E320CDI Estate 'ignition barrel !!'

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muhandis89

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
54
Location
Majorca
Car
E320CDi Estate
I have a 2001 E320 CDi Estate,in which I have done a lot of miles.Today the car would not start,and I had to call out Green Flag.The ignition key(with brand new batteries installed) failed to release any of the electrics,or operate-for example-the doors.Key IR light operates normally.

The very good recovery guy got the vehicle onto his truck using skids,as the steering lock would not release,and the front wheels were slightly out of centre.

He tells me that he has encountered this problem before,and that the car will need a new ignition barrel and probably have to have the keys reset to suit the new barrel.

Can anyone please shed any light on this type of problem,and advise how many squillions it might cost to fix? The car is ultra reliable,normally,and I'm loath to change it,unless this problem is a foretaste of other electrical problems to come.

Thanks for reading this!!
 
Your car will be a 210226 there are only a couple of things.

Does the steering lock click ad disengage when you put the key in,, does the key turn





Do not leave the key in and remove one battery lead for 5 mins and try again

Have you tried the other key
 
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Television Hi!!

Steering lock does not disengage when I put the key in.Have replaced batteries in both keys I have,and the problem remains.

Have not tried to disengage the batteries,but car has now been recovered to a garage in Morpeth.As noted above the recovery guy said that he thought it would be the ignition barrel/EIS?

However,when I tried to start it this morning,the key turned and worked fine.I letb the glow plug light go out,and all I got was a 'click',which did not sound as if it came from the starter motor,rather the box on the nearside that controls aircon etc.Having seen a post today,regarding the fan that cools the electronics,I checked the fuse that controls this function,and it had not blown.I had a similar problem about 6 weeks ago,left the car,and it started after about 1 hour.Do these symptoms suggest to you that the EIS has failed? have also cleaned off the IT screens on the keys,which were not dirty at all.
 
There are a few things listed,7 in all, not things that you can check the only one being what I listed, thats dis connecting the battery


These DAS that's drive authorization system do need siganls from other parts of the car it is a job for MB or an indie with STAR to read out the codes stored.

The ign switch is an expensive thing and complicated and it is that 50% of the time
 
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Malcolm.Thanks for that.The pople who recovered the car tell me that they should have some news about lunchtime tomorrow,and will use a guy who has dealt with 2 similarly problematic E320CDi's.Mine has done 220,000 and it has been really good,with a fuel rack,power steering pump,and injector seals replaced.I have a german friend with the same model,who has done over 400000 miles(not kms) but has lots of Indie Merc people in his area(naturally).Thanks to the Forum,I have a better handle on the problem,which is good.I would certainly buy another of these cars.
 
Malcolm.Thanks for that.The pople who recovered the car tell me that they should have some news about lunchtime tomorrow,and will use a guy who has dealt with 2 similarly problematic E320CDi's.Mine has done 220,000 and it has been really good,with a fuel rack,power steering pump,and injector seals replaced.I have a german friend with the same model,who has done over 400000 miles(not kms) but has lots of Indie Merc people in his area(naturally).Thanks to the Forum,I have a better handle on the problem,which is good.I would certainly buy another of these cars.

Good luck and sorry that we can go no further, yes they are great cars, and I love mine too :) We would love to hear the outcome please
 
Malcolm and Television.I will certainly let you know-hopefully this week.Once again Thanks!
 
Gentlemen,
I have now got my E320CDi estate back from the recovery company.It appears that the battery was dead,as the rear lock relay jammed,and the rear interior lights,more or less,flattened the battery.I had returned late on Saturday from a 450 mile trip,including meetings,and so probably did not notice that the interior lights remained on.The recovery driver suggested a 'collapsed' ignition system,as he had dealt with a Merc car in a similar condition,recently.As the steering lock would not operate,the front wheels were off centre,and he skidded the car onto his recovery platform,very professionaly.

The garage,about 30 miles away,commenced on the car on Monday,by recharging the battery,and then checking all electrics,with their test equipment.They noticed a leaking injector seal,so replaced all of them(6).The total bill,including recovery,seals changed,labour and a complete electrical function check was £157(inc VAT).I was very impressed with the service and price.

There are 2 guys at the garage(Chris on electronics and Ian on mechanicals) who are excellent.The company has a big recovery business in Northumbria and are based at Morpeth(24/7 recovery).I highly recommend them and shall use them for my next 'B' service:

R.S.Johnson Recovery Ltd
Coopies Lane Industrial Estate
Morpeth NE61 6JT
Tel 01670 519970/505605
www.rsjohnson.co.uk

I HIGHLY recommend them
 
Well thats good new and Jay got that one right :)

I am pleased that you are on the road again
 
I have also joined 'Green Flag' of which Johnsons is a part.Good value.I need the car tomorrow,for a funeral at Hereford,which is a fair distance from my UK address in Northumberland

Great forum,with great advise.Thank you all!!
 
lol... average turnaround for most used car dealers is around 2 -3 months.... so plenty of time for dying batteries to reach their grave...
 
lol... average turnaround for most used car dealers is around 2 -3 months.... so plenty of time for dying batteries to reach their grave...

I'd be happy to drive the cars and warm up the batteries for you ;)
Got any nice S-Class's:devil:
 
When I were a lad, a mate's dad had a 420SEL [C reg so 1985/6??] which every time the car was left for more than a week would have a flat battery. We got over the problem by said mate finding the spare key and giving it a run [which at the age of 19 made for quite an entrance at the local pub] when his parents were away.

It had another wierd trait too - it occasionally got stuck on full throttle on the motorway on the way to Ireland and scared the s**t out of his dad...
 

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