1998 E320 Warning Lights: ABS/ASR/BAS/ESP
 

Hello,

I have a 1998 E320 and a couple of months ago my Check Engine light came on. I took off the battery terminals for 10 minutes ... the light went away. But it surely came back on after 30 minutes or so.

My car has about 80,000 Miles.

A couple of weeks ago, all these warning lights came on:

1. Anti-Lock Braking System - ABS
2. ASR
3. BAS
4. ESP
5. Check Engine (has been on since my car touched 70,000 miles)

I have taken my car to a Mercedes specialist here and he told me to replace the front brake pads ... i did. AND all the lights are still on. He then suggested that the main power line in the car needs to be replaced ... which will cost me $800 !!! I dont think that is the problem though ... and even he will not guarantee that replacing the wire would surely get rid of all the warning lights.

Only thing i changed about 7 months ago was to upgrade my rims to Lorinzer rims. I have slightly bigger tires on the back. But these are 17 size original Lorinser rims !!! All the warning lights came on about 2 months ago. So i doubt the rim size or the tire size have anything to do with the warning lights either.

When the lights started turning on .... i would pull over and turn off the car for like 20 second and restart the car. All the lights would not come back (except for the check engine light). And then slowly the lights started turning on more frequently. And now the lights surely come on as soon as i put the car in Reverse or Drive ... within 5 seconds.

I had added power steering fluid ... which i purchased from Auto Zone. Maybe that has something to do with it. It was the right one ... but obviously not purchased from the dealer.

PLEASE HELP. I am so sick of these warning lights that i feel like getting rid of my car and going back to a Lexus !!!

I have not taken my car to the Mercedes dealership because i think they would charge wayyyy too much to pin point the problem and then they dont guarantee that the work they will be doing is going to correct all the problems. Any suggestions ? I mean ... how much do you think they would charge ? In Houston, Texas ?


THANKS A LOT.

Replace the $17 Brake Light Switch at the pedal...
 

...extremely easy repair.

Check the condition of the voltage regulator brushes.

"I have slightly bigger tires on the back"

Could this be it?

Of course !!!!

ASR has 4 wheel speed sensors..so, guess what. You need 4 same size tires , ASR systems will even trip codes if the air pressure is unequal...

You're good :)

That was one of the first thing i was suggested to do. I replaced it and it didnt make any difference :(

Thanks though.

How do i do that ?
I have a Pioneer AVIC-N1 Navigation System in there. And it also gives the voltage which stays at about 13.4 v


Thanks

A couple of guys have told me that ... but the thing is that i replaced the rims and tires almost 8 months ago. And all this started about 2 months back. So if the problem was the rims or tires .... should the warning lights have come on after i installed them ?

You think it can be some sensors ?
Because the warning lights come on ... one after the other ... as soon as i start driving it. Like within 5 seconds !!!

Thanks for all your help guys.

Why don't you just go get the codes instead of having us mention things it could be..??????

Yeah stop at autozone or something and get the OBDII codes read.

Wow .... Mr. Genius :pukeface:
Thanks for all your help.

If i knew how and where to get the codes ... i wouldn't be here writing all this stuff !!! :mad:

Thanks YAL ... i will take my car to Auto Zone first thing tomorrow.

[QUOTE=Skylion]Wow .... Mr. Genius :pukeface:
Thanks for all your help.

If i knew how and where to get the codes ... i wouldn't be here writing all this stuff !!! :mad:


That post was intended to help you get to the problem in short order and was the best info you have recieved so far .Pal... when you see the code list and the long list of possible remedies , you will value that opinion.
Along with my other post informing you of the problems of mis-sizing tires with 4 wheel speed sensor/ASR data interchange..

Have a nice day..

Tadaaaaaaaaaa
 

It's the ASR/ABS unit guys !!!

On my 1998 E320 ... the part Number is: A 003 431 30 12

:silly:




:dj: :dancefool

ASR/BAS Fix
 

Skylion,
Congrats on fixing the problem you had with your 1998 E320. What was the approx cost of the fix ?
Thanks,
Ken

1998 e320
 

dont care what the codes say.there are 4 electrical connections in the brake light switch and only 2 control the brake lites.the other two control all the lights you are staring at .you need a brake lite switch as you were told earlier and make sure you buy it from a dealer as the aftermarket ones are junk. after you do this simple repair start the car and turn the wheels lock to lock and all your lites will be out. david poole dallas tx.

ASR/BAS lights out
 

Just wanted to close the loop and report success. I bought an OEM MB replacement brake light switch (a.k.a. stop switch) for my W210 1999 E300 turbodiesel (162k miles). The part number is 001-545-01-09. List price is $19.80. Took just under an hour to do the job. When done, started the car and turned the steering wheel lock to lock. ASR and BAS lights are out and cruise control works again. All is well.
Thanks for the help.
Ken

brake switch
 

i hope that a whole bunch of people read this thread.codes don't tell all.they are in a lot of cases only a guide[to stimulate intelligent thinking] most of the 98 thru 2003 e class cars will need the brake switch replaced at some point as well as the evaporator temp regulator..[start car ,turn on air ,runs for a few minutes then drops compressor and it may not start again until next morning] in fact these things are so common that service writers [at better dealerships] will change them out on the service drive while you wait. good hunting and have a great day. david poole european performance dallas tx.

I am planning to replace this switch on my car. Would Hella be an acceptable brand?

Hella
 

David,
Although I bought my replacement brake switch at a MB dealer, I believe the molded-in logo on the part was Hella.
Ken

Great. Hella it shall be.

E320 BRAKE ASSIST LIGHT ON
 

2001 E320, 57K
REPLACE THE RIGHT MOTOR MOUNT, REPLACED 120 AMP ALTERNATOR, ENGINE MOUNT 13 MM BOTTOM, 16 MM TOP, BRAKE ASSIST LIGHT ON AFTER REINSTALL NEG BATTERY CABLE UNDER REAR SEAT, THANKS DAVID, TURN WHEEL LOCK TO LOCK, ASR/BAS LIGHT WENT OUT

the brake light switch, are u talking about the switch that turn on the brake light in the rear when we push on the brakes?

It sounds all too simple, my bro's car had the same issue, we are betting on the abs sensor has an open circuit ( or broken wire )
We tried to unplug the sensor to check for continuity but the plug is pretty hard to unplug, any of u folks had tried to unplug these cars? 98 E320

TIA

Brake light switch
 

SD300,
Yes, it is that brake light switch that the brake pedal arm contacts when the brakes are applied.
Please post the results of your work when things get sorted out.
Thank you,
Ken

Suddenly having the same issue on my 1997 E320. In the past it was related to a low-voltage condition. I resolved by cleaning the corroded ground cable in the battery compartment.

This time it's different because I can shut the car off and start it right back up and the light goes out (before, the car wouldn't turn over due to low battery).

Question - can replacing the brake switch help on my car? I see only the 98-03 cars referenced in post 17 above.