E55 amg draining battery

[Redman81]

Hi guys new guy to site have a 2004 e55 that I have purchased 185km with full service history very clean car but has some issues , want to get it looked after and put away for a few years but I purchased a new battery but if I don’t drive the car for 2 days it’s dead !! Something seems to be on and draining the battery has anyone on here had same problems !! I also want to give car a full once over and check for any problems ! What are the common things to check the brakes have a bit of play and one of bags is soft (2 ordered to replace ) previous owner has fitted a new oem compressor so hopefully that’s all that is ! How much we talking for timing chains and full service kits I’m living in Ireland thanks guys great site , first dip into MB world as I’m owner of 3 Subaru Imprezas but had to have this e55

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

Hi, which battery did you replace, they have two. One in the boot and one in the engine bay, under the pollen filter.
A lot of things could cause a drain..

 

[Redman81]

Hi, which battery did you replace, they have two. One in the boot and one in the engine bay, under the pollen filter.
A lot of things could cause a drain..

Sorry I actually replaced both when I purchased the car !

 

[AMGeed]

Welcome to the forum
Don't worry yourself with timing chains on this engine, they are not an issue. One of the most reliable engines to be fitted to an AMG.

Re your battery drain, 211's do seem to suffer and the first things I'd check would be the Comand (is it shutting down properly) remove the fuse and see if the drain stops. Check also the seat and door modules. You may have then have to go though the 3 fuse locations (engine bay, drivers side end of dash and boot and check each fuse for a current draw. Up to 65mA in total is considered acceptable.

When you say the brakes have a bit of play, what do you mean?
If the discs and pads are OK, you may still have some air in the system. Be careful working on the SBC system. read up about it before tackling any brake job.
There is a great thread here somewhere with all the things to look at when buying and owning an E55.
I'll post a link when I find it.

Edit...This one.

W211 E55 - some essential questions | General Discussion

Good little Summary there Jimmy, also add that the later ones will also have the 200mph speedo rather than the 160mph ones. I think out of the options panaramic roof, rear blinds & TV(esp if you have kids) should be added as nice to haves, ventilated seats, TPMS imo are useless. I think...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

 

[Redman81]

Welcome to the forum
Don't worry yourself with timing chains on this engine, they are not an issue. One of the most reliable engines to be fitted to an AMG.

Re your battery drain, 211's do seem to suffer and the first things I'd check would be the Comand (is it shutting down properly) remove the fuse and see if the drain stops. Check also the seat and door modules. You may have then have to go though the 3 fuse locations (engine bay, drivers side end of dash and boot and check each fuse for a current draw. Up to 65mA in total is considered acceptable.

When you say the brakes have a bit of play, what do you mean?
If the discs and pads are OK, you may still have some air in the system. Be careful working on the SBC system. read up about it before tackling any brake job.
There is a great thread here somewhere with all the things to look at when buying and owning an E55.
I'll post a link when I find it.

Edit...This one.

W211 E55 - some essential questions | General Discussion

Good little Summary there Jimmy, also add that the later ones will also have the 200mph speedo rather than the 160mph ones. I think out of the options panaramic roof, rear blinds & TV(esp if you have kids) should be added as nice to haves, ventilated seats, TPMS imo are useless. I think...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

Thanks a lot for the info ! I will get mechanic to look into it Yes the brakes are soft as in lot of pedal travel they stop but not what I want with a car like this , there is new pads and discs fitted from last year by Mercedes, so it’s been like this since I got it ! I don’t know a whole lot about Mercedes but from the service history previous owner brought it to main dealer to even change a light bulb! I don’t want to do things on the cheap I want to be able to drive this car in 5 years time but also don’t have money for main dealers ! I have a feeling that I be on here looking for advice/help ! Are there many e55 owners on here? I do know about the sbc unit though is it reliant on battery power?

 

[AMGeed]

Thanks a lot for the info ! I will get mechanic to look into it Yes the brakes are soft as in lot of pedal travel they stop but not what I want with a car like this , there is new pads and discs fitted from last year by Mercedes, so it’s been like this since I got it ! I don’t know a whole lot about Mercedes but from the service history previous owner brought it to main dealer to even change a light bulb! I don’t want to do things on the cheap I want to be able to drive this car in 5 years time but also don’t have money for main dealers ! I have a feeling that I be on here looking for advice/help ! Are there many e55 owners on here? I do know about the sbc unit though is it reliant on battery power?

Yes, unplug the SBC unit before working on it or lock the doors and put the key away so nobody can accidentally activate the pump.
It sounds like there is still air in the system if you have a soft brake pedal. Maybe some of the Irish members can recommend a Mercedes specialist with Star diagnostics to bleed the brakes.
Quite a few 55K owners here to help out with any problems.
They are a great car and I loved my 6+ year ownership with mine.

 

[AMGeed]

This link is very useful for fuse checking

Fuse Box Diagram Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W211; 2003-2009)

Fuse box diagram (location and assignment of electrical fuses and relays) for Mercedes-Benz E-Class (E200, E220, E230, E240, E270, E280, E300, E320, E350, E400, E420, E500, E550, E55, E63) (W211; 2003-2009.

fuse-box.info

 

[SL03WLY]

I'm too battling this right now with mine. Had new battery fitted 3 weeks ago and its already flat line onces at 10.3V. Now its always at 11.5V after a day or two. Genuine merc battery and programmed to the BCM. So far I have disconnected the Dynamic seat pump in the boot but still something is draining it. Will look at seat module and command unit too as AMGeed suggested.

Until then I bought myself the NOCO battery packs in case it needs a little bump to start

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hello and welcome .OP, you say you want to put the car away for a few years. If you do that you may as well remove the batteries altogether, after the car being idle for a few years you will be getting these issues all over again.

This is the point when everyone comes on here and recommends various 'battery management' devices my advice ? get it where you want it to be (get professional advice on storing a car), take out the batteries , maybe leave the old suspension bags in , put new ones on when you resurrect the car. What's the point of fitting new bags for them to just sit for 2 years ?

 

[SL03WLY]

"recommends various 'battery management' devices my advice?", Whats wrong with this?

 

[marko_eire]

Hi guys new guy to site have a 2004 e55 that I have purchased 185km with full service history very clean car but has some issues , want to get it looked after and put away for a few years but I purchased a new battery but if I don’t drive the car for 2 days it’s dead !! Something seems to be on and draining the battery has anyone on here had same problems !! I also want to give car a full once over and check for any problems ! What are the common things to check the brakes have a bit of play and one of bags is soft (2 ordered to replace ) previous owner has fitted a new oem compressor so hopefully that’s all that is ! How much we talking for timing chains and full service kits I’m living in Ireland thanks guys great site , first dip into MB world as I’m owner of 3 Subaru Imprezas but had to have this e55

I had the same issue and only sorted it last week it turned out the driver seat was causing the problem there are videos on YouTube about the parasitic drain anyway we ended up removing a fuse from the fuse box in the boot I think it was number 7 a 30 amp fuse reqr right of the boot and voila it fixed the issue the strange things is that the seats work fine as in power when ignition is off which is why it drains the battery some people have spliced the wiring under the seat bit as above removing the fuse sorted it for me.

 

[marko_eire]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

here is the link to q good vid on the wire splicing

 

[marko_eire]

 

[SL03WLY]

Hey marko_eire, I saw the same video and will probably do that at some point after checking a few other things. I did remove the number 7 fuse in the boot as my dynamic seat pump drained my battery where car wouldn't start. Since removing the same fuse as you the battery still gets to 11.5V.

My Thread on this issue: W211 Battery 10.4V, Boot wont open with key | Engine

 

[Major774]

You need to find out and let us know what your key off resting amp draw is (at the battery).

Mine is approx. 150mA - 200mA, I know the aftermarket lowering module in my car is always powered on and doesn’t turn off unless I disconnect it. So I keep the battery topped up with a battery charger.

I used one of these and a multi meter to measure my resting amp draw.

Heavy Duty Car Battery Isolator Switch Terminal Quick Cut-Off Disconnect 12V 24V | eBay

Lampa Quick Battery isolator switch. Fits all standard size automotive batteries.

www.ebay.co.uk

Then carry out a voltage drop test on all fuses to find your culprit. That’s the conclusion I have found with my car.

You can’t just guess, it requires a proper inspector gadget investigation.

 

[marko_eire]

Hi guys new guy to site have a 2004 e55 that I have purchased 185km with full service history very clean car but has some issues , want to get it looked after and put away for a few years but I purchased a new battery but if I don’t drive the car for 2 days it’s dead !! Something seems to be on and draining the battery has anyone on here had same problems !! I also want to give car a full once over and check for any problems ! What are the common things to check the brakes have a bit of play and one of bags is soft (2 ordered to replace ) previous owner has fitted a new oem compressor so hopefully that’s all that is ! How much we talking for timing chains and full service kits I’m living in Ireland thanks guys great site , first dip into MB world as I’m owner of 3 Subaru Imprezas but had to have this e55

Did you replace both airmatic suspension bags ? I have one leaking on the driver side and need to replace both where did you buy them from ?

 

[marko_eire]

Redman where are you living in Ireland ? There ain't many e55's in ireland

 

[marko_eire]

I have a similar problem and a brake wear visit workshop message on the dash im just hoping this is not a problem with the SBC ! Let us know how you get on

 

[Gbrowncls55]

The SBC message is" Brake Service visit workshop" first in white then in red ( or just in red if it fails suddenly rathere than exceeding pedal count). I think yours is pads

 

[marko_eire]

The SBC message is" Brake Service visit workshop" first in white then in red ( or just in red if it fails suddenly rathere than exceeding pedal count). I think yours is pads

Hopefully thats all it is they are pretty bad i have only driven the car 200 miles since purchasing up north of ireland and and drove it back. Turns out this car has loads of gremlins in it not to mention a misfire in cylinder 2 so much for a pre purchase inspection the mechanic was useless and didn't spot this or the spongey brakes when inspecting the car anyway I wont hijack this tread with my woes. Redman let us know how you get on as will I if I ever get it sorted.