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I wanted to detail my recent history working with forum member Pmercury with Xentry Diagnostics. I have a new to me '05 SL65 with 55K miles, purchased from the original owner's estate. All maintenance performed at MB. I got a detailed maintenance history and also obtained the Vehicle Master Inquiry (VMI). The car had the A/C system temperature cycling warm and then cold when I got it. The brother, who's executor of the estate, said the car's been doing that for a couple of years. I could tell that the brother was aggravated with the A/C problem that no one seemed to be able to fix. I ran Xentry diagnostics (that Pmercury helped me obtain for my SL55) and came up with a number of faults shown here:
Last edited by JamesMitchell; Feb 20, 2020 at 11:28 AM.
Some folks may then try to clear the current faults and then see if they reoccur. However, looking into the maintenance history, I saw that the top latch for the convertible top had been replaced and that the pass. side front SAM had also been replaced following the "Customer states Air Conditioning going up and then down" a couple of years ago. Several other visits to the MB service department included Red Battery Light (with both batteries replaced, twice), A/C intermittent and the dealer then recommended replacing the A/C control panel. The owner declined to replace the A/C control panel.
So I discussed this with Pmercury and he did a deep analysis of my system with Xentry with the Teamviewer app (where he remotely controls your computer and analyzes your car). What I found most helpful with Pmercury is that he asks the question "Why?" when he analyzes the various faults. His analysis came up with these faults:
Last edited by JamesMitchell; Feb 20, 2020 at 11:42 AM.
Looking further into the CAN faults combined, Pmercury determined that single-wire mode meant that the CAN connector itself had a problem. He also explained the entire CAN system for the high and low CANs. In my case, the low CANs were likely the problem. This analysis coupled with the prior history of the top latch problem, Pmercury surmised that the car likely had a water leak from the roof not completely closing and that the lower CAN connectors likely were corroded due to some water getting into the floor boards. He then went into Starfinder and determined the CAN B voltage distributor connectors should be checked for corrosion. The connectors at X30/15, X30/16, X30/17 and X30/18 were checked. And sure enough, the CAN B voltage distributor connector X30/16 on the front passenger side (with brown wires) was the culprit! Water had corroded this connector, which likely resulted in the numerous issues the original owner had and that I was also now experiencing. Here are the pictures of where the connector is:
Last edited by JamesMitchell; Feb 24, 2020 at 05:16 PM.
I was able to use WIS to properly remove the pass. side carpet to access the X30/16 connector. I took it apart and cleaned it with CRC electronics cleaner from AutoZone. It was definitely green with corrosion. I was so happy to find it was so corroded that I forgot to take a picture of it, but I could tell that the corroded connector had been the problem experienced by the previous owner and myself. I also cleaned a number of other connectors along the way in the pass. side floor, the driver's side floor and the rear compartment behind the pass. seat.
Moral of the story: Folks can get the Xentry software elsewhere and it may or may not work. I have the Xentry software that I consulted with Pmercury prior to obtaining. It works flawlessly. But being new to the R230, I don't have quite the knowledge to interpret the data I'm getting from Xentry. Pmercury pointed me in the right direction initially on how to use the software for diagnostics and how to navigate DAS and WIS, but what I cannot express enough is his support in helping find solutions to aggravating problems that, in this case, had been existing for years. A problem that two MB dealerships could not solve. Their solution is to throw expensive parts at the car, clear the codes and "hope" that fixes the problem. I think taking a step back and thinking about what is actually affecting the various components like various connectors could help in diagnosing a problem. I cleaned CAN connectors and a number of other connectors throughout the car based on Pmercury's advice.
If you want to get to the source of what is going on with your car - I cannot recommend highly enough getting in touch with Pmercury. He's helped so many folks on MBWorld with his experience and tireless pursuit of finding the root causes of problems with our cars. He really is a diagnostic expert. My car's climate control is working like it was new. Thank you Pmercury!!
Last edited by JamesMitchell; Feb 24, 2020 at 05:20 PM.
Always great to hear of a successful problem resolution. Also I’ve been getting some single Canbus errors and random faults (started another topic previously about those) so you’ve given me a clue to check out
Awesome success story!
And a huge vote for the fact that you MUST have an SDS/Xentry if you hope to DIY this car and fix problems even a dealer can't fix.
Thanks for sharing.
upgrading your modules to actual 2020 firmware is important, firmware updates correct problems
doing one right now by remote
updated ABC with new firmware too on the SL
This is as always, totally free and I am happy to help
as I said before, not possible for updates to 2020 with old Das/Xentry, cheap manipulated ebay and aliexpress versions or fake "free genuine" here shared versions. no SCN online coding either.
Last edited by pmercury; Feb 20, 2020 at 09:19 PM.
I thought that voltage level looked familiar.
I need to get out and drive the SL to see what difference the updates made, but it sure feels more responsive.
I thought that voltage level looked familiar.
I need to get out and drive the SL to see what difference the updates made, but it sure feels more responsive.
yes
many friends I updated said so, really depends on the year
Thank you James for posting this information. It's good "out of the box" type diagnostics that can help decipher what the computer is telling us. Kudos to Pmercury for figuring it out. Thank you sharing!
I've read this topic and there is something I just can't seem to work out.
The climate control on this vehicle hasn't worked correctly for some time. It was discovered that many of the climate control actuator motors had faulted. And through clever sleuthing, it was noticed that the Body CAN was in "single-wire" mode. Then that was determined to be caused by a poor connection, and once that was fixed all was well.
Now the rub. According to the Mercedes WIS on CAN functionality (attached), "if a short circuit or discontinuity occurs on one of the two CAN lines then due to a safety concept...the system can change over to single-line operation." So communication continues uninterrupted. In this article author "television" is somewhat more specific: "The CAN system will then be running in the single wire mode, every thing will work, it just runs slower.
So single-wire mode isn't a problem at all with respect to how the car operates. And if it were, then in this case with extensive CAN faults involving a dozen modules then obviously very little in this vehicle would operate. Ironically, those faulted actuators would work, since they are not part of the CAN.
I've read this topic and there is something I just can't seem to work out.
The climate control on this vehicle hasn't worked correctly for some time. It was discovered that many of the climate control actuator motors had faulted. And through clever sleuthing, it was noticed that the Body CAN was in "single-wire" mode. Then that was determined to be caused by a poor connection, and once that was fixed all was well.
Now the rub. According to the Mercedes WIS on CAN functionality (attached), "if a short circuit or discontinuity occurs on one of the two CAN lines then due to a safety concept...the system can change over to single-line operation." So communication continues uninterrupted. In this article author "television" is somewhat more specific: "The CAN system will then be running in the single wire mode, every thing will work, it just runs slower.
So single-wire mode isn't a problem at all with respect to how the car operates. And if it were, then in this case with extensive CAN faults involving a dozen modules then obviously very little in this vehicle would operate. Ironically, those faulted actuators would work, since they are not part of the CAN.
So what's going on here?
.
Listen, Tom&Jerry99 emailed you to write that here, just forget about creating any discussion and tell him to find a good Doctor to get prescriptions
It doesn't matter how James explained this and if the words are technically in the right order
most important is that he is getting his flooded car fixed and that I diagnosed another flooded SL with Hendrik Koster two weeks ago
anyone can contact and ask him, I diagnose around one car per week for him
what matters is that they both get the SL's fixed
So whoever you are, please go have fun with your car.
LOVE
Last edited by pmercury; Feb 24, 2020 at 09:55 PM.
In this post I found a document on CAN which Mercedes uses to train their dealer technicians. On page 14 is a graphic which shows how a grounded wire does not interrupt CAN communication. Note also that on page 55 it shows that the climate controller N22 plugs into the CAN connector located on the driver side of the car and not the passenger side, which is the one that got repaired.
So I think the screen with all those CAN faults was a red herring and there must be another cause for the stepper motor "mechanical" faults. .
Last edited by Seven Out; Feb 25, 2020 at 07:44 AM.
In this post I found a document on CAN which Mercedes uses to train their dealer technicians. On page 14 is a graphic which shows how a grounded wire does not interrupt CAN communication. Note also that on page 55 it shows that the climate controller N22 plugs into the CAN connector located on the driver side of the car and not the passenger side, which is the one that got repaired.
So I think the screen with all those CAN faults was a red herring and there must be another cause for the stepper motor "mechanical" faults. .
very kind from you trying to help but it has been fixed
accurate details will be posted
Last edited by pmercury; Feb 25, 2020 at 07:53 AM.
In this post I found a document on CAN which Mercedes uses to train their dealer technicians. On page 14 is a graphic which shows how a grounded wire does not interrupt CAN communication. Note also that on page 55 it shows that the climate controller N22 plugs into the CAN connector located on the driver side of the car and not the passenger side, which is the one that got repaired.
So I think the screen with all those CAN faults was a red herring and there must be another cause for the stepper motor "mechanical" faults. .
Well instead of just firing questions about what has happened why don’t you post your own theory of how the OP got his car sorted? Save us all a lot of time?
Its such a shame, a member posted a genuine feel good post about how pleased he was to get his car fixed and how appreciative he was of help he received via here. Now we’ve ended up in this series of questions about the circumstances.
Put your own theory up and let’s have a balanced discussion about the circumstances or just leave it be?
Well instead of just firing questions about what has happened why don’t you post your own theory of how the OP got his car sorted? Save us all a lot of time?
Its such a shame, a member posted a genuine feel good post about how pleased he was to get his car fixed and how appreciative he was of help he received via here. Now we’ve ended up in this series of questions about the circumstances.
Put your own theory up and let’s have a balanced discussion about the circumstances or just leave it be?
OK, since you asked for a theory, here is mine:
Last year, after I replaced my Comand head unit with a Kenwood my climate controls no longer worked, other than the fan, which was blowing basically room temperature air. I put the iCarsoft MBII on it, and I got pretty much the same kind of results as the ones posted in the first image. Every controller and actuator was faulty. It worked before I took the dash apart, but it was a massive failure now. So at Rodney's suggestion, I took everything apart, and it turns out that I had forgotten to put the can wire back into the back of the climate control box. That's all there was. In fact I posted about this in the Comand replacement thread I had on the other Benz world forum:
What I think is happening here is that a lot of testing was done, showing errors and such, but the real culprit was a disconnected wire, which was fixed in the process of dismantling and reassembling everything, but it had nothing to do with the issue on the second photo, because as SevenOut pointed out, that CAN is still functional, even though it's doing so in single-wire mode, which is the fail-safe operation mode. So the non-functionmal actuators and motors could not have come from this CAN.
So to me, this was misdiagnosed, but the fix came by pure chance.
Gentlemen: Why so much acrimony over a problem so easily diagnosed as this one? If I were running a shop I'd put the novice tech who usually changes water pumps and put him on this one to relieve his boredom.
There is no communication happening on the HVAC communication (AC) bus. None. I think the odds of a failed push button control unit are pretty strong. If the newbie tech pulls the control unit from the dash and measures a voltage that deviates significantly from 7 volts, he'll bring to me a failed control unit and get 60 minutes for lunch that day instead of his usual 30 minutes.
Of course as was just previously mentioned, the bus could be disconnected, and I imagine he'd figure that one out instantly.
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