BAS/ESP,ETS,ABS,EPC - epic fail or just a weird glitch?

[edgejedi]

....regretably I have been given a company car (dont ask what model - trust me it is poor but better than adding miles to my MB....) and so my pride and joy has been sat on the drive for a bit.

Ive taken it out for a spin every couple of weeks no problems just to keep things 'moving', but with the cold snap and snow these last few days when I went to take it out.....the battery was flat

OK, so I charged the battery with a portable charger.....and it started first time no problems. Took it up the motorway to give it a breather and lo and behold...these lights came up on the dashboard

BAS/ESP
ETS
ABS
EPC

Now I know the ABS ws working as it kicked in on a corner as I was coming into the street with a particularly icy patch (at a slow speed I will add!).

After I spotted it first time I turned off the engine, left it for a couple of minutes and then restarted....car start up cylce went fine, all lights on and then off. And the lights didnt come back on.

But....tried it again yesterday and the same thing, lights on, switch off, no lights back on.

Is this just a possible glitch? Anyone had the same thing happen to them? Is there a reason why these lights in particular might come on (are they related?).

Any thoughts appreciated please peeps!

 

[Ted]

Turn the steering from lock to lock a couple of times and see if that cures it.

 

[panason1c]

Your battery is no good........the lights you mentioned are coming on due to too low a voltage from the battery..........Just renew your battery and that will solve the problem.

After fitting a new battery, turn the steering lock to lock a couple of times to extinguish the ets light.

 

[dokalj]

Your battery is no good........the lights you mentioned are coming on due to too low a voltage from the battery..........Just renew your battery and that will solve the problem.

After fitting a new battery, turn the steering lock to lock a couple of times to extinguish the ets light.

I have similar lights, except EPC.

Surely, he must check the voltage first of the battery and under load?

Those lights have appeared on my ML, in the recent snow. I will probably put it on STAR soon.

dokalj

 

[panason1c]

The clue to me is that the op 's battery is going flat, in a relatively short time, when left standing, (which a good battery wouldnt do) and also, once the car is used and the alternator has brought the battery back up to voltage, the lights dont come on. This says to me that the battery low voltage is the problem.


Just my opinion, happy to be wrong...

 

[edgejedi]

Turn the steering from lock to lock a couple of times and see if that cures it.

....do you literally mean turn engine on and turn the steering wheel full lock to the left and right?

As for the battery.....you could be right there as it hasnt been changed as far as I can tell for a while but has been packing a punch until the snow hit even when its been left for a couple of weeks. I suspect the cold has a lot to do with it too but its disappointing if the car gives upbthe ghost at the first sign of cold. I guess being made in Mexico there was no intent to go anywhere near the frozen wilds of the North


Would it be worth checking battery power and giving it a full charge?

 

[Ted]

Yes. Fire up the engine and turn the wheel full lock left to right at least twice. Hopefully the lights will go out permanently. You will get the ' 1 malfunction' when you turn the engine off, but it will not happen again.

 

[kit17]

Your battery is no good........the lights you mentioned are coming on due to too low a voltage from the battery..........Just renew your battery and that will solve the problem.




Yes I agree sounds like a dieing battery, I have expierenced a similar thing with warning lights etc.

 

[dokalj]

....do you literally mean turn engine on and turn the steering wheel full lock to the left and right?

As for the battery.....you could be right there as it hasnt been changed as far as I can tell for a while but has been packing a punch until the snow hit even when its been left for a couple of weeks. I suspect the cold has a lot to do with it too but its disappointing if the car gives upbthe ghost at the first sign of cold. I guess being made in Mexico there was no intent to go anywhere near the frozen wilds of the North


Would it be worth checking battery power and giving it a full charge?

Has the alternator ever been changed?

 

[edgejedi]

I charged the battery up full (it wasnt fully charged when I started) and the epc light went off, leaving the remaining 3 lights on. Great I thought....after a day or so the epc and other lights came back on. Then yesterday ALL the lights went off and I thought I was in heaven!

The alternator has never been replaced as far as I know, but I think I'll have the battery replaced first and see I guess. Might be a bit cheaper than the alternator first off?? Trial and error I guess.

What was the result on star for your dashboard lights on if you took it in yet pls?

 

[Spin_bowler]

My old S class used to throw ABS, BAS, ESP etc faults up whenever it had sat idle for a while. They never stayed for long.

 

[Justin1600]

As already said, it is probably a Battery issue. Also clean the battery terminals properly when you replace it

 

[dokalj]

Diagnosed as alternator overcharging the battery. I saw on star the battery value kept flashing when it exceeded the tolerance. My battery doesn't look too healthy either and there was some bubbling of acid near the caps. I am monitoring it, a interesting discovery was the lights went off on the way to the indie. Snow and ice related maybe?? I was told, that the lights can come on for a range of reasons and only STAR will pin point it. Also, if the voltage is too high it can trigger the lights. I need to get the alternator tested by my indie.

dokalj

 

[edgejedi]

Cheers dokalj! Sounds like I'll be heading the same way....how much did a battery set you back? Did you go original mb or indie....?

 

[dokalj]

Cheers dokalj! Sounds like I'll be heading the same way....how much did a battery set you back? Did you go original mb or indie....?

I went to my local Indie. I was advised to monitor the problem.

I have not purchased a new battery yet. I will have to get the alternator seen to first. I don't want it over-charging the new battery. If the levels inside the existing battery are ok then I may keep it. However the battery does look like it has seen better days.

New MB battery probably £140 and a Bosch from Euro Car Parts + discount around £85.

I hope this helps.

dokalj

 

[edgejedi]

Well, just like you said. Ive been using the car a little more and sure enough all the lights have gone off now. That must have been the prob for me I guess.... We' ll see and hope it lasts!

 

[edgejedi]

Well the company car has just gone back and im happy tobe back in my ML, the lights have come on again, but it has been sat around again (but not now!) So im sure they will vanish soon.

Curious question though - are these lights linked in anyway to the cruise control, as it seems to have stopped working?? Bizarre.....

 

[johnsco]

Most of these functions depend on the inputs from the ABS sensors.
If the input from the sensors is contradictory, then all of these lights are likely to come on and your cruise control will probably not engage