3etoiles

The car is a 2005 E55 Wagon with Keyless start. I am hoping someone has had the same issue and can help me resolve.

Two months ago, the keyless start button on the shifter started working intermittently. I would either have to keep pushing it a few times for it to work or I would have to jiggle the shifter a little. The doors worked fine. I replaced the key fob battery just in case. The car does not give me the "key not recognized" error. A week ago, the button stopped working altogether, regardless of the amount of pressing or jiggling (the shifter that is).

I took the button apart and the contacts are all in good shape. I sprayed some electronics cleaner in there but still nothing. I even bought another used shifter but still nothing. I am assuming its the actual shift selector module bolted to the floor, but before I tear into it, has anybody had a similar problem? If so, any potential solutions or things to look for would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

baldmike73

first things first is search

2nd - could be either pins broke on the shifter - good time to update to newer version or the its the wire down at the bottom of the shaft -

on my E55 - it was 2 fold - pins broke and shifter gate needed to be replaced -

regardless not a really hard fix -

E55Freak

I also had the same issue except my lock/unlock would not work either on the key fob..so i just gave up. I was under the impression a new key might work. well, a month later and now everything is back to normal.

3etoiles

Thanks guys.

For the record, I did search and saw that another member had the same exact problem as me. I PM'd him but never heard back on the solution which is why I put a new thread out.

Anyway, the pins are not broken and I already have an updated shifter. I am guessing its the shift gate (the big opaque green unit bolted under the shifter knob) that needs to be replaced next. Will buy a unit on eBay and try it out.

SoCal55k

I had the same problem with the start button not working. I followed the write up on this page and now its working no problem. https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...re-broken.html

3etoiles

wow thanks man. i saw that but pictures arent loading for me so couldnt give it a shot as I am not sure which wire he was referring to. was the soldering easy? I have a solder kit but never used one.

SoCal55k

It's a small area to work in but can be done with a little practice. Finding the wire is fairly simple, just remove the green casing from the base of the shifter(it's glued on but I used a small butter knife to cut it loose). After the cover is removed you will see the wire coming from the shift handle and chances are it will be broken. Took me about 2 hours start to finish.

starbrite

When that KG thread was first started, I made a pdf of it (attached) with all the pics intact.

Just double click on any pic and it will come up full size. (except for the 3 that are no longer online.)

I had the same problem and it was an easy fix. Just read all the posts in the rest of the thread for additional tips.

stockC43

Mine had this too. Easy fix