OWNER JC220

[gerryvz]

Hi all, if you recall I this 500E had the boot lamp removed when I bought it. This is because of the Eco Junk wiring in the boot had welded itself together thus bypassing the switch permanently. I am re-making a new loom for the bootlid which will correct this issue.


However, I also noticed the inside of the lamp holder was burned inside. I have seen this on a junker car too on Saturday so it seems that the Festoon bulb, if left on could potentially be a fire hazard.
So I bought these bulbs to try them out


5x Festoon 42mm 264 8 LED 10x42 C10W Interior Car Light Bulb Ceailing Dome Lamp | eBay

They work great- plus on testing the current draw they only use 10% of the ‘stock’ bulbs current draw and give better light- being LED. More importantly they also stay 100% cool to the touch during operation unlike the original festoon bulbs. So I will now check the other interior courtesy festoon bulbs sizes and upgrade them all including the ones in the doors.


The other advantage is; should a bulb be left on accidently over night (such as the rear interior lamp) it will not kill the Battery at the 0.03A LED current draw and the risk of a fire due to the ageing fabrics / lamp holders exposed to heat is thus eliminated entirely.

Although I have not used these types of bulbs directly, I have heard stories of the "bulb-out" monitoring system (the "lamp out" light in the instrument cluster) becoming illuminated because of the significantly lower power usage of these new-generation bulbs. The bulb monitoring system uses a voltage measurement to determine whether there is a bulb out or not.

Would be good to try (and for any other folks using these bulbs to report if they are experiencing issues) these bulbs and let us know how they work, and if they trip the bulb monitoring. The bulb monitoring is mainly concerned with the exterior lamps -- headlights, turn signals, side markers, driving & fog lamps, and license plate lights.

I do know (from experience) that the bulb-monitoring system is not tripped by one of the small "city lights" being burned out or not illuminating (the small, dim bulbs in the "Euro" headlamps).

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[JC220]

That canister is not part of the AC system, it's part of the ASR (traction control) system. I believe it's a pressure reserve canister. If there is no corrosion or damage, it should not need replacement.

Thanks for the info! This one has no visible rust or damage so it's fine to stay in there I'll just clean up & waxoyl around it

 

[JC220]

Although I have not used these types of bulbs directly, I have heard stories of the "bulb-out" monitoring system (the "lamp out" light in the instrument cluster) becoming illuminated because of the significantly lower power usage of these new-generation bulbs. The bulb monitoring system uses a voltage measurement to determine whether there is a bulb out or not.

Would be good to try (and for any other folks using these bulbs to report if they are experiencing issues) these bulbs and let us know how they work, and if they trip the bulb monitoring. The bulb monitoring is mainly concerned with the exterior lamps -- headlights, turn signals, side markers, driving & fog lamps, and license plate lights.

I do know (from experience) that the bulb-monitoring system is not tripped by one of the small "city lights" being burned out or not illuminating (the small, dim bulbs in the "Euro" headlamps).

Cheers,
Gerry

Thats a good point on the bulbs warning system. For the interior lamps hopefully these bulbs should be fine.

The only other bulbs I am updating to LED are the brake lamps & tail lamps. I had a jeep stove into a w210 saloon I had at 40mph with no brakes & me stopped. Needless to say the car was a total loss- the impact was huge it distorted the whole bodyshell.

So it's a safety thing to hopefully prevent history repeating itself on this Beauty. (And the car too! )

 

[gerryvz]

I don't believe the system measures the interior lamps -- only exterior-facing lamps. I hope you weren't hurt with the impact you described.


Sent from my secret iPhone 7 prototype using Tapatalk

 

[JC220]

I had a minor lower back injury but that's pretty much gone now 3 years later. It was more the fright of it than anything else- I could see it coming & had no where to go. I was sitting with the brake lights & indicator on and cars coming the other way. She claimed she had sunlight in her eyes- I suspect phone was being used.

I forgot to mention the brake & tail LED Bulbs I got were can bus compatible. When they turn up I'll let you guys know if they work without bulb warning lamps coming on.

 

[e500.org]

My LED number plate bulbs often make the bulb failure light on the speedo illuminate. Not always but does happen from time to time. All lights however fine with no flickering.

 

[sheward]

I upgraded the taillight bulbs to a brighter incandescent recommended by Danial Stern lighting years ago and I really appreciate the difference. I'm also interested how the LEDs work. Keep up the admirable resto work.

drew

 

[gerryvz]

Dave's Uncle Kent has a full complement of LED bulbs, including the festoons, available at Mercedessource West in Bellingham, WA.

Nephew Dave is dutifully doing the R&D for his uncle, holding down the fort at Mercedessource East in the neighboring provincial capital of Boise, ID.

 

[JC220]

That’s cool that Dave’s related to Kent! It’s a small world eh!


Looking through some LED W124 threads I see it’s common for people to also use the rear Fog lamps for the brake lights;


W124 LED Tail Lights Help


HOWEVER, here in Ireland / UK we require one rear Fog Lamp to operate. This car has both rear fog’s operating- that’s not correct. I will need to remove one bulb to make the car pass the much more rigorous Northern Ireland MOT tests. (English MOT’s are a bit of a Joke really)


But it did get me thinking and I am pretty sure I can utilise a 5 Pin relay in order to have both rear fogs (Also Can Bus compatible LED) Operating with the brake lamps. Then when the rear Fog Lamp is switched on it will automatically switch the braking function off and operate one Fog
Lamp only as required here. It may take 2 or more relays to get this to work but I can’t see why it won’t!


I could handle the Bulb Warning system by using a separate power feed to the fog brake lamp function for example. Or using resistors as required.


I have literally 4 spare W124 tail lamp bulb holders so I will use a pair of these to modify.


I will start coming up with wiring diagrams and post the results here in a few days. These are the bulbs I have on order so far (For the rear lamp cluster)

2 x RED STOP/TAIL/BRAKE LED CANBUS BULB ERROR FREE BA15s 382 p21w 1156 30 SMD 3791316870872 | eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161689214179

In order to not allow the LED bulbs to confuse things I will first get my idea functioning on regular bulbs and be sure the warning lamp system is happy first. Then switch out the bulbs to LED after that.

 

[JC220]

A quick look at the cluster and a 5 pin relay wiring diagram and this will be easier than I thought! One 5 pin relay will piggyback the cluster on each side- no extra wiring required at all in the car. Plug & play so to speak.

I will be able to use both rear fog lamps with the brake lamps under normal operation. As soon as the rear Fog lamp is switched on it will cut the Fog lamp braking function and alight one or both rear foglamps as required. (In my case I will require only one fog lamp to illuminate as per UK Regulations- handily the single 5 pin piggyback relay per side will handle this function also)

All without even having to think about it- the Relays will automatically switch the Fogs from Braking function to Single Fog Lamp as normal

I may even create a DIY on here for the mod!

I will modify a rear cluster lamp holder pair this weekend & test it out

 

[JC220]

[TABLE="width: 100%"]<tbody>[TR][TD]Changeover relay
[/TD][TD]

[/TD][TD]Two circuits (terminals 87 and 87a ) have a common terminal (30). When the relay is at rest 87a is connected to 30, and when the relay is energised 87 becomes connected to 30 (but never both at the same time).
[/TD][/TR]</tbody>[/TABLE]
So here is how this will work

Pin 30 will be to the Fog Lamp(s)
Pin 87a will be spliced to the Brake Lamp +12v input

85 will be Ground.
86 will be Fog Lamp input to the cluster. Which will also be daisy chained to pin 87.

BUT on the side where I DO NOT want the Fog Lamp to illuminate this link will be missing. (In the UK only the offside Fog Lamp should illuminate- not both)

Thus when the relay is NOT energised the Fog Lamps get power from the brake lamp circuit.

And when the Relay is energised the Link to the Brake Lamp circuit is broken and the power from the Fog circuit connects up the Fog Lamp(s) again

With the LED Bulbs used also, this should be one hell of a setup- to bring the car up to modern (crazy bright) LED brake lamp standards.

The mod will be totally contained within the lamp cluster wiring. It can be swapped out in seconds with an unmodded cluster to return to stock.

 

[gerryvz]

That’s cool that Dave’s related to Kent! It’s a small world eh!

He tries to downplay the link, which is understandable. It would be sort of like being a relative of Joe Biden's ... you'd be absolutely revered in some circles, and scorned in others. So it's best just not to make the identification at all and stay under the radar.

 

[JC220]

Kent's youtube videos are great I have watched many of them, he clearly has a lot of knowledge and passion for older Benzes!

That relay wiring diagram I tried to post above didn't work- so here is one I have created.

I hope this makes sense

 

[gsxr]

That’s cool that Dave’s related to Kent! It’s a small world eh!

No relation... hate to break up any conspiracy theories, but Gerry has been posting that chain-yank for years now.

Interestingly, for years Gerry lived closer to Kent than I ever did. Maybe Gerry is related?

 

[JC220]

No relation... hate to break up any conspiracy theories, but Gerry has been posting that chain-yank for years now.

Interestingly, for years Gerry lived closer to Kent than I ever did. Maybe Gerry is related?

Yeah I kind of thought it was a bit unlikely....

 

[gerryvz]

Yeah I kind of thought it was a bit unlikely....

Six degrees, baby ..... except in this case it's about 2 degrees...

 

[gsxr]

Six degrees, baby ..... except in this case it's about 2 degrees...

True:

Dave --> Gerry --> Kent

 

[gerryvz]

I'm personally sorry for cluttering your OWNER thread with posts about Dave's familial heritage & relationships. Apologies.

 

[JC220]

I'm personally sorry for cluttering your OWNER thread with posts about Dave's familial heritage & relationships. Apologies.

Thats pretty funny! Never let the truth get in the way of a good story- is what we call that here.

For full disclosure I should point out that I am in fact a first cousin to members of a world famous pop band.... but since I don't think you guys will believe me now I'll leave it at that

 

[gerryvz]

Well, Mr. Bergsmann is about the closest thing you can get to an Internet Mercedes rock star ... So you have something in common with GSXR!


Sent from my secret iPhone 7 prototype using Tapatalk

 

[JC220]

I was confused when I pulled the other lamp cluster on the 500E last night and found it had all metal contacts inside

One side had wires in it- see the pic in the differences.


For my LED Fog / Brake Lamp upgrade I want the wired type. All 6 spare clusters I had were Metal too. But luckily my 300E-24 had a pair of the wired versions. So I have nicked them from it and installed all metal types in their place for now.


So I have a matching pair of wired type bulb holders for the 500E now + a single spare wired version. Which is just as well since I need an extra fog lamp bulb terminal & terminal Pin to install a LED Fog lamp bulb on the LH rear cluster. (For extra (Fog bulb) braking lamp function only)


On a side note the metal ones also corrode very easily.... wired type is better. I suspect the corroded metal one in the 500E is why the car might have occasionally triggered the fused bulb warning


So I will keep a look out in scrap yards for more of the wired versions so I can do the same mod to my other w124's too. It seems the early cars had the wired type and later models (1991+) had the all metal type as far as I can tell from the spares I had. I will take a look and see if the part numbers are different between the lamp holder types.

 

[JC220]

OK, so I have been in discussion with a car mat manufacturer in England to make a one off set of mats for my 500E. 99% of UK Mat makers do not have LHD w124 patterns


They sent out samples for me to choose from and I picked a really thick pure wool luxury carpet in dark grey. The colour matches the paint on the car and should break up the sea of black inside the car.


I am drawing my old mats up in Autocad and plotting off my own full size templates of W124 LHD Mats to send to the trimmer’s.


BUT- my 500E only came with 2 front mats. So I thought I would test fit RHD ‘stock’ w124 rear mats0 they should fit right?


Wrong! I tried fitting the rear mats from my RHD 300E-24 Saloon and they seem like they are too big for the 500E


So it would be really helpful if someone on here wouldn’t mind uploading a couple of pics of their 500E rear mats with a measuring tape on them like my pics attached now of the ‘stock’ mats to confirm to me the correct dimensions of an original 500E rear mat(s)

As thanks I will upload PDF copies of my finished templates so any of you guys can have your own mats made in the future

 

[gerryvz]

The transmission tunnel is wider on the E500E, and thus the rear floor area is smaller. The front seats are farther apart than a regular W124.

 

[JC220]

The transmission tunnel is wider on the E500E, and thus the rear floor area is smaller. The front seats are farther apart than a regular W124.

OK Yes, my bad that explains it.

I guess I can calculate the rear mat size- it just sucks I don't have the old rear 500E mats to measure myself

 

[gerryvz]

Many folks just make the rears "work" as they are. You should be able to scale them appropriately, I'd think. Have you considered cocomats here in the US? They have a variety of cool patterns available and the quality is second-to-none, absolutely. And they have the correct pattern for an exact .036 fit.

Just a thought. www.cocomats.com

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[gsxr]

The rear mats sold in USA fit 6-cyl cars fine, but the front corners get curled up slightly, and do not lay flat in the 034/036 chassis. Most people just live with the difference, it's not major. The only option would be custom mats, or the cocomats Gerry mentioned above.

Gerry, do you have photos or measurements showing the custom V8-specific W124 rear mats, on top of a "standard" mat?

 

[JC220]

The rear mats sold in USA fit 6-cyl cars fine, but the front corners get curled up slightly, and do not lay flat in the 034/036 chassis. Most people just live with the difference, it's not major. The only option would be custom mats, or the cocomats Gerry mentioned above.

Gerry, do you have photos or measurements showing the custom V8-specific W124 rear mats, on top of a "standard" mat?

Yes I am going for custom mats made for me by an english trimmer. I have already choosen the mat fabric etc. In fact they can also do the real MB Black ribbed mat too.

All I need is a pic of a rear 500E mat and the 2 dimensions in mm. Since I am going to the bother of getting mats custom made there's no point in having crap fitting ones.

I will also share the PDF's for you guys to use.

 

[gerryvz]

When I get home I can trace and measure the pattern of the rear cocomat I am using for my E500. Alas, that won't be until Saturday afternoon....

 

[gerryvz]

The rear mats sold in USA fit 6-cyl cars fine, but the front corners get curled up slightly, and do not lay flat in the 034/036 chassis. Most people just live with the difference, it's not major. The only option would be custom mats, or the cocomats Gerry mentioned above.

Gerry, do you have photos or measurements showing the custom V8-specific W124 rear mats, on top of a "standard" mat?

I don't. Never put my pedestrian 124 mats in a comparo with my E5er mats. Perhaps you could, seeing as you own a certain "Stigwagon"?

 

[gsxr]

I don't. Never put my pedestrian 124 mats in a comparo with my E5er mats. Perhaps you could, seeing as you own a certain "Stigwagon"?

I only have standard mats. I don't have anything that is V8-specific which lays flat in the rear of an 034/036... never knew they existed until you mentioned the cocos.

 

[JC220]

When I get home I can trace and measure the pattern of the rear cocomat I am using for my E500. Alas, that won't be until Saturday afternoon....

Cool, thanks!


Here are quick drawings of the stock original mat’s. I have plotted them real size and set my original mats on top- they are exacting copies to the mm.


With the rear mat photo looking straight down on top and the 2 dimensions I will create a real size PDF template that anyone can have printed (If they don’t have a A0 plotter at home)


I will now begin designing my own custom mat templates to send off to the trimmer’s!

 

[Bogeyman]

One thing I might mention about Cocomats. I recently ordered a set for my '72 W107. They replied that they weren't sure about the fit so they sent me a template in paper.
They were correct, their template wasn't correct, so they had me cut out a new pattern for my mats which I returned to them.
They will reproduce exactly from my pattern so - presto - custom fit mats.
They are great people to work with.

 

[gerryvz]

One thing I might mention about Cocomats. I recently ordered a set for my '72 W107. They replied that they weren't sure about the fit so they sent me a template in paper.
They were correct, their template wasn't correct, so they had me cut out a new pattern for my mats which I returned to them.
They will reproduce exactly from my pattern so - presto - custom fit mats.
They are great people to work with.

I had the same experience with my G-wagen. They came back to me immediately, as it was a gray-market vehicle, and said they were not confident that their existing pattern would work for my specific year/model. So they sent me a paper template that they did have on hand, which was different than my truck. I "modified" it for front and rear and they sent me mats based on that revised template for my vehicle. It's a 95% fit, which is well good enough for me.

The SEC mats I just got were from their off-the-shelf pattern for that model, and also were a 95%+ fit. The rears on the SEC were not QUITE right (slightly oversized) but just fine. I'll have to post some photos of the mat fitment when I get home on Saturday.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[JC220]

So I received my order of Black Alcantara today. I am pleased to see that it's more of a really dark grey / anthracite which will match the 500E's trim beautifully.


So I tried to located a local timmer- no Joy. So I will eat my own words & have a crack at covering the parcel shelf myself!


Armed with plenty of the 3mm foam backed fabric, 3 tins of Spray Contact adhesive and You Tube videos to hand I am cautiously optimistic!

I mean, what can possibly go wrong?

 

[e500.org]

Looking good mate - I would like to redo my headliner with black alcantera as it's beginning to sag now annoyingly enough (was perfect when I bought the car). I will leave it to the professionals though - got a quote for £500ish last time I checked! So pricey so will have to shop around.

Did you get the mats sorted? I have a genuine MB Japan set out of my old 500E if you're interested. The drivers mat has most the wear with the heel pad taking the most of it - can be repaired of course. I wanted to keep them but will consider splitting with them if you want a set.

Cheers,

Bill

 

[JC220]

Looking good mate - I would like to redo my headliner with black alcantera as it's beginning to sag now annoyingly enough (was perfect when I bought the car). I will leave it to the professionals though - got a quote for £500ish last time I checked! So pricey so will have to shop around.

Did you get the mats sorted? I have a genuine MB Japan set out of my old 500E if you're interested. The drivers mat has most the wear with the heel pad taking the most of it - can be repaired of course. I wanted to keep them but will consider splitting with them if you want a set.

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for the offer on the mats Bill, I am hatching a plan though! I will have one set of mats made with the ultra thick black wool and silk weave edging just because I think those will look great in the car and ass a touch of luxury with your shoes sinking into the carpet! It’s over 1 cm thick wool.

But then I am also having at least one set of 100% original replica mats made by the same company- they have ordered the real MB Black ribbed fabric in. They needed my templates to produce the mats for the LHD 500E chassis. Once I get these made in a few weeks I will provide details for everyone here & pics of the mats. You guys are free to use the same company who will have my templates on file. The cost is very reasonable they quoted about £50 for the one off set of MB replica mats and the wool is dearer at about £110.

Tonight I got stuck into ‘test’ re-covering the parcel shelf lid. It went great- I stripped off all the old glue and used spray contact adhesive applied to the back of the fabric and the plastic before pressing it home gently. Then used a putty knife to tuck it in behind the shelf as factory. I had to mask the rear of the lid off so I could spray glue into the track.

The result is brilliant I am really happy with it! This is the fabric I bought- 2m of.

SUEDETRIM Van lining * Headlining material * Easy to fit* Foam Backed Faux Suede | eBay
For now I am doing the parcel shelf and the 2 B pillar trims as they are tatty looking. Really it’s not hard to do at all- just trim the material to size and use the spray Glue. Eventually I will buy the dark grey fabric and re-cover the 500E’s headlining too. It’s in good shape but the alcantara suede would look great

 

[e500.org]

Sounds awesome. That first aid kid cover looks great - can you also do mine?!

Jokes aside can you send me the details of the wool mats? They sound lush and I'd love a set for mine! Cheers

 

[JC220]

No problem- see the pic attached. The Wool is a Grey sample- but it is available in Black also which I am going for. You can see the difference in thickness between the Luxury Wool and the standard carpet. About 3 times a thick!

I should have the Wool Mat set here within 7 - 10 Days If I can get the templates away. I don't want to recommend this company until I see what they produce for me- I will load Photos of the new mats when they get here and send you all details for sure.

After alot of searching I found a Photo of 400E rear mats- see the pic attached. Looking at the 500E's rear matwell's these appear to be the correct shape. I will print them to as best a scale I can and try them in the car later. I will be able to perfect the fitment now I know the OEM shape of V8 rear mats.

 

[gerryvz]

I don't believe those are Mercedes "OE" 400E floor mats, although the shape does look interesting and like it will work.

I'll remove and take some photos of my Cocomats rear mats today. I don't believe their shape is as intricate as these 400E mats.

 

[JC220]

Well it was a long day yesterday stripping back & re-covering the parcel shelf but it's back in there now & looks fantastic in the alcantara!

 

[JC220]

So it turns out the ETA Harness ordered 4 weeks ago appears to be on back order. So I do not know how long this will take


What's you guy's experience with on order harnesses, could this run into months waiting?


For now I need to re-wrap up the ETA harness I cut for inspection and re-fit it back to the car (Since the wires were not degraded at all). I will do this next week in the hope that I get some sort of an update on the new one before then- but it sucks to have to re-fit it right now knowing I'll have to pull it again.

I guess if the car runs fine- (which it should) then the ETA Re wire can be scheduled for Autumn when I have other work planned again.


I have a funny feeling I know why the ASR Light came on now. I was refitting the black plastic wire guide thing at the bulkhead and had disconnected the ETA round plug several times with the battery hooked on. Then started it. Perhaps a fault code had triggered limp mode because of the ETA being unplugged with the Battery still on?


I do now have a Blink reader at least so when it's running again I can check / clear codes.

I also had the R129 ASR Switch and a W124 Dome light (Complete 124 console dash actually) in my spares hoard. So up next is the ASR Defeat-

 

[gerryvz]

It is certainly possible that this ETA harness could come back from MB as "NLA". So, be prepared for that possibility. Only time (and MB) will tell....

 

[gsxr]

I have a funny feeling I know why the ASR Light came on now. I was refitting the black plastic wire guide thing at the bulkhead and had disconnected the ETA round plug several times with the battery hooked on. Then started it. Perhaps a fault code had triggered limp mode because of the ETA being unplugged with the Battery still on?

I do now have a Blink reader at least so when it's running again I can check / clear codes.

If the key was turned off, there would NOT be a code registered from disconnecting the ETA. The battery does not need to be disconnected. Use your blink code reader and check / clear all codes. The car doesn't need to be running to do this, only need the key turned on, but the ETA and all wiring / connectors / sensors must be plugged in where they belong. If you've never checked codes before, you may encounter "code diarrhea", meaning a bunch of codes which are not necessarily problems. Clear everything, drive the car a bit, and check codes frequently. Any codes which come back quickly are issues you need to address.

 

[JC220]

If the key was turned off, there would NOT be a code registered from disconnecting the ETA. The battery does not need to be disconnected. Use your blink code reader and check / clear all codes. The car doesn't need to be running to do this, only need the key turned on, but the ETA and all wiring / connectors / sensors must be plugged in where they belong. If you've never checked codes before, you may encounter "code diarrhea", meaning a bunch of codes which are not necessarily problems. Clear everything, drive the car a bit, and check codes frequently. Any codes which come back quickly are issues you need to address.

The Key was not in the ignition when the ETA was unplugged. OK I'll follow my gut feeling and get the ETA ready for re-fitting later this week when the new Gasket gets here.

Then I'll clear the fault codes- I guess a bunch will be in there post Eco Junk replacement!

It's just so peculiar that the car threw the ASR Light on and had a rough / lumpy idle after the harnesses were replaced. It makes no sense since the Throttle body was fine before and all connections were double checked & correct on the harnesses. The Blink reader will hopefully tell the story.

Fingers crossed when I clear whatever code's causing the Limp mode it will be fine after that.

if that ETA harness turns out NLA then I'll be in the market for a post 1998 ETA! This one can be a spare then assuming it hasn't somehow shit the bed during the harness replacement. Sigh

 

[gerryvz]

Used, post-Eco ETAs [for models with ASR] are not super rare. These days they tend to come off of W140 cars. These 140 ETAs have a longer cable due to the larger real estate of the W140 engine bay, and further-away placement of the connector. As GSXR said in another post, the main thing is that it is a MUST to obtain an ETA from a W140 (or W124) that has ASR.

The labels stuck to the ETAs also provide a visual indicator about whether it has ASR or not. There are green/white and all-white labels with the part number and manufacture date on them. The green/white labeled ETAs DO NOT have ASR; the all-white labeled ETAs have the ASR.

More is located here in the Wiki: http://www.500eboard.com/forums/wiki_index.php?title=ETA

Cheers,
Gerry

Non-ASR ETA for W124



ASR ETA for W124 - M104 6-cyl engine

 

[JC220]

Thankyou for the info regarding the ETA Gerry- I think I will start the hunt for an ETA now the more I think about it....... hopefully I can turn up a matching ASR W140 ETA in the UK.

In the meantime I will get to cleaning the Throttle body tonight, the underside of the flap is a little brown / gunged up so this sucker can go back in to get her running as soon as the gasket turns up later this week. (Assuming I can't locate a replacement post 1998 ETA before this Friday!)

Just thinking, whilst the ETA is off is there anything else I should clean? I see that little metal pipe beside the ETA for example. I'll stuff a rag in the manifold and blast it through with brake cleaner.

 

[gerryvz]

ETA cleaning should go quickly. A few shots of brake or carb cleaner and a rag will make fairly short work of the entire thing. It's a good idea -- particularly for long-term owners -- to have a spare ETA. They are not getting any younger and they do fail from time to time.

Make sure you clean the EGR vapor tube, which goes from the EGR valve through the manifold. Clean off the top of the manifold where the ETA rests and make a nice sealing surface for the new gasket that I'm sure you already have. You also have the black rubber MAF boot, correct?

Come to think of it, for ETA & EGR cleaning duties, I recommend the more powerful "carb cleaner" rather than brake cleaner. It does a better job of cutting through the "scrunge" on the ETA butterfly. Soak it for a few minutes, and use a toothbrush or other brush and rags for the cleaning action. Wear gloves, of course. This stuff is very nasty. And clean in a well-ventilated area.

 

[JC220]

OK I'll pick up a can of carb cleaner and get busy later

Ill also plug the ETA back on and read / clear fault codes. I'll note what codes I get and report back later. I can't start her but it will be interesting to see what's stored in there.

 

[JC220]

So here are the stored fault codes I got from the 500E this evening;


LH Fuel Injection – Pin #4


No codes readable- no single blink either- nada from this pin? (LED Lights up but no codes or response)

What's going on here that I can't read any codes from the LH module?

ABS + ASR - Pin #6
30 – CAN data bus to EA/CC/ISC Control Module (N4/1) Interrupted
33 – CAN data bus, Interrupted
Reset – 1 blink= cleared

EA / CC/ ISC – Pin #7
3- (Not sure- too many listed under ‘3’)
6- Starter Lock-out / backup lamp switch (S16/1)
14- Closed throttle position switch (s29/3)
Reset – 1 blink= cleared

Base Module Pin #8
5- Maximum allowable temperature in module box (F23) exceeded
6- A/C electromagnetic clutch (A9k1) jammed or poly- V- belt broken
9- LH-SFI control module (N3/2) voltage supply, open circuit
10- Base module (N16/1) voltage supply output fuse F2, open circuit
11- Base module (N16/1) voltage supply output fuse F3, open circuit
12- Base module (N16/1) voltage supply output fuse F1, open circuit
13- Base module (N16/1) voltage supply output fuse F4, open circuit
16- A/C electromagnetic clutch (A9k1). Short circuit
17- Module box blower motor (M2/2), short circuit
Reset – 1 blink= cleared

ACC- Climate Control – Pin #16
Strange one this- the LED Flickers when first plugged in continuous. When the button is pressed for a second the fans come on- then the LED Functions as normal thereafter.
1 Blink = no codes were available.


EZL / DI – Pin #17
28- EA/CC/ISC control module (N4/1) data exchange malfunction
Reset – 1 blink= cleared

DM- Diagnostic Module – Pin #19
(No 19 Pin fitted- Euro model)

These codes were cleared tonight- but remember the car doesn't run currently until the ETA is refitted. I am aware these are historic codes and I will have to wait until 'True' codes re-appear (if any).


If anyone spots anything notable please let me know! There was something causing the car to run like a dog on the last startup on Jackstands post upper & lower harness replacement. (I couldn't drive it then either) ASR Light on- nothing else.


Also- the Base module appears to have lots of codes- I did get a replacement Base Module as I suspected it faulty (Power drain). I will test the replacement Base Module for stored codes tomorrow evening.

After spending so much money and time on renewing the Engine Harnesses I am really keen now to get the ETA back on & fire it up again to see what's going on. Fingers crossed it just fires up as if nothing happend! The parts hipement was dispatched from Germany minus the ETA harness so I'll have the new ETA gasket on Thursday night.

My throttle body is part number 0001417925. Searching only turns up one on Ebay which looks Eco Junk date too. A few others from other m119 models on there but mostly all the later plug. Mine has the 'Pancake' early plug. I see BBA Reman could rebuild it here in the UK.............. is that worth a shot? If by any chance anyone has a spare post Eco Junk ASR Throttle body please PM me.

 

[JC220]

Following from the code reading from last night- is there any reason why Pin #4 would not give codes? (Not even one Flash- nada)

I made sure the connection was good at the Pin #4 Itself but otherwise don't really know what to do about that. I tried searching but am finding very little about people not getting codes from the LH module.

Can some cars be a different Pin for the LH module codes? Or is some part of the LH Module malfunctioning?

As always I appreciate the Help guys

EDIT- I have since found this thread-


1992 500E pulled codes | De-Coding


This person had the same trouble with a 1992 500E and pulling codes from pin # 4.


It seemed the Base Module was to blame. I already have the used replacement Base module to hand to I will install it tonight and see if Pin #4 gives codes after that- this person did not state if they were able to read codes from Pin #4 after the base module was replaced though.


Also, the 39 Pin Plug looks a little dusty with corrosion. I am going to give it a thorough clean with Contact Cleaner and a small nylon brush later. Maybe that weird fault with Pin #16 will go away then.