ESP after Steering Angle Senser move. Can i Recalibrate with MB Stat C4

[TheCaptain]

First PLEASE read this. it seems long because i have put all the information anyone should need so that we dont have to go back and forth too many times:

ESP problem Need to Calibrate with Star 4?:
Is anyone VERY familiar with setting up Steering Angle Sensors?

I have a 203.046 (C180 2002) which developed an SRS problem. After a lot of trial and error I finally got my MB Star 4 with external HD working. The faults I got were for Driver Airbag Squib 1 and 2 having too high resistance. I removed the squib (which I note some people refer to as the steering angle sensor – but as far as I can tell, it is not).

I gave the part number to Merc and they said they have two on backorder since September. I found the exact one on eBay so I bought and installed it. I cured the SRS problem but acquired another problem by accident and now need to know exactly how to recalibrate the Steering angle Sensor.

It was when I went to push the new squib into the centre disk (which I believe is the steering angle sensor) I noticed there were a few pieces of plastic lurking in the centre. I assume thes broke off the original squib or possibly the steering angle sensor. I do not think they are important as long as the squib connects solidly with the remaining plastic available in the centre. However I thought better to get them out. In doing so I turned the centre rotating plastic several times before I got all the pieces out.

Then trying to figure out what position to put the rotating centre piece in to be correct for the squib to plug on, there seemed to be only one position where the two main pieces on the squib centre line up with the gaps on the steering angle sensor so I matched them.

Before putting it all back on I noticed the centre of the SAS seemed to turn 5 turns in one direction and 6 in the other to get back to where it was (looking through a small hole in the housing some little triangle markers pas by each complete turn but one of them is a different colour to the others) so I figured that going all the way until the different marker appears again was a complete ‘lock to lock’ turn. I therefore went 2 ½ turns from it one way and that appeared to be half way through the complete cycle (even though that does not quite add up :-/ ) and putting it there also lined up the two holes with the main plastic lugs on the squib so I connected and put it all back together.

The red SRS successfully erased so I knew I had replaced the correct part and that the eBay item was working. However now I have ESP visit workshop and this is an MOT failure now. It will not erase and I got error codes B1000 The Control Unit is Faulty current and stored and B1353 stored. I followed the procedure as far as I am aware (i.e. start engine, turn full lock both ways etc) and tried to erase the codes. The stored one went but the B1000 stayed.

I checked the ‘Actual Values’ and got:
142 N49 Steering Angle Sensor Not Initialised
143 N49 Steering Angle Sensor √/-F-
141 Steering Direction Right
140 Steering Angle 1023.5

When I clicked on the 143 value to try to change it from –F- it I got:
‘This Actual Value behaves in the same way as fault code 1334: If the actual value indicates –F- , fault code 1334 exists as current fault’

Questions:
1 do I need to take the steering wheel off and turn the squib/SAS a few times?
2 If not and I just need to calibrate the steering angle sensor, how do I do it with MB Star C4 DAS
3 Any other steps needed to fix this problem

Help very much appreciated as this is urgent and I am doing it now. Thank you in advance.

 

[Diesel Benz]

You have to reassemble the angle sensor correctly.

 

[TheCaptain]

You have to reassemble the angle sensor correctly.

Thank you but i am very new to all this

Do you mean take off the steering wheel and then the squib and then turn the inner part of the steering angle sensor? If so, which direction and how many turns etc? How will i know when it is correct? There does not seem to be any marks to line up with anything. I have not actually removed the Steering Angle Sensor from the car yet so is it possible there are marks on the back of it that will indicate how to do it?

If anyone knows how to sort this out please let me know

many thanks

 

[whitenemesis]

When handling the steering angle sensor it is imperative one uses the locking pin to ensure the parts do not rotate. It's very easy to damage the internals by manually rotating the sensor.

 

[markjay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1dLdLqDu1g

 

[TheCaptain]

When handling the steering angle sensor it is imperative one uses the locking pin to ensure the parts do not rotate. It's very easy to damage the internals by manually rotating the sensor.

There is no locking pin? And no where to put one. Not sure why you are saying this? obviously we are already long past that stage. Even if there was somewhere to put a locking pin to avoid a problem, i obviously have not done that - or i wouldn't be on here asking for advice on how to fix the problem :-/

Can you imagine waking up in AnE after breaking your neck in a motorcycle accident to find doctors hanging over you saying hello .... can you hear me ? ..... NEVER use the middle lane on the motorway ...... always indicate ....'

Anyway .... thanks

 

[whitenemesis]

Then the comment was for the edification of others, or don't you care that others may make the same mistake as you?

Anyway... You're welcome

 

[TheCaptain]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1dLdLqDu1g

Thank you MarkJay but this is a completely different kind of system

the one on y car is identical to this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syEjzApayQg

i thought by putting ALL the information in i would make it easier to understand but i seem to have over complicated things as no one is understanding my question

Is there anyone on here that understands thecodes i have given and what to do about them?

If there is, i would be very grateful of a reply

Thank you

 

[renault12ts]

If you want help don't shoot the messenger.

Have a good day.

 

[TheCaptain]

Then the comment was for the edification of others, or don't you care that others may make the same mistake as you?

Anyway... You're welcome

well of course i care about other people making mistakes and that is why when i solve a problem i give a full description of it and of the solution (which i will do when i solve it)

but your reply is not relavent to this situation. There is no hole or locking pin in this situation so your response seems to be to a completely different problem.

the type of squib and steering angle sensor on my car is shown in the video i have added. It is not the same as the one in the video posted by MarkJay and possibly the one you are referring to is yet another system altogether

i put as much information as possible in my question hoping to direct people to the exact problem and hopefully find soeone who knows how to solve it. Wasnt really expecting people to reply with '.... well on a completely different car you can put a locking pin in ..... '

Anyway, thank you for your contribution

 

[markmifsud]

I think your missing the point a bit, you have indeed put a lot of information in your post that you feel is relevant, but others may still need to dig deeper and ask questions.

If you want help, then just answer as much as you can, then others will try and help, shutting off the dialogue does just that. I cannot see Peter coming back to help further.

 

[markjay]

Thank you MarkJay but this is a completely different kind of system

the one on y car is identical to this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syEjzApayQg...

Strange.... the YouTube link I posted was for a pre-facelift W203, which is what your 2002 C180 is... but yet you say that the system you actually have on your W203 is similar to the W209? Or did I misunderstand your reply?

At any rate the link I posted is also the same system that my facelift W203 has, and in my case I had issues with the electrical connector that the Steering Wheel Angle Sensor connects to under the steering wheel (bent pin) which caused spurious fault codes.

Removal of the Steering Wheel Angle Sensor, fixing the connector, then correctly aligning the unit using the red locking pin (crucial) resolved the issue in my case and cleared the fault codes.

Hope this helps .

 

[TheCaptain]

If you want help don't shoot the messenger.

Have a good day.

Aghhh !!!

Bring me my gun !!

Haven't shot any messengers yet

I am just trying to be accurate. people posting responses purporting to be a potential solution when it is in fact nothing to do with this type of car and this type of situation is going to completely mislead other readers who may have a similar problem so i am only trying to clarify things for everyone.

If the other reader had said "not sure about your car but i know on newer models there is a hole on the face of the steering angle sensor where you can insert a locking pin to stop it turning and this would avoid the problem you are now facing" I would say that was good advice to others doing a similar job on newer models so ight be of some use to others.

However in my situation it is not relevant at all. i explained that the steering angle sensor has never been off the car and i explained why i turned the inner circle several times to get the pieces out. The consequences of turning it several times are the readings i have given. What i need to know is how to resolve that.

i have had no suggestions here so will continue to try my own ideas. when i solve it i will post the remedy here

Have a nice day

 

[TheCaptain]

Strange.... the YouTube link I posted was for a pre-facelift W203, which is what your 2002 C180 is... but yet you say that the system you actually have on your W203 is similar to the W209? Or did I misunderstand your reply?

At any rate the link I posted is also the same system that my facelift W203 has, and in my case I had issues with the electrical connector that the Steering Wheel Angle Sensor connects to under the steering wheel (bent pin) which caused spurious fault codes.

Removal of the Steering Wheel Angle Sensor, fixing the connector, then correctly aligning the unit using the red locking pin (crucial) resolved the issue in my case and cleared the fault codes.

Hope this helps .

Yes it is exactly the same as the 209. It seems many parts are the same (also applies to the CLK).

Yours is the later model (they changed in August 2002 i think) and mine is the earlier one. I think the type of unit depends more on age than actual model to soe extent

 

[TheCaptain]

I think your missing the point a bit, you have indeed put a lot of information in your post that you feel is relevant, but others may still need to dig deeper and ask questions.

If you want help, then just answer as much as you can, then others will try and help, shutting off the dialogue does just that. I cannot see Peter coming back to help further.

well i am sure Pete will not come back to assist further ......

But i will be happy to assist him if he needs to learn how to tackle these problems.

As for 'drilling down further ...... Hmm I think you may be missing the point here. It just is not possible to drill down further than i did both for my original question which included ALL the information needed, and with my solution which includes every possible step others may consider just so they benefit fro my experience

Have a nice day

 

[TheCaptain]

The Solution

Well, definitely not the simplest to work out and fix. I thought as the reading was ‘Right’ and angle was 1023.5 (which falls outside the maximum range for Right Turn which is about 700 I think) I figured I would start by turning the steering angle sensor left two revolutions to at least get somewhere near and somewhere measurable.

First the confusion began as the ESP Control Unit was not showing a fault but just an exclamation mark instead of a tick

The F was showing under the SCM (MRM) Steering Column Module with code B1000 The Control Unit us Faulty so I ran the diagnostics and after confirming I have the Cruise Control lever the conclusion was ‘Replace component N80 (Steering Column Module) …. End of Test’

Next I Read Actual Values and the only one worth mentioning was the Steering Wheel Position. I was disappointed to see it was the same as before:

142 N49 Steering Angle Sensor Not Initialised
143 N49 Steering Angle Sensor √/-F-
141 Steering Direction Right
140 Steering Angle 1023.5

At this point I started to believe the sceptics who have been saying if you turn the unit at all (i.e. you should keep the red locating pin in the location hole) it will break internally. I had turned it probably 15 times in one direction and a similar number in the other. I was about to get on eBay looking for a Steering Angle Senser when I decided to repeat some more tests just to make sure. I got ‘Check initialisation of N49 (Steering Angle Sensor) through actual values’ Ran that test and obviously got ‘The actual value is not ok’ The initialisation process was given as ‘Start Engine, Turn steering wheel from full lock to cull lock …’ which I did but absolutely nothing changed so ‘the value is not ok’ and the possible cause and remedy was given as ‘if fault codeB1334/B1352 Exists replace N49 (Steering Angle Sensor)

It went on to warn about the procedures for installing a new one must be strictly followed the Steering Angle sensor will be damaged beyond repair in a very short time. Again about to give up believing I had probably ruined the unit by turning it past its limits when I read further points on installing a new one which led me to do one final test before giving up:

Notes on Teach-in Process
First was to initialise the Steering Angle Sensor – which I already did with no success, second was a non applicable point in this case and finally what caught y attention was ‘Delete zero-point offset of component N49 (steering angle sensor) in control unit N47-5 (ESP and BAS control module)

So after trying to do something in the BAS unit and receiving a clear message that since model 203 year 2002 this is now controlled by the ESP unit, I switched to Control Unit ESPMK25. Fault codes were C1173 (Steering Angle Sensor Plausable Error) and C1172 (Steering Angle Sensor Internal Fault)’. Both these faults when drilled down said ‘process fault codes in control unit N80 (Steering Column Module)

Again pointing to ….. give up and buy a new one but ….. drilling down through the tests

Got to the ‘Zero point variation’ screen. The actual values were encouraging: -357.0 Grad (which to me meant just one more complete turn to the left should get me to zero) and ‘Stored Offset of component N49 (Steering Angle Sensor) 11.9 Grad AND an actual option to ‘Erase zero point offset error of component N49 …..’ Didn’t hang about pressing that option even after getting ‘are you really sure’ warnings! The way I saw it, if it goes towards fixing the problem great but if the Steering Angle Sensor is already buggered (as everyone (and all the messages) has been telling me) then it wont do anything.

Sure enough the stored offset was reduced to zero(this option was not available when I first tried (before I turned the squib 720 degrees left)). The steering angle sensor remained at -357 Grad. I went back to the only unit showing a fault previously (the Steering Column Module) to se if it was still stuck on those values and ….. hey presto! The steering angle changed to still Right but only 363 degrees! This meant it has ‘come to life’. The status was now tick instead of ‘not activated’ and a tick instead of –F- so I simply turned the squib (which is friction attached to the Steering angle Sensor 360 to the left and lined it up with 0 degrees, put the steering wheel and airbag back on and deleted the errors and that’s it – all done!

Now I must say, this would have been completely impossible without the MB Star C4. I never would have been able to drill down and find this fault and I probably would have believed all those who have said ‘oooohh If you turned it you have screwed it’ That may be the case with other models but does not seem to apply to this one. Either that or I have been very lucky.

Probably didn’t need to put in all that information but at least you all know exactly what steps are needed and hopefully wont give up and scrap good working kit unnecessarily. 

 

[Lyserman]

I applaud your tenacity.
As you said, you had nothing to lose by trying and a lot to gain by learning.
I really enjoy working down through all the menus on Star, just be careful what you tell it to do.

Tony

 

[TheCaptain]

I applaud your tenacity.
As you said, you had nothing to lose by trying and a lot to gain by learning.
I really enjoy working down through all the menus on Star, just be careful what you tell it to do.

Tony

Thank you Tony. Me too but in one way or another i have been in technical support all y adult life so not solving something is not an option for me. I only have one MIL fault now and that was really nicely tested by the C4 and said in the air recycling system one of the vents near the floor is wither jammed or defective. i am not too bothered about that.

Just to clarify again in case anyone is relating to this the reason i was not able to activate the unit and zero the offset when i first did the tests was that it was outside the workable range and so registered as a fault (ie 1023 degrees right turn when the limit is around 700 and 11.2 Grad offset when the limit is something like 7), As soon as i turned the unit 720 left it came back within range and was able to zero the offset so brought the angle to one divisible by 369 (because i had it in the correct position to fit the steering wheel in the straight ahead position so zeroing the offset made it simply 360 out and easy to fix by turning 360 the other way)

I will probably start another thread on my next point but while i have you here, do you know if the Steering wheel telephone button can be activated by the C4? on my car it does not do anything and when you press it in the menu system it tells you it is not active or something like that. To get that working would i have to buy another component or is it (as in so many cases) already there but just not activated as it may not have been selected as an optional extra?

 

[Alfie]

Thank you Tony. Me too but in one way or another i have been in technical support all y adult life so not solving something is not an option for me. I only have one MIL fault now and that was really nicely tested by the C4 and said in the air recycling system one of the vents near the floor is wither jammed or defective. i am not too bothered about that.

Just to clarify again in case anyone is relating to this the reason i was not able to activate the unit and zero the offset when i first did the tests was that it was outside the workable range and so registered as a fault (ie 1023 degrees right turn when the limit is around 700 and 11.2 Grad offset when the limit is something like 7), As soon as i turned the unit 720 left it came back within range and was able to zero the offset so brought the angle to one divisible by 369 (because i had it in the correct position to fit the steering wheel in the straight ahead position so zeroing the offset made it simply 360 out and easy to fix by turning 360 the other way)

I will probably start another thread on my next point but while i have you here, do you know if the Steering wheel telephone button can be activated by the C4? on my car it does not do anything and when you press it in the menu system it tells you it is not active or something like that. To get that working would i have to buy another component or is it (as in so many cases) already there but just not activated as it may not have been selected as an optional extra?

Just go into the Instrument cluster and set IPOD to POSSIBLE.

 

[TheCaptain]

Just go into the Instrument cluster and set IPOD to POSSIBLE.

Thanks Alfie,

sorry do you mean use the C4 to go to the instrument cluster or somewhere in the menu or secret menu system? I have not come across anything called IPOD as far as i know