w203 few little niggles

[andy22o]

Hi all. New member here and recently bought my 1st c220 (w203) after about 5 years wanting one! Managed to find a cheap one...2001 220 cdi elegance. Its a great car to drive but i have a few little issues which i would really appreciate any assistance with.
Firstly i have the dreaded battery drain! I have put a new battery on and have managed to find a 0.5 drain which is fuse 42 (instrument cluster)....what i want to know is whether it is the actual cluster or if the wiring for it goes through other componants too.? The display all goes off following removing my key so i cant understand what can be draining.
Second is the bouncing about of the rear end. Basically when i hit a bump its like im in a shopping trolley haha. I have found one of the front wishbones is slightly worn and the rear has a slight toe issue. Basically im going to replace the rear track control arms and front wishbone then do a 4 wheel alignment. Any other pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance guys

 

[merc85]

Not sure on the drain, rear could be worn shocks

 

[whitenemesis]

Second the worn shocks, also check springs aren't broken.

Regards battery drain, many, many functions can be related or referenced with the cluster. Very common in the 203 diesels would be the block heater shorted out.

 

[andy22o]

Yes thats what i thought so i'll try another set of clocks but then if its still bad i'm gonna have to keep investigating. Bounce test on rear end seems ok but i've ordered a set of uprated springs and will get 2 new rear shocks. It seems worse if hitting a bump whilst turning if that makes sense. Like the rear end flips out.

 

[andy22o]

Update

Ok new shocks and springs fitted which has sorted the rear end out. As for the drain issue: i have triad new cluster but drain was still there so obviously something else on the circuit which is fed by fuse 42. Also i have noticed that when the fuse is removed the front lights are all on even when switch is in the off position! Not sure how that works?? Any ideas with what to check with fuse 42 problem?

 

[ernie]

As somebody else said, it's worth checking the engine block heater; these have a habit of shorting. Most folks simply disconnect them and insulate off the cable ends as a proper repair is expensive.

Ernie