrical contact cleaner is designed to help clean and is of course safe to use - a decent anti-corrosion spray that is safe on electrics is also a good idea - I spray circuit boards with ACF50 - its all over the two multiplugs of my engine ECU

try cleaning up as best you can - if you think water ingress got in the ECU opening and drying would be the best thing to try - then clear all the faults - start it up and check after a 10 min drive

I don't think trans fluid could get in here - but its beginning to sound like you need to try some other modules - why are you so confident the ISM is good - they built them to die and that's what they do - but now you throw a curve ball and the engine one might be a close second

 

I just thinks it's strange for it to happen right after going in for service and the only odd things standing out from the service were the crazy braking vibrations and them having a hard time getting the driver side rotor and wheel bolts off.

 

More developments lol. So I went back to the driver floor lining and tried removing it again (Disconnected battery first this time around), but it's very difficult. I was able to get a little peak in and did find couple of things to note.

1. There is brown stain on the side of the padding. It's dry and don't see anywhere else on the padding, only on the side that touches the side frame. Looks like rub-off from that liner along the frame. Felt a bit around down there too and no sign of dampness or water yet.



2. I found a loose bolt hanging around by the wire loom and I believe this is what caused that short the first time around when trying to poke around down there. I realized right away where the bolt is supposed to go. There is a screw in the side panel by the AUX battery mounting that didn't seem to belong. This bolt matches the other two there so I removed that screw and put this bolt back in it's place.




I doubt though there's any water issues with this vehicle. In the last 8 years since ownership, it's always garaged and only has been driven about 16k miles in that time. I don't think it's even seen rain in that time. It was purchased from a local Mercedes dealer and was dealer serviced by the previous owner according to the CarFax.

 

HOLD ON - have we done the rounds of replacing batteries ?

when you go to a garage they forget / don't care about w221s emptying full batteries in a few seconds given half a chance - open the door leave the key on, 10 mins later it will be mostly flat - these things eat so many volts then almost need plugging in to recently upgraded nuclear power station on permanent basis

 

Both batteries have been replaced. So after the car left the shop the first time post oil change, differential oil, transmission service, and front pads/rotors, the terrible vibrations during braking starting after about two or three miles. I took the car back two days later when they got the second set of rotors in to replace the defective ones. Car started fine, no issues. They then had a very hard time taking off the front driver side rotor, having to even bang it off. After all that was done, I drove off to the tire shop for balancing, and when I tried putting it into park is when the message popped up for the first time. I turned the car off and back on and the message went away. The tire shop then had a very hard time getting the bolts off the front driver side wheel. Left the tire shop and when I got home again the message came up when trying to put into park or reverse. So at first the message would only come up after some time of driving. I replaced the AUX battery and there was no change. At some point, a major parasitic draw developed and would drain the battery overnight. I then replaced the main battery and the new battery would drain as well. I think only after the shorting situation did the battery drain stop.

 

there is a software kill switch inside the ISM - hit a certain amount of uses and it self destructs - for most owners that’s circa 110k miles - but of course if you do short runs it will be much earlier etc.