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  #1  
Old 09-07-2004, 10:24 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 141
4ETS not working at all.

Sunday I was on a short drive in my 2000 ML320. It was clear and dry. I was backing out of a level, well packed gravel driveway, and backed into a shallow grassy ditch running along the edge of the driveway.

The front left wheel stayed on the driveway. There was no part of the frame touching the ground anywhere. I tried to pull forward back onto the driveway, and the front left wheel just sat there spinning and smoking. I could not hear the system cycling, as I have heard before. I tried again in Low Range, with the same results. It took three people to push me back up on the driveway, with the front left tire spinning the entire time. The ML was absolutely helpless.

One time last year, I was offroad and ended up in a situation where the right rear wheel was several inches off the ground while I was backing a trailer on uneven hillside terrain. I unhitched the trailer, and with the right rear wheel still several inches up in the air, I was able to drive right out of the situation. I could hear the system working, and I was very impressed with how well it worked.

Is there something that could have totally disabled the system since then? I checked the fuse relating to the ABS, and it was fine.

Thanks for any advice you can give me, before I take it into the dealer. It is still under "extended warranty" but was wondering what to expect before I take it in.

Thanks again!
George

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  #2  
Old 09-08-2004, 11:02 PM
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Wolfgang
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Posts: 136
Take the foot off the brake pedal, John. Braking switches 4ETS off in pre 02 MLs. Here is a demo with the brake lights lit up and the wheel spinning. Once the foot is removed from the brake pedal the ML moves off this spot - with the wheel still in the air. One of my favorite ML exercises.

Also, in idle 4ETS won't work either and the wheel will spin freely, rotating slowly at idel rpm. One needs to put the foot on the gas pedal, even with very little gas, and 4ETS will engage and the wheel in the air stops spinning.

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Last edited by ML320; 09-08-2004 at 11:59 PM.
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Old 09-09-2004, 08:23 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 141
ML320,

I feel certain that my foot was not on the brake pedal. That is interesting to know, however. I may have had my foot on the brake, the first time I tried to ease forward. But then I realized that it would not roll backwards anymore.

When those people were pushing me out of the shallow ditch, the left front wheel continued to spin, smoke, and throw gravel the whole time, and I am pretty sure that my foot was not on the brake, and I was accelerating at that time. (But I was so upset, and embarrassed at that time, there is no telling for sure, I guess.)

Also, when it has been working in the past, I have noticed the yellow triangle in the speedometer flash on momentarily. It did not come on this time.

Thanks for the reply, it is going to the dealer next Monday morning, and I guess I will see what they find out. It is due for a service anyway.

George
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Old 09-09-2004, 09:31 AM
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Wolfgang
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Posts: 136
Quote:
Originally Posted by george d
Also, when it has been working in the past, I have noticed the yellow triangle in the speedometer flash on momentarily. It did not come on this time.
Yes, the triangle should flash with a wheel in the air and the foot on the pas pedal. If it doesn't there's a malfunction, and it might have stored a diagnostic error code which can be read out.
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Old 09-09-2004, 10:57 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 141
Wolfgang (ML320),

Thanks for the reply. I thought that might have been you. I have certainly enjoyed your website over the years. I read it for several years, before I finally decided to buy a ML320 myself. I check it often for new additions, or just to re-read some of the wealth of information there.

I have thought about trying to re-create the situation by jacking up the left front wheel with a floor jack, and seeing if happens again. Or if I could find a spot where I could back out of the situation if the system failed. I guess I will just wait and see what the dealer finds Monday before I explore further.

The thing that really bothers me is, if the system has failed, without any warning, and I got stuck on basically level ground in the middle of the summer, what would have happened to me this winter, when I was driving merrily along on the snow and ice, thinking that this system was there to help me out, and it wasn't there at all!

If it has failed and the dealer repairs it, how do I know that it is still working, six months from now?? It is not a very good confidence building situation. I might feel saver in my 1977 Dodge Power Wagon this winter, with full time four wheel drive and lockable differential. Not a very elegant ride, but maybe safer!?! At least I would know for sure that I had 4 wheel drive available.

Thanks again!

George
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  #6  
Old 09-09-2004, 11:22 AM
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Wolfgang
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Posts: 136
Quote:
Originally Posted by george d
I have thought about trying to re-create the situation by jacking up the left front wheel with a floor jack, and seeing if happens again. Or if I could find a spot where I could back out of the situation if the system failed. I guess I will just wait and see what the dealer finds Monday before I explore further.
George, thanks for the comments about the site. Glad you find it useful. Nt sure about testing it with a jack, it might pop off easily when engaging the drive. Better to find some test hill, rocks, curbs, staircases etc or build a little ramp like this one for testing:



Quote:
The thing that really bothers me is, if the system has failed, without any warning, and I got stuck on basically level ground in the middle of the summer, what would have happened to me this winter, when I was driving merrily along on the snow and ice, thinking that this system was there to help me out, and it wasn't there at all!
I'm not yet convinced it has failed. Would be the first I hear. It usually gives plenty of warnings if something is wrong, in several different fail-safe levels, see below. Usually one forgets to take the foot off the brake pedal, which will disable it, and forgets that the foot needs to be on the gas pedal to enable it.

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  #7  
Old 09-09-2004, 11:55 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 141
Wolfgang,

I am hoping for the answer to be that my left foot was still on the brake. You have caused me to think that may have very well been the case after all. I do not normally brake with my left foot, but I may have had my left foot on the pedal to keep from rolling backwards, since there were three people behind the vehicle.

You, through your site, have always caused me to have confidence in the vehicle, in general. Then I read all the horror stories others have had. I have not had many problems myself, and have been quite satisified with the vehicle for the past 17 months.

Thanks again for the encouraging words, and additional information of the workings of the system.

I was also a little worried about the jack idea. I was going to try it on level concrete, with one of those floor jacks with wheels on it, pointed in the direction of travel, if I even were to try it at all. I will skip that idea.

I will definitely try it out on snow and ice, very carefully, to make sure that the system is working properly, rather than just assume that it is.

George

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