I have no experience or knowledge of the R class or anything from it's era, but are you sure you didn't accidentally pull something loose when you were de-puking the console? If you put extra strain on a wiring harness or partially pulled a plug apart, it could certainly cause unexpected issues. Retrace your steps and see if there's something that may have been pulled or inadvertently filled with sick.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)