Oh Dear, W124 wont start....

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crammy69

Active Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
874
Location
Sidcup,Kent
Car
2001 W210 E55 AMG,2010 Fiat 500 1.2,2002 Triumph America,LML Star 125 DLX,1984 C70,2011 Thruxton
Was playing with the boot-lid on Sunday trying to sort out the non-working Number plate lights. Changed the Fuse, bulbs etc and no luck. Connected the power from the boot 'fridge style' button that turns the boot light on and off and proved the light units are Ok, it must be the wiring itself to the lights. So I gave up on basis I need to take all the wiring out of boot hinge to track where its broken. Anyway, start car up and put back into the garage.

Go to start the car up this evening and it wont start. It seems like the battery has died, but weirdly when I turn the key to the start position the guages all swtich on and the Rev counter jumps to about 2000 and stays there!, is that normal?
 
Check your OVP relay. Also check the battery voltage, does weird things when down to 9 or 10 volts.
 
Hi Ian B,

Was it you who previously advised me on the OVP relay trick of removing it for a couple of minutes and then replace to get it going again?
I am not sure Frank, probably not if I am to be honest.
 
No it is on the other side behind the battery. You will be able to recognise it as it has a clear plastic top with a 10 amp fuse under the cover. Check that the fuse has not blown first!
 
Ahh that makes sense now! cheers guys. Well Itll have to wait until the cars charged as I cant get at that side of the car in my garage!!
 
Update: Stuck the battery on charge and alls now well again. Lest see if it happens again....

Cheers
 
had a similar problem where the number plate lights were out and it was intermittently blowing fuses. The wires in mine had all split inside the plastic flexi conduit and I was getting intermittent shorts. I crimped in new lengths of cable which solved the problem and so far seem to be holding up..

DSC00108.jpg


Ade
 
had a similar problem where the number plate lights were out and it was intermittently blowing fuses. The wires in mine had all split inside the plastic flexi conduit and I was getting intermittent shorts. I crimped in new lengths of cable which solved the problem and so far seem to be holding up..

DSC00108.jpg


Ade

Did the flexi conduit actually look undamaged though? did yu have to actually cut it apart to see this above? My conduit appears all nice and neat?

Cheers
 
Yep, externally it looked like new, pic taken after I attacked it with scissors.

Took about 1/2 hour of scrabbling about in the boot and a trip to halfords to buy a crimping set.

I wrapped it back up with black insulation tape, not the neatest job but seems to be working.


Ade
 
Yep, externally it looked like new, pic taken after I attacked it with scissors.

Took about 1/2 hour of scrabbling about in the boot and a trip to halfords to buy a crimping set.

I wrapped it back up with black insulation tape, not the neatest job but seems to be working.


Ade

Cheers for that, stanley knife action tonight then!
 
Exactly the same happened to mine , the number plate lights stopped working , but when i opened the boot lid , the connection was made and they came on again , however when i shut it , the connection was broken ...

Took a few moments to get my head round it , i just cut the cables and put bullet connectors in , been fine since.

Best wishes

H
 
Damn!!!, just gone to start the car and its flat again!! just as I was about to take the Mrs out for a Meal tonight. I havent yet sorted the number plate lights ( hopefully tommorrow) but I cant understand why the battery would go flat so quickly again, the cr worked fine yesterday so it only managed to hold the charge for 48 hours then died. I suppose the battery could be old, but would they behave this way?
 
Could do. Take it off and charge it then leave it for a few days. If it's losing charge it's toast, if not then there is something on the car dragging it down.
 
Damn!!!, just gone to start the car and its flat again!! just as I was about to take the Mrs out for a Meal tonight. I havent yet sorted the number plate lights ( hopefully tommorrow) but I cant understand why the battery would go flat so quickly again, the cr worked fine yesterday so it only managed to hold the charge for 48 hours then died. I suppose the battery could be old, but would they behave this way?

Those wires shown above run to the boot light and the number plates.

Likelihood is that the wires are shorted and hence no number plate lights.

You may also find that the boot light is constantly on - with boot open, press the boot pin switch and see if the boot light actually goes out ?


If not then that's why batery is dying quickly....a battery drained once or twice from a short circuit does lose its abaility to hold charge.

The boot wires shown above usually short from there due to the constant movement on the bootlid hinge....i had exactly the same problem on one of my 500e's. Not a big issue but finding the fault is what takes the time.

Also check that the boot number plate wire is actually connected in at the taillights bulb holder panels..


talbir
 
Check the boot light switch is being activated when shut - mine wasn't and it flattened the battery in .. 48 hours..

Bootlight removed from holder, problem solved (torch in boot for now :rolleyes:)

Ade
 
Check the boot light switch is being activated when shut - mine wasn't and it flattened the battery in .. 48 hours..

Bootlight removed from holder, problem solved (torch in boot for now :rolleyes:)

Ade

ok, Partial success!. Using the 6 year old daughter I have confirmed that whilts the switch works, ut wasnt shutting off the boot light due to some idiot :eek: refitting it from the inside rather than the outside, and so it not making contact with the boot rim when the lid was shut. Clearly the unit needs to be pushed in from the outside and the wiring then connected from the back. This would also explain whilst on a 24 hour charge the charge only dropped by one notch instead of 4.

Still got to sort out the number plate lights, but with Ade B's pics I now know what I need to do!.
Cheers!
 
I have confirmed that whilts the switch works, ut wasnt shutting off the boot light due to some idiot :eek: refitting it from the inside rather than the outside,

Bloody garages hey....;)
 

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