w210 reverse light plug

[George301]

Howdy everybody, I tried posting this in the Tech section awhile back, but thought I'd see if any diesel guys could help me out.

I have a 1999 E300 w210 and I cannot get the two pin connector for the reverse lights unplugged. It does not seem to pull straight out and I figure it must have some sort of locking tab(s). Unfortunately, I cannot see under the gear lever assembly to see the actual plug. Any tips on getting it unplugged without removing the shifter assembly?

thanks!
george

[Aquaticedge]

try swearing at it.... prolly should pull the shifter out and disconnect it. there has to be something missed there.

[jay_bob]

If your goal is to just unplug that connector then no you do not need to remove the shifter.

I would recommend removing the center console lower section. It's not difficult at all. Have a look at my thread Analog Cell phone update - 1998 W210 for the details. It is 6 screws and takes about 5 minutes. (Also that will give you the chance to clean out the gunk in the cup holder, that is what I am doing now, I pulled my console just now to figure out how to unplug the connector).

Anyway there are 2 connectors on the drivers side rear of the shifter assembly. One has a bundle of 10 wires (the switches and LEDs in the range recognition switch) and the other is the 2-wire connector for the backup lights.

There is no retention tab on either connector. The 10 wire connector has a grip tab, just grab it and pull straight back. That gives you enough room to grab the connector body for the 2-wire connector and pull it straight back.

At this point I would momentarily turn the key to pos II and jump the two pin connector. If your reverse lights come on then the problem is in your range recognition switch, the backup light switch is part of the range switch assembly. You will have to pull the shifter to fix this.

Here is how I did it, since I had this problem too:
- Remove the 4 hex bolts holding the shifter to the floor. 6 mm IIRC
- Carefully lift the shifter up slightly so you can see the clip holding the linkage.
- Tie a piece of string to this clip (so you don't lose it under the car) then pop off the clip. Don't untie the string until you have the clip back on the rod when you reassemble.
- Take another piece of string and tie up the end of the linkage rod so it doesn't fall away under the car where you can't reach it through the hole.
- Bring the shifter box in the house and disassemble it. I cannot remember the exact steps I followed but it is fairly obvious once you see it. I know you have to take the upper trim plate off (it is held on by 4 retention clips) and have to pull the range switch out, it's like a cartridge that fits in the housing. I ended up taking the entire housing apart but you don't need to do that as it was a PITA to put back together. I suspect that RRS can be removed without pulling the shifter but I cannot figure out the trick.
- The range switch is activated by a white piece of plastic that follows a peg on the main shaft of the shift mechanism. Be sure when you put the shifter back together that this pin is aligned with the slot in the white plastic piece. To help you do this there is a white dot that is visible in the side of the RRS. It is showing when the switch is in the Reverse position IIRC. If you then put the handle in Reverse then the slot and pin will line up. I might be wrong on this, it could be Neutral for this alignment.

You can either buy a new RRS (for about $200) or do what I did, carefully crack it open, clean the circuit board contacts with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol, and then very gently tweak the two spring contacts with a pair of needle nose pliers. These contacts operate your reverse lights.

[George301]

Thanks for the replies. And thanks Jay Bob for the write up, I had seen your previous post and was pursuing your recommended course of action, good advice. With the additional info on the center console removal I should be in good shape.

thanks again
g

[jay_bob]

One more thing I thought of:

In the W210, with memory seats, the "reverse right-side mirror dip" feature is keyed off the same contact that runs the reverse lights.

If you place your mirror switch in "right mirror" adjustment mode, then when you put the selector in reverse, the right side mirror will angle down, so you can see the curb while trying to parallel park. If you return the selector to park or drive, then after a few seconds, the mirror will automatically return to its previously stored position. The key must be in position II for this to function.

If the right mirror dip feature is working, the contact in the shifter is OK.