The Oklahoma EMP Phenomenom - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

G-Benz · #1 12-03-2002, 12:04 AM

Drove to Kansas City from Texas this holiday weekend.

While heading northbound on I-35 about 10 miles north of Ardmore, Oklahoma, I hit a patch of road and suddenly, the BAS/ESP light comes on, other dash lights come on for no logical reason, and I'm in "limp-mode" to the nearest service station.

Restart the ML, no lights, everything is fine. No other similar incidents for the remainder of the trip.

On the way back to Texas, come to the same stretch of highway, and it happens AGAIN! This time, speedo and tach are DEAD, about fifty dash lights are on, so I pull over.

Restart the ML, and everything is fine once again!

Is there some secret electromagnetic pulse emitter in Oklahoma that I don't know about? How about it okies?

G-Benz · #2 05-28-2003, 10:42 AM

I know this is an old thread but I hadn't traveled I-35 since the Xmas holidays.

So Memorial Day weekend was upon us and once again, the truck goes nuts in the same area!!!

For anyone else who drives this route in their ML, feel free to add to this thread! Somewhere between exit 41 and 42 by the Gene Autry exit on I-35...doesn't matter if you are going northbound or southbound.

Haven't noticed any unusual cluster of antennas or anything, but SOMETHING out there is sending disruptive signals!

Darkmann · #3 05-28-2003, 12:58 PM

Man that's weired. Could be that new anti-SUV weapon Ariana Huffington is developing to silence SUV's. Maybe you should contact MB engineers so they can try to simulate your Huffington effect!!!

Ridge · #4 05-28-2003, 11:34 PM

Klingons!!! The Peugeo Fuero (sic) used to do the same thing in this country whenever it got near a Arizona thunderstorm.

Benn

Ben

Q · #5 05-29-2003, 11:33 PM

Apparently, your ML is too heavy for the tractor beam.

G-Benz · #6 10-09-2003, 01:10 PM

Once again, I resurrect this thread!

Took an impromptu trip to KC last weekend only to have the same phenomenom reoccur in the same location.

Both directions!

I should bring a tech with me the next time...

pj67coll · #7 10-11-2003, 01:21 AM

Seeing as you seem to drive this stretch of road fairly often I'd suggest investing in a GPS and a cheap video camera. Keep them in your ML. When you are in the area again make sure they are handy to record the phenomenon.

- Peter.

Palangi · #8 10-13-2003, 08:52 PM

There is a thread runing on cars.com (Cartalk) where the car always dies in the same place. In this case, it's at an airport.

G-Benz · #9 06-07-2004, 11:10 AM

And again, I resurrect this thread!

Drove through the same area last holiday weekend and predictably the weirdness occurred while heading north.

What added to the frustration THIS time was after leaving Kansas City the following evening, the ML dies, about two hours outside of town, on a lonely stretch of 2-lane.

ML was towed to the nearest MB dealership about 80 miles from where it broke down.

Diagnosis was a dead fuel pump, and after pulling codes, the MAS was deemed DOA as well.

Two days (and $1100) later, we were back on the road! The ML ran great!

But THIS time, when venturing into that area of OK, NOTHING happened!

I won't really know until I venture that way again...if it doesn't reoccur, then I might deduce that a bad MAS can get screwed up when bombarded with strong microwave signals!

I know it's a stretch, but I can't explain it away otherwise...

mplafleur · #10 06-08-2004, 09:54 PM

You'd be suprised at what can happen to electronics.

There was a similar incident with a customer vehicle. In Houston, Texas I think. Whenever the lady drove her SUV out of the subdivision, at a particular point, the instrument cluster would go dead, or seats readjust, or something like that. Going home, nothing would happen. It would only occur when driving in a certain direction.

After much troubleshooting, it was found that there was was a microwave transmission in the area (weather, or traffic) and it was causing the instrument cluster to reset. It was only occuring in one direction because of the layout of the ground plane and the reset line on the circuit board. A slight modification of the board resolved the problem for the next model year.