Rob8178

The other day while driving (in rain) I got a series of errors. The car went crazy the radio, a/c and interior lights were going off and on like a horror movie scene. I parked the car and visited a friend for an hour or so. The car started fine and drove great with no problems. Now today, two days later I'm getting a no start, won't crank. The dash reads as follows

Abs, esp, airmatic ( it has the image it would display when the car is raising), active headlamp display malfunction.

The car has always had an issue with the drivers side active headlamp so it's possible the separate of the main issue. Also the car won't come out of park and the P is not displayed on the cluster but does illuminated on the actual shifter.

I realize this could be hard to diagnose over the internet but some pointers would help.

vincheung

I had an issue in my w220 S500 with water that leaked in through from the passenger glove box area (due to blocked valve). It fried my blower motor and a couple of other headaches. I was lucky as the water didn't reach the rear SAM which usually ends up causing all lights to go nuts.

For your 55, I would start by pinpointing where and how water got in, start pulling some carpet, dry things out, and see where the moisture leads. Hopefully there isn't much damage, I'm sure e55 owners will chime in soon to help.

bbirdwell

-Check ECU and front SAM for water infiltration
-Then check under passenger side floorboard for water infiltration
-Then check rear SAM for water infiltration
-See if carpet is wet on either side of the passenger compartment; the junction blocks for the CAN bus are located in the channels.

Ensure your front SAM and ECU have both the hard plastic cover and the flexible rubber cover over them. In my case, the rubber cover was off while performing maintenance, the hard plastic cover was unfastened and off, rainstorm appeared, and one hour later my car was displaying symptoms such as yours; error displays on the dash and no crank. I pulled the ECU, opened it up, and literally poured an ounce or so of water out of it. I also had to pull every connector on the front SAM and liberally spray everything down with contact cleaner.

If the K-relays will activate when you turn the key to position 2, you can put a diagnostic system on it and see if it will point you to the malfunctioning unit.

Rob8178

Today I did a little more thorough check of all the Sam units. I did not see any signs of moisture in the front Sam or notice anything out of the ordinary in the rear. I took a video to show the codes that are coming up on the dash if anyone wants to look at it. Also I see no voltage drop when turning key to start positron.

https://youtu.be/apY2ipqFr5Q

vincheung

Have you checked all the relays in the fuse boxes? any chance water got inside?

bbirdwell

Now is the time to put it on a Star diagnostic system...

For grins and giggles, confirm fuse f59 in the front SAM is good. That's the one for the starter relay. It will be one of the two fuses turned lengthwise in the middle of the front SAM.

bbirdwell

Looks like an issue with the CAN C bus or one of the modules attached to it.
Everything you mention as failing is tied to the CAN C bus (chassis):
-engine control module (engine compartment)
-electronic transmission module (passenger side floorboard)
-air suspension module (passenger side floorboard)
-electronic stability module (engine compartment, front SAM)
-headlamp range module (under passenger seat area carpet)
Plus:
-instrument cluster (cockpit)
-electronic ignition switch module (cockpit)
-steering column module (cockpit)
-front SAM (engine compartment)

So…you might have gotten water into the X30/5 CAN connector located in the tunnel on the driver’s side of the car under the door sill but that sounds way too easy. EDIT: It is possible corrosion is in one of the connectors for the CAN bus in the cockpit. One connector is located under the driver's side door sill, one is on the passenger side on the transmission tunnel, and the third should be located on the passenger side foot well right side.

More likely, one or more of the modules above shorted due to water infiltration (or maybe not) and that module is killing the entire bus. Place it on a Star diagnostic system. If the quick test does not immediately identify the bad module you’ll have to pull one module at a time until the CAN bus stabilizes. You can do that by monitoring the CAN bus control units and unplugging one module at a time until the bus status shows “stable”. When the bus stabilizes, the last module unplugged will be the bad module or connector.

Hope this helps; I think you're gonna need a Star or equivalent.

Hey! I just made my 1,000th post! I'll have to celebrate tonight!

Rob8178

Thank you that's plenty of homework to keep me busy. The day I noticed the problem I ordered an icarsoft i980 which should be able to read all the modules for me. Hopefully I can get this sorted and this thread can serve as help for others.

O-55

Sounds like your central gateway gave out.

Rob8178

I unplugged it and the car started me. Pm me your PayPal address I'll send you over some $ to buy yourself a beer on me