Help a damsel distressed with '99 300TD
 

I love this car! Bought it 14 months ago from a dealer. Got horrid gas mileage (15MPG) and they said nothing wrong with it so I sucked it up. Ran great until I took it to an independent German shop for a brake job and when they went to start it the battery was dead so they replaced it. Since I got it back there was a fresh diesel smell that lingered long after being turned off and I could even smell it in the garage in the AM. It also started really rough, and idled rough until it warmed up. I took it back to the shop and they replaced all the fuel lines, hoses, actuator, etc., and $1800. later I no longer have the smells but it runs rough, smokes and NOW the BAS/ACR light comes on. The shop says their computer won't even read it now. Does anybody have any ideas? I am very frustrated becasue I love this car!

Hello,

You might have air in your fuel lines, Check the clear plastic lines by the fuel filter to see if there are any air bubbles in it.

Do you have a check engine light on?

The BAS/ASR etc lights are probably due to a defective brake switch. This is a relatively simple and inexpensive part to replace.

Also with your 15mpg are you sure you have been filling the tank fully? If you are using the lever underneath the pump nozzle make sure this is set to the slowest setting, otherwise foam will develop which will prematurely turn the nozzle off and not fill your tank to capacity.

Pin, if you know what code reader your car requires I may be able to help you. I dont know much about the 606 engine (infact, almost nothing). I have a universal code reader and live in cameron park. Im guessing its a fuel delivery problem (like bad fuel o-ring seals or anything else 606 common).


If your ever in my area I can look at it. And if you take it to a shop, take it to Ernies Independent Mercedes in orangevale. I know him personaly (actually own one of his former personal cars) and he is a GOOD german mechanic.



I do hope thats not the shop your talking about!

The om606 has delivery valve seals, right? Those could be bad

No to the check engine light. Someone said that if this car has an "overvoltage relay" that my mechanic may have blown the fuse when he replaced the battery causing all kind of strange things to happen. The BAS/ACR comes on intermittently. I will check the fuel line in the AM and have him check the brake switch. He said that the underside of my car was splattered with diesel from dried out fittings from the hoses.

Do you know what BAS/ASR stands for?

Maybe he didn't install the battery correctly or confused the computer. I would try disconnecting the battery and waiting a few minutes and reconnecting it. MAYBE he confused the computer somehow which is causing your fuel problems (om606s have electrically controlled ip's).

A BAS/ABS warning light is usually the brake light switch. Does your car have ASR? Would be rare. Are all four tires identical size? If not, that could cause that light too.

Find a mech who has MB's SDS (Star Diagnostic Sys) or compatible high end scanner that can read EVERY module on the car; if they look at you blankly, go elsewhere.

Look for any air bubbles in the fuel lines, at teh delivery valves (where the 6 metal fuel lines attach) on top of the Injection Pump for wetness and up under the black valve on the side of the IP for more wetness. You'll need a mirror and light to see underneath the SOV.

This link is the fuel flow path; if you see bubbles in one of the lines the leak will always precede that point. Each lines is sealed with an o-ring. http://bp3.blogger.com/_p71v9ofBM6w/R5ZR4hrNUFI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/XCBQ40qtPDQ/s1600-h/fuelflow.JPG #2, 3 and 5 plug onto the SOV. The other end of 3 and 4 is the lift (fuel) pump.

Report back.

Sounds like you are getting bad advice from both the selling dealer and your mechanic. If the car was getting 15 MPG and the dealer you bought it from said there was nothing wrong with it then you should have asked them why the EPA says the car ought to get about twice that.

As for your present troubles, again, your mechanic is probably part of the problem. OK, just about anybody with a wrench can do a brake job on one of these but when it comes to being under the hood you really need some experience or they will be learning as you pay them to and it sounds like that's what's happened. The parts they replaced don't cost more than about $100 or so therefore the balance of the $1800 was to get them up to speed, and apparently they still aren't. You can either go back to them, insist they fix it right (on their nickle would be my position) or find another shop who knows what they are doing. These are finicky cars but when they are right, they are fine and stay that way. Most of the problems on them are caused by ham-handed so-called mechanics who don't know what they are doing...and they can do lots more harm than good.

As others have said, the BAS/ASR light fault is most likely caused by the brake light switch, although it can also be caused by the tech not resetting the steering position sensor after battery replacement. Try turning the wheel from lock to lock and back again and see if next time you start it up the light stays out. If that doesn't fix it then it is probably the brake light switch after all.

One other symptom of the brake light switch being the culprit is if the cruise control or brake lights themselves don't work. If either of those is faulty then it is the brake light switch. If they charge you more than $50 parts and labor to replace that switch you know they are thieves because the part itself costs about $20 and takes 15 minutes to replace.

As for the running issues, it is hard to diagnose without seeing it. I would say that unless your check engine light is on (does it go on when you start the car at least?) then you probably still have a leak somewhere and most likely the delivery valve seals are bad would be my guess.

Brake Assist System/Automatic Slip Reduction

http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/BAS_how.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/170748-mercedes-asr-vs-esp-whats-difference.html

Maybe she could force it into recalibration mode by disconnecting the battery. That way when the BAS/ASR light comes on, she can reset it by turning the wheel from lock to lock. After that, we can see if the problem goes away or comes back again.

I'm liking my 82SD much more now...

It's really not that big a deal. If you work on these later cars you know that a battery change means you need to reset the steering position sensor. It's as simple as turning the wheel from lock to lock. If that was the problem then I would say this mechanic knows nothing about Mercedes cars because it is one of the tricks you learn after changing your first battery (ask me how I learned).

I had the BAS/ABS Light on the W208 the other day after replacing the battery, as well as other things (resetting window travel, HVAC unit, Radio etc)

The wheel must be turned lock to lock to be recalibrated.

I think you mean ESP all 1999 W210's had ASR ;)