Nothing when key is put in ignition

[Felstmiester]

Has anyone ever experienced this before? W204 well over a year ago this happened. Unlocked car as normal after driving it somewhere and it had sat for around 30mins. Put key in ignition and nothing! Turn the key, nothing. Locked the car and unlocked tried again and nothing. The car then makes the servo sound ( assuming this is the steering lock or something deactivating) and bang it starts. This hasn’t happened since.

Today it happened again. It’s like the key has nothing to do with the car other than fits in the ignition. Turned off a few times after this and it was fine.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

what key is it ?

 

[Felstmiester]

what key is it ?

One like this.

 

[NiC63]

Sounds like a faulty EIS switch. Do you hear the swoosh sound when the key is sucked in or the steering wheel unlocking

 

[alecmascot]

ESL failure : W204 would not start . . . . but then it did!

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Sounds like a faulty EIS switch. Do you hear the swoosh sound when the key is sucked in or the steering wheel unlocking

THIS ^^^^^

 

[Dec]

Was the car NOT in P or N when you tried to start?

Dec

 

[noogieman]

could be worn ignition not allowing key to start car?
do you have a high mileage car?
did you try your spare key?

did you remove first key and re-insert key then car started w/o problems?

for older MB cars long before (pre-khrom key) the new chrome key came out, these new khrom keys are are NOT always 100% compliant, sometimes you'll have random start hiccups!
everytime ESL will unlock when inserting key but car will not start.
it's a random hiccup between key - ignition and anti theft system, ignition system doesn't always synchronize with new khrom key.
the original supplied key designed for factory fitted ignition most of the time (99,999 out of 100) never have any start problems.

only solution is to remove new khrom key then re-insert key and car will start.
kinda annoying when this happens!

when it's long overdue (worn ignition) the next thing to do is to go to $tealership and buy a new ignition for a lot of ca$h.

 

[Felstmiester]

ESL failure : W204 would not start . . . . but then it did!

Cheers guys. Reading this I would say that’s what it is. Like said it’s done it before but a long long time ago and hadn’t done it again until today. If that sound I’m talking about is the ESL then that’s pretty much the problem because one you hear that sound everything springs into life. The fact I don’t use my car very often at all ( once every couple of months) might be the reason why it hasn’t gone and buggered itself totally.

 

[Felstmiester]

when’s to the Indy I used and explained my problem. They said the repair was going to be around the £500 mark. They was going on about programming keys and stuff. Surly they was trying to bend me over as key programming would surly only happen if we was talking eis failure.

Anyway my fault is intermittent. Although it has happened twice in the last two weeks so I’m hoping it is just the esl and I’m hoping I can do it in the unlocked position.

Can the esl be removed without removing steering column? I’ve viewed numerous threads and only one says it can.

 

[indo247]

I had this on my W204 it got worse and worse till nothing happened at all when i put the key in, i had the mobilo guy out and he had the car loaded up and taken to the dealer and it was the key not communicating with the car they had to order a new key from Germany and reprogramme it and all was well it never happened again left £300 lighter.
They said something about a transponder in the key not telling tje car it was in the ignition.

 

[markjay]

When the car won't start, do you have the dash lights coming on?

Or no change on the dash even with the key inserted?

And have you tried both keys?

 

[Felstmiester]

When the car won't start, do you have the dash lights coming on?

Or no change on the dash even with the key inserted?

And have you tried both keys?

tried both keys. No sound of esl and no dash lights. Not sure from memory weather just the middle of cluster lights up still.

I’ve stripped column and got the esl unit out already. Now waiting for new motor to come in post.

 

[markjay]

Well its definitely an EIS issue... because it's not the key (you've tried both), and other possible causes (car not in P, immobiliser issue, low battery, starter issue etc) would have seen the dash light up.

 

[Felstmiester]

All sorted. It was the motor in the esl. Got home from work early today and the new motor had come in the post. I already had the esl module out the car sitting on the table with the roll pins knocked out ready to be opened up to put the new motor back in. Had the new motor in and everything bolted back up in the car in around 30 mins.

I followed a how to that was kindly forwarded from another member on here that had done it on his w204 in the past.

From my findings ( my car is a w204 c63 ) it tells you to remove air bag, steering wheel, column surround, instrument cluster, top two bolts from column and bottom two bolts from column and obviously underneath of dash above pedals. For me removing air bag, steering wheel and column surround was pointless. Because mine has motors on the column two move up down in and out I couldn’t drop the column no more than 10mm. I think even without bolts removed from column I would of been able to undo the 13mm nut from back of esl unit and had enough room to fish it out from footwell which I did.

Anyway all done. And now there’s a new motor in the esl I realise how old and lazy the old one sounded.

 

[Yugguy]

Nice one, when my ESL went it cost me 500 quid, if I'd known about being able to do the motor I could have saved a lot.

 

[Felstmiester]

Like I say. I got quoted around the £500 mark. There was talk about coding keys and other intricate stuff but is this just a load of sales jargon and when they get the car there they just fit an £18 motor that takes an hour tops.

Put it this way. Two of these a week at £500 a pop would do me then I could give up work.

 

[ChrisCLS55]

Happened to my CLS55 and cost me about 500 quid as well.

 

[Felstmiester]

Times like this when you realise the internet is a wonderful thing. It’s the fact someone has had the knowledge and shared it that made me have a go and it’s saved me £100’s