s320 cdi esp,airmatic faults

[century]

HI

Can anyone please help as i have just purchase a s320cdi which has developed a fault. Firstly, all the electric controls on the drivers door stopped working and then the ESP, Airmatic and Display defective malfunctions came on the dash. The Park Distance Control Stopped working and also the speedo, the car is in limp mode , can anyone shed any light on this. The local garage cheked the diagnostics but it didn't clear the faults and showed a NOX sensor and something else,.

Can anyone recommend anything

Thanks

 

[DieselE]

I suggest you bite the bullet and take the car to a main dealer. You either have multiple faults or one deeply buried in the car's monitoring system.

 

[fuzzer]

I suggest you bite the bullet and take the car to a main dealer. You either have multiple faults or one deeply buried in the car's monitoring system.

i agree , a car that complex is just too much to deal with at an indi.

good luck!

 

[BlackC55]

Cheeky.

I recon I could have a bash at it.

As soon as my star arrives anyway.....................

 

[fuzzer]

Cheeky.

I recon I could have a bash at it.

As soon as my star arrives anyway.....................

with the exception of yourself

 

[BlackC55]

Just had a thought. Its probably a CAN fault or maybe an instrument cluster problem

Check for any water ingress in the passenger side footwell. If there is some there it may have interfered with the CAN connector on that side of the vehicle. Under the bonnet on the left side there is a plastic grille. Shine a torch inside and see if the drain hole is blocked.

 

[century]

thanks, trying to get it into a merc specialist who has the star diagnostics, apparently he thinks it could be a battery fault as dash also says EL. Power, . i am not mechanicaaly minded but he says if there is not enough power in the battery it shuts down some of the car and puts you in limp mode, however the car does start everytime without fail. WHAT A PAIN anybody heard of this before, cheers

 

[eGuru]

Once had all sorts of warning lights on the display (airmatic, srs, abs) soon after starting. I turned round and headed back home and parked up. Later that day, started car and no problems. Next day took the car over to my indie who hooked up star machine. No faults came up. I mentioned to the indie that the only thing I had done different was not locked the car for a few hours before the problems. Indie reckons that may have caused a drain on the battery. Have not had problem since.

 

[century]

i have had car at an independant speciialist with the star, anyway a number of faults are still there even after replacing the battery, states problems with esp, airmatic, instrument cluster, fault in CAN communication with control unit etc, etc,. His solution was to cut my losses and try to sell the car as it could probably cost me £ '000's , not the answer i was wanting. Anybody with any ideas ?

 

[DrNick]

Sounds like a CAN bus problem. Sadly a MB tech is probably the quickest solution, unless anyone on here can point to a particular CAN gateway that is associated with these functions.
If you have a CAN error showing up, then the module it points to would be the first place to look. Connections first (and condition of the wires) before looking at module change.
It is alleged that MBtechs have had the advantage of training courses in CANbus systems and may even have CANbus sniffers to aid in fault tracing.

 

[Dieselman]

I too go with the CAN being the problem. Without a working network none of the other modules will fire up properly.

Perform a CAN voltage check or have an auto electrician do it.

Have you checked for water per BlackC55 post?

 

[BlackC55]

I think that a component that is on the can network has gone down. A star will find this component quite easily. Your local indie should be able to pick it up. The most common cause is the instrument cluster being faulty. I am just guessing but without the car infront of me and without a star I can't help any further.

 

[Robbo]

Isnt there a recall/free repair on the instrument cluster?

 

[eGuru]

Isnt there a recall/free repair on the instrument cluster?

There is. Need to contact local MB dealer so they can check against the VIN.

 

[century]

A mercedes mechanic found the fault which was a loose wire on the ESP and the mass airflow , this cured all the problems, however he said the car was not in limp mode as i had thought. However i still have a problem that when i put my foot down there is initially a lot of power, but if i try to boot it again there is no power and the car drives normally. I have had the CAT changed as this was blocked, but this hasn't cured it either, ANY IDEAS

 

[glojo]

thanks, trying to get it into a merc specialist who has the star diagnostics, apparently he thinks it could be a battery fault as dash also says EL. Power, . i am not mechanicaaly minded but he says if there is not enough power in the battery it shuts down some of the car and puts you in limp mode, however the car does start everytime without fail. WHAT A PAIN anybody heard of this before, cheers

I think these forums are great places to learn things but as far as I was aware if the battery is not fully charged then it will sometimes shut down COMFORT options? Going into Limp mode is something completely different?

Did you pay for a new battery?

Did you buy this vehicle without any type of warranty?

There are main dealer service departments that offer cheaper rates for older cars?

John

 

[century]

a brand new battery is fitted and all the faults have cleared after repairing a loose wire on the ESp and a new mass air flow mnd cat, however on kickdown there is power then it when you try to boot it again there isn't the power. it does not go into limp mode and drives fine, if i turn the ignition off and restart then kickdown works but then stops again. VERY ANNOYING

 

[Dieselman]

so are there any further codes?

 

[century]

no there are no further codes

 

[Dieselman]

It sounds like it is going into limp home which is wht the switch off/on resets it.
I'd go for turbo boost control.