!!PLEASE HELP!! :( Car gone nuts!! Malfunctions battery drain

[Sparkz]

Hi everyone and thanks for looking,
I have a Mercedes C220 2001 (W203) Automatic 104,000miles, what happen is.. I went to see a friend and after 2hours went to my car and it just wont start! Dash lights come on including glow plugs however No click, crank, nothing.
Me being me, i went home got jump leads and the spare key, tried other key didnt work, tried jump starting still no hope, thats it time to call AA.

AA man came checked and found starter motor fuse blown.. Changed it gave the starter motor a few whacks and yay! All working ...

THEN... it just turned off? Not only the engine cut out, but all these errors started coming on the dash display: SRS malfunction, EPC malfunction, Brake Fluid, Engine Oil, like 6 different things! However the car started up and the gas pedal wasnt working, car just went crazy doing all sorts of things, im reallly depressed and really want this solved as quick as possible,

AA man said it could be the battery or maybe from jump started a power surge fried a SAM module or something?

Went to the car today and now cant even unlock it, battery drained...how??

Can someone please help

 

[Dieselman]

There could be a few reasons for battery drain, including the seat harness or ECU being spiked by the jump start.

Is there any power left in the battery for headlights and can you charge the battery ad try again?

The original fault probably was nothing more than the starter fuse blowing due to being marginal rating.

 

[Sparkz]

Thanks for prompt reply..
Battery is conpletely dead at the moment, im going to buy a new battery tomorrow and try to start it up... Realy dont wanna spend a fortune on this car

 

[Dieselman]

Why buy a new battery, it just needs charging?

You might as well go for another jump start as the car is already playing up.

 

[Sparkz]

Because i think my battery is kind of dying out, really dont know, and i dont wanna fry anything else with another jump start! I will probs get it charged tomorrow and see what happens, thanks though

Anyone else have any clues? Or come acrross this before??

 

[Sparkz]

Anyone??

 

[sinewave]

The generic answer is to get it code read via a STAR Diag equipped garage.

Most cars with a reasonable amount of electronics can't be maintained on a shoestring.

Trying to generally leads to even greater expense when peeps try jump starting things and frying delicate electronics.

 

[Sparkz]

I have given it to the garage this morning, and arghh, my ECU is soaked with water, they said Front Sam unit and ECU must be changed in order to get the car started and then check for further faults, can someone please help and advise what DIY's i could do as i really dont want to pay a huge bill! Cant i dry out the ECU?

 

[Dieselman]

I would give drying them out thoroughly a go before condemning them.

 

[richard]

How did they get Wet ? They are high up and under a decent cover.

Your next problem is the bottom of the fusebox (where the front SAM and engine ECU are) drains straight into the car (as its meant to be dry in there, and thats the way the wiring reaches the car)

Richard

 

[Sparkz]

Really dont know how it got wet, although it was raining that day surely the fusebox must of been secure. I have a feeling the water drainage was clogged by leaves, im going to get the car home tomorrow and start drying things out abit! What other parts shall i be drying apart from the ECU? hope drying makes it work

 

[richard]

Is it possible someone jetwashed the engine bay ?

Personally, i'd unplug both the front SAM and the engine management system, and put them in the airing cupboard. If you can take the covers off, and put with a bag of rice for about 3-4 days even beter (rice will absorb the moisture). If there is green fur on the boards then you are basically stuffed (but try cleaning it gently with some surgical spirit) as that is the copper reacting with the stuff in the water..

Undo the panel above the driver's footwell and ensure that the switches etc on the brake pedal are dry and the accelerator pedal's electronics.

You do need to work out how the water got there, or it may happen again :-(

Richard

 

[Ted]

As Richard says. You could also start this off with a hair dryer.

If you find any corrosion on the pcb, this can be cleaned off with some isopopyl alcohol and a stiff paintbrush. You should then inspect the pcb for dry joints - these will be seen as hairline cracks around soldered joints. A good light and a magnifying glass are good for this.
Dont forget to look at the wiring plugs into the units too. and give them a clean if necessary.

 

[Sparkz]

hi guys, garage quoted me 600-700, so i just went along with it and told them to do it all, because i need my car running as soon as possible and i cant get it towed home to do all the drying, hopefully its just the ECU and front SAM unit, otherwise im committing suicide!!