Just purchased the C3 star diagnostic .Cannot connect

[henboy1]

I purchased the whole unit from 2 different merchants.The hardware came from China and the laptop from the states.
I have a 94 s420
Within Xentry Diag, without picking the car and clicking on the stethoscope to run diag , the screen flashes and nothing happens. Another time after selecting the car, I recieved this message ""Com port assigned closed to other port " .
I dont see HHTWIn software on this laptop..From the 38 pic I am going to the multiplexer and from there I am going to the VGA (9pin) port on the laptop.
The green light is lit on the Multiplexer.

 

[henboy1]

I purchased the whole unit from 2 different merchants.The hardware came from China and the laptop from the states.
I have a 94 s420
Within Xentry Diag, without picking the car and clicking on the stethoscope to run diag , the screen flashes and nothing happens. Another time after selecting the car, I recieved this message ""Com port assigned closed to other port " .
I dont see HHTWIn software on this laptop..From the 38 pic I am going to the multiplexer and from there I am going to the VGA (9pin) port on the laptop.
The green light is lit on the Multiplexer.

Found my issue.I had to change the BIT rate under com port settings and device manager.This multiplexer seem to only work on COM port 2 .Diagnosing the Climate control , PSE and Air bag is fine, but on all the others, I am getting "system is not connected or open circuit in the diagnostic cable " message.

 

[gsxr]

Found my issue.I had to change the BIT rate under com port settings and device manager.This multiplexer seem to only work on COM port 2 .Diagnosing the Climate control , PSE and Air bag is fine, but on all the others, I am getting "system is not connected or open circuit in the diagnostic cable " message.

The cable may not have all the wires internally. @Jlaa found on his cable, 22 of the 38 wires were missing. He had to source a good cable with all 38 wires. Check that first. Details at link below:

Exploring the MB STAR C3 (SDS) | De-Coding

Well! I am in the process of arguing with the AliExpress Vendor about returning the C3 ... So far they have agreed to give me 1/3 of my money back ... so slowly and surely I will have to grind them down. I got a China-C4-MUX off AliExpress, and I'll be damned if I'm not just *ultra...

www.500eboard.co

 

[henboy1]

The cable may not have all the wires internally. @Jlaa found on his cable, 22 of the 38 wires were missing. He had to source a good cable with all 38 wires. Check that first. Details at link below:

Exploring the MB STAR C3 (SDS) | De-Coding

Well! I am in the process of arguing with the AliExpress Vendor about returning the C3 ... So far they have agreed to give me 1/3 of my money back ... so slowly and surely I will have to grind them down. I got a China-C4-MUX off AliExpress, and I'll be damned if I'm not just *ultra...

www.500eboard.co

Great info. I wish I had known it was coming from China. Ebay is much easier to know the origins than amazon.About to read up

 

[gsxr]

Great info. I wish I had known it was coming from China. Ebay is much easier to know the origins than amazon.About to read up

Problem is, many/most eBay sellers get this stuff from China. Sourcing from China isn't the problem specifically. It's that somehow, cable mfr's decided to make a junk product, for reasons I can't comprehend. On the bright side, @Jlaa found at least once source (also in China) that is willing and able to sell the correct cable with all 38 wires.

 

[henboy1]

Problem is, many/most eBay sellers get this stuff from China. Sourcing from China isn't the problem specifically. It's that somehow, cable mfr's decided to make a junk product, for reasons I can't comprehend. On the bright side, @Jlaa found at least once source (also in China) that is willing and able to sell the correct cable with all 38 wires.

I think I am better off contacting China Diags

 

[henboy1]

That Chinese site is heavy hacked.I had to shut off my computer

 

[henboy1]

I recieved the email below from them after I realised my c3 machine wouldnt work with their c4 cable. What a major screw up from me. I had already ordered this cable. I am not giving up my sds c3 machine for a c4. The question is where can I get this c3 38 pin cable that actually works?

the cable is for sd c4, not old c3. c3 is too old machine​

better buy our sd c4​

Tag: MB SD C4​

​

Looking forward to your early reply.​

​

​

Best regards,​

Seven​

website: www.carobdtool.com​

Email: sales@carobdtool.com​

WeChat: seven424424 ​

whatsapp: +8618223445829​

 

[gsxr]

Oh nuts. First - have you confirmed your existing C3 cable is missing half of the wires? If so, there has to be a "good" version available somewhere, besides the OE cable which is $$$.

Worst case you could sell your C3 to someone with a newer car who doesn't need the 38-pin connector, then get a C4 setup with HHT-Win for your early 140.

 

[henboy1]

Oh nuts. First - have you confirmed your existing C3 cable is missing half of the wires? If so, there has to be a "good" version available somewhere, besides the OE cable which is $$$.

Worst case you could sell your C3 to someone with a newer car who doesn't need the 38-pin connector, then get a C4 setup with HHT-Win for your early 140.

Its definitely the cable.I am having the same problem @Jlaa was having in his thread.All the pins are not there.I just have to
source out a good 38pin cable made for the c3

 

[Jlaa]

@henboy1 -

My pragmatic advice - Forget the C3. Sell it or return it and move on to a C4. You will not be able to find anyone willing to help you troubleshoot that C3 / cables for that C3 / etc. It is just too old.

I went through TWO different C3 / cable setups from TWO different AliExpress vendors that didn't work until I gave up on those C3s and went with a C4 .... and even then, getting a properly working C4 requires A LOT of troubleshooting.

Skip to the end. Don't duplicate my ordeal.

 

[henboy1]

Is something going on with SDS C3.I know its outdated but I am getting "turn ignition to on message" even when the ignityion is either on or car is running.I tried reseating all the cales and I am stilling getting the same issue

 

[gsxr]

Is something going on with SDS C3.I know its outdated but I am getting "turn ignition to on message" even when the ignityion is either on or car is running.I tried reseating all the cales and I am stilling getting the same issue

Make sure the 38-pin diagnostic connector has all sockets in good condition with zero corrosion (link), particularly sockets 1+2+3. If those are all good, you might have either a bad cable or a bad MUX.

 

[jhodg5ck]

IF your cable is junk I have OE/Mercedes cables still available.

 

[henboy1]

Oh nuts. First - have you confirmed your existing C3 cable is missing half of the wires? If so, there has to be a "good" version available somewhere, besides the OE cable which is $$$.

Worst case you could sell your C3 to someone with a newer car who doesn't need the 38-pin connector, then get a C4 setup with HHT-Win for your early 140.

 

[henboy1]

The question is who would buy?I just dont want to shed another $750 for another machine.The pins look good.Can I get a MUX c4 to work with my setup?

 

[gsxr]

The question is who would buy?

Your issue is with the 38-pin diagnostic connector. Someone who only needs the OBD-2 connector (2003-up models) could use your system.

I just dont want to shed another $750 for another machine.The pins look good.Can I get a MUX c4 to work with my setup?

Probably, yes, but there's no guarantee... and there's the same issue with the C4 cables... and you still need to figure out if your diagnostic port is at fault. Need more than just a visual inspection.

 

[henboy1]

Your issue is with the 38-pin diagnostic connector. Someone who only needs the OBD-2 connector (2003-up models) could use your system.



Probably, yes, but there's no guarantee... and there's the same issue with the C4 cables... and you still need to figure out if your diagnostic port is at fault. Need more than just a visual inspection.

Have you ever seen people have issues with the diagnostic 38 pin on their cars?is this common?

 

[Jlaa]

Have you ever seen people have issues with the diagnostic 38 pin on their cars?is this common?

Yes. There is a thread somewhere on the board that you can probably search for that talks about 38 pin connectors not operating correctly due to corrosion. That thread also talks about how to rebuild the connector with new pins and wiring.

 

[gsxr]

I have had to replace the 38-pin diagnostic connector on two different cars.

HOW-TO: Replacing the 38-pin Diagnostic Socket (X11/4) | "HOW-TO" Tutorial Articles

When I recently purchased my 500E it had a crippling Battery Drain which would totally drain it overnight. Removing all of the Fuses & Relays did not eliminate the parasitic drain. I did discover that the LH module was causing the current draw as it was not shutting down when it should be. As...

www.500eboard.co

 

[henboy1]

I have had to replace the 38-pin diagnostic connector on two different cars.

HOW-TO: Replacing the 38-pin Diagnostic Socket (X11/4) | "HOW-TO" Tutorial Articles

When I recently purchased my 500E it had a crippling Battery Drain which would totally drain it overnight. Removing all of the Fuses & Relays did not eliminate the parasitic drain. I did discover that the LH module was causing the current draw as it was not shutting down when it should be. As...

www.500eboard.co

I still have my code reader.I am assuming if my code reader works on most of the modules then my 38 pin should be good, i think

 

[gsxr]

I still have my code reader.I am assuming if my code reader works on most of the modules then my 38 pin should be good, i think

Not correct. The hand-held blink code reader only uses sockets 1 and 3.

The message you get "turn ignition to on" indicates voltage missing on socket #2.

In theory you could try using the blink code reader connected to 2 instead of 3 for grins, but this isn't concrete evidence. If you do have a problem with the 38-pin socket, a new C4 or M6 will have the same issue as your C3.

• Pin 1: Ground
• Pin 2: Circuit 15 (+12v when ignition switch is in Run or Start position)
• Pin 3: Circuit 30 (+12v at all times)

Can you post a photo of your 38-pin connector? If the sockets are not clean & shiny like the photo below, it's suspect:

 

[jhodg5ck]

Have you ever seen people have issues with the diagnostic 38 pin on their cars?is this common?

yes, I've sold more of them vs any other cable that I have.

 

[henboy1]

Not correct. The hand-held blink code reader only uses sockets 1 and 3.

The message you get "turn ignition to on" indicates voltage missing on socket #2.

In theory you could try using the blink code reader connected to 2 instead of 3 for grins, but this isn't concrete evidence. If you do have a problem with the 38-pin socket, a new C4 or M6 will have the same issue as your C3.

• Pin 1: Ground
• Pin 2: Circuit 15 (+12v when ignition switch is in Run or Start position)
• Pin 3: Circuit 30 (+12v at all times)

Can you post a photo of your 38-pin connector? If the sockets are not clean & shiny like the photo below, it's suspect:

View attachment 186699

I will check and do that test by tomorrow.Oh no, it's not shinny like this and it never has when it was working.Will report back

 

[henboy1]

Not correct. The hand-held blink code reader only uses sockets 1 and 3.

The message you get "turn ignition to on" indicates voltage missing on socket #2.

In theory you could try using the blink code reader connected to 2 instead of 3 for grins, but this isn't concrete evidence. If you do have a problem with the 38-pin socket, a new C4 or M6 will have the same issue as your C3.

• Pin 1: Ground
• Pin 2: Circuit 15 (+12v when ignition switch is in Run or Start position)
• Pin 3: Circuit 30 (+12v at all times)

Can you post a photo of your 38-pin connector? If the sockets are not clean & shiny like the photo below, it's suspect:
My 38 pin on the car and the cables' 38 . I haven't tried the code reader yet

View attachment 186699

 

[gsxr]

That doesn't look great, but doesn't look terrible either. See if you get +12v at socket #2 with the ignition on, and zero volts with ignition off. If so, you MAY have an issue with your cable or multiplexer. Difficult to diagnose without trying another mux or cable.

 

[henboy1]

No power on 2 on start or ignition on.I will try again tomorrow with the blink code.This was done using a test light.Constant power on pin 3 with ignition or run position.Off topic, will the mass air flow sensor from a s500 work on a s420 1994?Before this happened SDS C3 was pointing to a bad mass air flow sensor have 1 285 100 521 228 another set of numbers looks like 280 214004 and a 767 11 1A.Myn last question is ASR and no ASR and both are 1994 s420, are these parts interchangeable?My car is a non ASR

 

[gsxr]

No power on 2 on start or ignition on.I will try again tomorrow with the blink code.This was done using a test light.Constant power on pin 3 with ignition or run position.

You'll need to inspect the diagnostic connector and see why there is no power on #2 with the ignition on. Might be corrosion inside the plastic block, or a broken wire, or something else weird. But, this answers your question - your C3/MUX is probably fine.

Off topic, will the mass air flow sensor from a s500 work on a s420 1994?

If it's from a 1992-1995 S500, yes, they are identical. MUST be those years (for 140 chassis) with V8 engine.

Before this happened SDS C3 was pointing to a bad mass air flow sensor have 1 285 100 521 228 another set of numbers looks like 280 214004 and a 767 11 1A.

The first numbers are a casting number for the aluminum housing. 0-280-214-004 is the Bosch part number for the M119 V8 MAF. The last numbers are a date code. To test your MAF, get the engine to operating temp (at least 80C), connect your SDS, view live data from the LH module and read the airflow in kg/hr at various RPM. Details here. If the readings match the data in that post, your MAF is probably fine. If the airflow reading is fixed and does not change with RPM, it's probably defective (and, should trigger the CEL).

Myn last question is ASR and no ASR and both are 1994 s420, are these parts interchangeable?My car is a non ASR

MAF is the same regardless of ASR. The parts which are NOT interchangeable between ASR/non-ASR are:

• ASR/ABS module
• E-GAS/T-LLR module
• ETA / throttle body

These are different and CAN NOT be swapped between ASR and non-ASR vehicles.

 

[jhodg5ck]

I'd go and order all the parts for the diag port before you dig in...they are failing left and right these days and will make for some hellacious issues.

 

[henboy1]

I'd go and order all the parts for the diag port before you dig in...they are failing left and right these days and will make for some hellacious issues.

Are they difficult to change ? Where do that cable plug into?

 

[gsxr]

Are they difficult to change ? Where do that cable plug into?

Click the link back in post #20 above. Lots of photos and all the info you need.

 

[henboy1]

Click the link back in post #20 above. Lots of photos and all the info you need.

Great thx

 

[henboy1]

I checked the fuses on the main computer module and low and behold the first fuse was out . No wonder my abs light was on .I now have power on pin 2 . I am sure that's the module you mentioned ,the blk and red stripe went into