HELP!!! CLS 55 AMG 2006 DEAD!

[rossy]

Talk about me and bad luck!! (health issues too...)
History...
Fitted BOTH new batteries about 3 months ago now as car gets little use and if it was left more than a week gave the "low battery multimedia functions disabled" warning...but always started no problem even then and then everything would spring to life after a few mins driving.
Fitted the New batteries (following the recommend way) and its same but now only after two weeks stood which I believe can be normal....?

Anyway, some may know I had the idler pulley disintegrate on me which destroyed the 6 rib belt....it now has new billet pulley from USA and new belts...fitted this Tuesday (3 days ago).
It would not start after as I had to drive it home without the belt few days before...followed charge instructions which stated to connect a battery charger to the Front Aux Bat positive and chassis earth for negative...this did not seem to charge the car up at all tho???
So popped and stripped the boot out and using JUMP Leads jump started from my other car via the main battery in the boot with no problems. Left it running 15 Mins...checked electrical all fine..i.e. window auto up and down etc so had not lost setting so no reprogram needed. After the 15 Mins I turned off and it started again fine on its own....
Come to pull it out this Morn and its completely dead!!!!
Now this is were it gets interesting!!!
I've only had the car 6 months and It only came with one key! I have always had the plan to get another...but winter and lack of using it mean its not yet happened! (which is a real shame now)
Come to use the BLADE to open the car and it only has a god dam blank in it!!!!
Who in their right mind would get a new key and not have the blade cut?
Anyway I am where I am...(which is slightly stressed to say the least)
Local trusted car Locksmiths on route as I type....but...
While waiting I replaced the already new-ish key fob battery as bought a few Duracell ones...but no joy car still dead. Go back to the garage to make more room for the Locksmith to work and the car is open??????? What the?? It did this itself?
Pop the bonnet and stick the charger on the aux bat same as above but the car is still completely dead...like nadda with the charger on????
Charger now says fully charged but car still dead and can not get into the boot via key button, door switch dead and obviously the blade key until I HOPE the locksmith can cut my blank.....
So once I can get in the boot (trying to stay possessive)....whats this SAM thing I've read about and could it be the cause of all this? I've check every FUSE I can get too (so not boot ones yet) all ok
It almost seems the Aux battery at front and the one in the boot are not connected....I though they would be?
What do you guys/girls think is going on???

please help before I loose what little hear I have left!!!!

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Your MB dealer can give you a blade, however it will need to come from the Fatherland and may take a while/cost a fair bit.

Have you disconnected the battery for say 10mins, then re-attach?

 

[clk320x]

Blade key is £30 or so from MB, takes a week.

 

[whitenemesis]

Have you got the charge/jump start connections wrong?
I was under the impression one jump started using the under bonnet connections and used the connections in the boot to charge the system battery. One cannot use a charger on the AUX battery as it's not in circuit normally and certainly not if the system battery is dead.

 

[rossy]

MB need the car, me, reg doc and either passport or Driving License before they will issue a key......however they provided the blade key code...but the locksmith says he will have to use a lock probe that should give him the info to then cut the key as his system only has 4 digit code and MB gave me a 12 digit one! Rock and hard place...He should be here anytime now...
I read that if Charging from a battery charger you can use the Aux bat but not to use the earth on the bat so the charge circuit knows its in charge mode?
But if Jump starting you MUST use the LARGE Main battery as I did in the Boot.....issue is can not get in the boot yet....and why so very very very dead...

 

[Alps]

it could be a number of things, something is obv draining the battery, is the alternator actually charging it? you can replace a part on the alternator, did you have it serviced at a dealer, if so get mobilio out to take a look.

 

[whitenemesis]

But if Jump starting you MUST use the LARGE Main battery

You are quite correct, I got that wrong Must of been thinking of the later E class estate ...

 

[rossy]

OK its up and running again...still strange tho...Could not get in the boot even with the Locksmith having Key Mechanical Code from dealer...no charge from him which as he was here close to 2 hrs I thought was dam good of him...
Now here is how I got the boot open and its worth knowing....

While having access to the Aux Battery I wanted to try and understand how the aux and main batteries are connected..there is a relay type thing off the Positive wire and by process of checking using a multi-meter realized that the two main wires bolted to it one goes the the Aux + and had 12v and the other had 6v....took a bit of a gamble and took the earth off the Aux Battery and connected my Charger chassis earth and the terminal on the relay which had 6v....my thinking that this leads to the boot battery and I was right.....car came alive....I kept pressing the key fob boot release and after a few tries....hay presto boot opened!!!
I then checked the voltage using said multi on the boot bat and indeed....it matched my Charger up front...i.e. when charger disconnected it dropped....this is it top right in picture..

However....I then just started the car again from my Nissan and while running took the jump leads off.....and to my surprise the car seems to be charging???? Check battery at front and same??
So maybe it just needs a good run?
Anyway...left all door open windows open and boot open.....checked boot battery and wrote down voltage which is not dropping at 12.07v.....will leave as is overnight and check it in Morn...see whats what..

So wired and confusing....may have to go to dealers for a full going over.....£££££££££££££££££££ key less never worked while had it....but everything else has, so maybe that's the culprit?

Will update tomorrow, thanks for all the tips chaps!!

Rossy

 

[whitenemesis]

This may be of interest, regarding the dual battery system
Dropbox - 319 HO Dual Battery (ACB - ICC) 11-29-02.pdf

 

[MercedesDriver]

If you have jump started it you should drive it after for at least 30 minutes on a nice stretch of a road, idling isn’t enough for full battery recovery, and try to drive it more often at least once in few days.

 

[AMGeed]

If you have jump started it you should drive it after for at least 30 minutes on a nice stretch of a road, idling isn’t enough for full battery recovery, and try to drive it more often at least once in few days.

I have my doubts that would be long enough. Ideally the rear battery wants a minimum of a 4amp charge for 24hrs to fully recharge it.

 

[rossy]

If you have jump started it you should drive it after for at least 30 minutes on a nice stretch of a road, idling isn’t enough for full battery recovery, and try to drive it more often at least once in few days.

Wish I could use it every day sadly I can't....not just cost but weather too....hence the Nissan 4x4 as get snow more than most others in area due to "being on't thills" as we;d say in Bolton!!! Will give it a good run tomorrow.....but still want that blade key for peace of mind, could be stranded without should it happen again....just wish there was a pull cable like with the bonnet as a backup inside too. As the locks do not get much use anyway...more so with mine being keyless...if that goes and I did not find the work around above....would have been stuffed! I'll drive it for 24hr AMGREED if you foot the fuel bill......Le'mans? LOL

 

[rossy]

Bought a trickle charger and cig lighter SOCKET extension....going to wire this in the engine bay so I can leave on charge when not in use...to the terminal that leads to the boot battery!

 

[b1g1an]

Bought a trickle charger and cig lighter SOCKET extension....going to wire this in the engine bay so I can leave on charge when not in use...to the terminal that leads to the boot battery!

Why not put extension wires in the boot like most people? Mine just rolls up and sits nicely in one of the holes in the toolkit tray till I want it.

 

[rossy]

In short superb idea BigIan, I think I just thought it through more however after the woes of the above....my thoughts and reasoning are:- it seems that when the Boot battery goes dead it switches to the Aux battery to protect "settings" and (tho this is not confirmed) may even open the doors just prior to switching over as a safety feature. Only the doors were unlocked or able to be opened but not the boot or as I suspect, the boot was "unlocked" but as the only release is electrical (the latch on the boot is a switch, the key-fob operates switch and the in drivers door is also a switch) no way to open it, yet the doors are mechanical so can be open and thus the bonnet...now normally this is fine as you would just use the blade key but in this situation the blade key is the ONLY means to get in the boot!!!!. But I have found from research that even with the blade key...on older cars (Mines now 12 years old 2006) the locks can be temperamental at best due to hardly ever being used. (in my case I do not have a blade that works anyway, tho plan to get one from dealer....and then a full key soon as I have the spare cash, I really want to finish my summerhouse off 1st ) So doing this in the engine bay almost guarantees a chance of being able to charge the rear battery from the front. I've also ordered two small DIGITAL volt meters....I plant to wire these in (1 to the Aux battery terminal and 1 to the boot battery terminal) on the relay and the earth to both on a push switch all under the bonnet on the plastic cover that covers the pollen filter and thus the Aux Battery. (Will mean cutting holes to mount them I know...but will look neat)
So basically I can at the push of a button check both batteries and also have the boot battery on trickle charge when the car is not in use via the cig socket that will also be connected to the boot battery terminal on the relay.
I've just been out for a run and all good re- charging etc....so this was just a case of going flat because I drove with no alternate, power steering etc...after the pulley and belt destroyed, so this is more of a future proof as no plans to sell the car any time soon....but as its a toy for me....so gets little use or more accurately at lot of little use or short trips i.e. if the sun is out I use it for school run. so may get used a few times a week but only short trips and very little in winter....tho I do keep it roadworthy all year round and use as often as I can in the summer.

In fact I may even document this if peeps are interested?

 

[whitenemesis]

W219 - Dual Battery Infomation

 

[rossy]

W219 - Dual Battery Infomation

This is the same as your previous post and also what I based my findings on....the relay switches between the aux and main battery depending the the voltage it detects.

 

[whitenemesis]

Yes, it does but it doesn't provide emergency opening of doors. If the main battery dies, so does the system completely. Only if the voltage drops low during IGN on and engine running does the AUX come into play.

 

[rossy]

Not sure how my doors came to open then....and would explain why putting Battery charger on Aux battery + and - or + and chassis earth did not provide any power to car.....but with + to the terminal on the relay and - to earth or Aux earth did and thus managed to open the boot.....

 

[b1g1an]

now normally this is fine as you would just use the blade key but in this situation the blade key is the ONLY means to get in the boot!!!!. But I have found from research that even with the blade key...on older cars (Mines now 12 years old 2006) the locks can be temperamental at best due to hardly ever being used.

The emergency boot key is a real Catch 22, how do you test it without disconnecting the battery and slamming the boot, if it works great, if it doesn't ...doh!

Whenever I disconnect the battery I use a bungee cord to hold the boot down just in case.