1997 W202 C230 Will not start

[acehighdan]

History: I bought a 1997 w202 C230 from a friend of mine.
for personal reasons i am unable at this time to put insurance on the car so it has been sitting in my garage for the last month or so...
about every 3 to 4 days i start it up just to keep the motor in good running order and whatever other benefits that may also some with it.
a few days ago i go to start the car and notice the cars battery is completely dead (accidentally left a light on in the cab).
while trying to open the car with the car fob before realizing the cars battery was dead i noticed also the fobs battery was also dead.
anyway i bought new batteries for the fob and then i jump started the car by hooking up the the car battery in the trunk (boot) to my brothers car and it jump started as expected without any issues or reason for concern, i left the car running for about 20 min to allow the battery to charge up...
i then parked the car back into the garage and a few days later tried to start the car again, and it just wont start....
my friend that im buying the car from has looked at the relays in under the hood, and in the boot as well and didnt notice any blown fuses/relays.
the car will crank, but it just wont start.

Observations:
1: the car will only crank if the key is quickly turned from the off position to the ignition position, if the car is first set to the on position for a few seconds then cranked to the ignition position, the car wont even try to crank

2: if my understanding is correct... if the immobilizer is stopping the car from starting, the red/green lights on my rear view mirror will blink alternatively while trying to start the car.... i am not getting any blinking of any kind (but the lights do work, as it will blink red or green respectively when i am locking or unlocking the car with the fob)

3: the ignition feels.... mushy, kind of like your break will feel if you need to bleed your break lines (this only started recently)

4: there was a couple of times it successfully ignited, but it was only for a split second, maybe 0.5 seconds before it shut off.... its as if the gas/petrol was cut off from the engine or something

5: the car has about 20 - 25 liters of petrol in the tank

I do NOT know much about cars, this is only my second time ever having a car, so if i do get any responses from this post, please try to keep in mind that your responding to a guy that doesnt know the difference between a flywheel and a clutch plate.

I appreciate any and all ideas you guys may throw my way
Thanks in advance
Dan
From: Vancouver Canada

 

[gbjeppm]

I would say that your basic problem is that it is not being driven.

Idling for 20 mins every 3/4 days is not enough. Being driven for 20 mins might be.

You would be be better to buy a battery conditioner to keep the battery topped up.

 

[acehighdan]

Thank you for the reply. I have my brothers battery conditioner, I don't know if it's considered a good one or not, but it charged the battery but still will not start

 

[Dec]

Is there a fuse in the fuel pump relay in boot/trunk, check that it is ok.
Relay may be Black or Green in colour.

Its not the immobiliser as the Red Green LEDs would flash alternately when you turn key to position 2, just before position 3 = start.

Dec

Source… Zayed And Others.. - MBWorld.org Forums

 

[acehighdan]

Dec
My friend specifically checked a relay in the boot and said it looked good to him, now I don't know if that's the specific fuse/relay you are talking about or not, tomorrow I'll check myself and see if I can determine if it is blown or not.

looking at the pictures you provided, it does appear they are the fuses he looked at as well as some under the hood (bonnet)??

ill be looking tomorrow anyway, and see if i can find anything.

 

[Dec]

It sounds like a fuel issue or damp? related to all the “start ups without driving the car”
As mentioned above, use a battery charger to keep the battery toped up rather than starting it every few days, the car will be fine if it’s not driven for a few weeks.

The fuel pump relay is in the boot and can be seen in the second picture above, next to the fuse box, it may or may not have a fuse in it.

Is the battery good, when its fully charged, is it able to turn the engine over several times without running out of steam?

Dec

Edit, the fuel pump fuse is number 1 in boot, UK car pictured, yours is likely the same set up.

 

[acehighdan]

Dec
i was kind of thinking the same thing... fuel issue of some kind...
i dont know what a "damp" is, but ill do some research about it.
i think your right about there being a fuel pump relay being there, and that my friend did check it and found it not blown, but yeah ill check it myself later when there is daylight.
Thanks a lot for assisting me
PS. is "Bonnet" the correct term for the engine compartment?
i used to watch an english tv series called "Top Gear"
which i believe they used that term for under the hood

 

[Dec]

If the car is in a garage and then is started periodically it can promote condensation which is dampness, car electrics don’t like dampness… a lot depends on how cold the garage is.

Hood = Bonnet, it all depends where you are in the world.

Dec

 

[acehighdan]

The garage is not attached to the house nor heated, and considering I live in BC Canada, im pretty sure you have an idea how damp it is here.... Could be a very real possibility that it is dampness....

 

[Dec]

Does it sound like this when you try to start?

Dec
[YOUTUBE]TK9kX-n6aBU[/YOUTUBE]

Or

[YOUTUBE]YX94Twfsi78[/YOUTUBE]

Also

[YOUTUBE]cY1YndLmbXQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[acehighdan]

Sounds mostly like link 2... It sounds healthy, I don't hear misfiring, it just simply doesn't ignite... Later when I try to start the car, I'll video record it with my phone.... I'll record while in the car starting, and then I'll record the engine with the hood up, that may give you guys a better idea of what's going on

 

[Dec]

Link 1 sound like fuel problem.
Link 2 sounds electrical.
You have a flip out remote key, was it ever opened up by you or the previous owner, I don’t mean the key battery compartment but the actual case?

Dec

 

[acehighdan]

Yes and yes... The previous owner had broken it or didn't like how flimsy it was and taped it closed. .. And he also glued the battery door shut on it, so the fob has to be opened any time the batteries need to be changed

 

[Dec]

The video below is to illustrate how the key comes apart and how it goes back together again, there is nothing wrong with the buttons on your remote key because the doors lock and unlock ok when you press the key fob button, however, I’m wondering if an immobiliser chip, which is glued inside the remote as illustrated in picture below has become dislodged or has fallen out the last time the remote was opened.

The chip inside the key reacts with an immobiliser coil that is around the ignition key hole, if this immobiliser chip is missing from the key fob then the car wont start.

I’m now not sure if the RED and Green will flash or not if this chip is missing from the key.
Is there an alarm of any kind fitted to the car?
Any other odd looking keys that came with the car?

Dec

[YOUTUBE]lCqfivH9-Dg[/YOUTUBE]

 

[acehighdan]

..... :'( i just checked my fob.... the immobilizer chip is gone....!!!
when i went to the local hardware store to by batteries for the fob, I didnt know exactly which batteries i needed, and because my friend glued the battery door shut, i had to take apart the fob, well i lost my grip and the fob landed on the grounded, the spring was missing, i was looking for the spring, but i didnt know there was an immobilizer chip (not connected to the main board) so i didnt bother looking for any kind of chip..... i only have one key

 

[acehighdan]

The only pieces I have for the fob are these pieces

 

[Dec]

Are you sure its gone, the are normally glued in place and VERY hard to see if you aren't familiar.

Dec

 

[Dec]

Have you got a better picture of the area near the Red lens.

Dec

 

[acehighdan]

It's not there, I can see where it used to sit in there...

 

[Dec]

Go back to the store and bring a vacuum cleaner with you and vacuum the area where you dropped it then go through the vacuum cleaner contents. Vacuum 10 feet either side of where you dropped it.


It may well still be there.


Example of what a chip might be like here… https://www.google.ie/search?q=Merc...LY7AbJioHoDg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1362&bih=871

Dec