No start situation (Solved)

[dds28]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I was driving my 95 e420 home something strange happened. As I was about to pull into the driveway, I heard a buzzing sound from the fuse box and the ABS light came on. So I turned off the car and the car wouldn't restart. I later figured out that the buzzing sound was coming from the blinker light relay 2018210047. But that shouldn't have anything to do with the no start issue. BTW when the turn signal is on the buzzing stops.

I tried cranking the car in park and in neutral and nothing. When key in the on position only 4 lights come on; battery light, ABS, SRS, and Check engine light. SRS goes off and the remaining light stays on. I recall all the lights came on when I started the car on the way home. Car drove fine until I got home. Battery is brand new and has charge. Cam position sensor I replaced a year ago. Fuel pump noise normal in the key on position. Checked all fuses, including the ones in the CAN box. No LH module codes or any other codes except Pin #6 for ABS pump solenoid relay and stop lamp switch. I checked and sure enough my brake lights are not working. Could a bad brake switch cause a no start situation? What about other dash lights not coming on? Is the blinker relay buzzing a separate issue?

As for the ABS pump solenoid relay, I replaced it about 11 years ago and it seems to be acting up. Can't find the part anywhere 001 542 67 19

David

 

[gsxr]

Just to confirm - you turn the key but the STARTER does not engage - correct?

A bad brake light switch will not cause this. The other dash lights not turning on is strange... seems like a bad ground, or other electrical issue.

I'd start by physically testing all fuses (rotate each in the socket, also check with a volt meter), not just eyeballing them. Specifically, fuse #5 as discussed in this thread where someone else had very similar symptoms.

 

[gerryvz]

Usually, it's the simplest issue as the cause of the problem, not something complex.

It sounds to me like battery-related issues.

Please check BOTH of your battery connections -- positive and negative -- remove and clean both terminals and the battery posts, and then re-attach the terminals.

Also, please test your battery with a voltmeter to ensure that it is fully charged to at least the 12+ volt level.

Lastly, make sure that your alternator is indeed keeping your battery charged.

If your battery DOES test out as good, then I would put a VERY light coating of dielectric grease (Vaseline will work in a pinch) on each battery terminal before you re-attach the cables.

 

[dds28]

Thank you for the advice guys. Dave, yes the starter does not engage. I visually checked the fuses but did not test each individually. I will test the fuses. Gerry, I did check the battery and it read 12.6v. Terminal is a bit crusty and I will clean that My mechanic checked the alternator last month and it appeared to be good then.

 

[JC220]

Thank you for the advice guys. Dave, yes the starter does not engage. I visually checked the fuses but did not test each individually. I will test the fuses. Gerry, I did check the battery and it read 12.6v. Terminal is a bit crusty and I will clean that My mechanic checked the alternator last month and it appeared to be good then.

Of course beyond battery voltage or terminal issues which you should check first, it could be a bad starter motor or solenoid. If it turns out to be that I would advise having your starter repaired VS reman options as lots of poor quality ones out there.

 

[gsxr]

Of course beyond battery voltage or terminal issues which you should check first, it could be a bad starter motor or solenoid. If it turns out to be that I would advise having your starter repaired VS reman options as lots of poor quality ones out there.

Good point, Joe, to check the starter itself. You can do this by manually applying +12v to the solenoid as shown in the FSM here, see section A. If the starter engages normally, it's fine.

034 connector shown, the 036 is different. The big terminal is the one that goes to the starter solenoid.

 

[dds28]

Had a chance to check the fuse #5 before I went off to work and it seems fine. I will swap out the fuse just in case later when I get home. Thanks Joe and Dave for the info on the starter.

 

[dds28]

A quick update. My car is alive. I came home tonight after taking my staff to early Christmas dinner party and tested fuse #5 again. I was about to give up on the car after my wife and son hinting at me it was time to give up the car. At first, the multimeter shows continuity. Close up inspection showed the fuse awfully thin in the middle. I took it out and replaced it with a new one and the dash lights came back on and the car started up like nothing ever happened. Thank you Dave for pointing me to the post with the similar problem and thank you everyone for your suggestions and inputs.

 

[JC220]

A quick update. My car is alive. I came home tonight after taking my staff to early Christmas dinner party and tested fuse #5 again. I was about to give up on the car after my wife and son hinting at me it was time to give up the car. At first, the multimeter shows continuity. Close up inspection showed the fuse awfully thin in the middle. I took it out and replaced it with a new one and the dash lights came back on and the car started up like nothing ever happened. Thank you Dave for pointing me to the post with the similar problem and thank you everyone for your suggestions and inputs.

Great news!

Do yourself a huge favour and proactively replace all old fuses with quality copper items.

 

[dds28]

Where is the best place to buy Ceramic core copper fuses? It seems like Flosser stopped making ceramic fuses.

 

[Lowman]

Where is the best place to buy Ceramic core copper fuses? It seems like Flosser stopped making ceramic fuses.

Ebay