I bought this car apx 3 weeks ago and have had no problems what so ever. Last night all of the sudden as I'm driving down the highway my car just cuts out completely. No sputtering or noises, no idications what so ever. The engine just stopped running and I coasted to a stop. No matter how much I tried it would not restart, no matter how long I waited. It would crank like a champ just never actually start. After reading other posts and trying to diagnose myself I was leaning towards thinking it was the fuel pump. I can hear the cranking start to slow from the battery loosing power because I have tried cranking it so much while doing tests. I went to the store and got Carb cleaner and the diagnostic tool from Auto Zone to pull codes. I ran the scan and it came up with NO codes at all. Then I decide to try the Carb cleaner. I was going to spray it in the air intake while cranking it to see if it would start to come to life. Well, now when I try to start it there is just a very fast clicking and it doesn't crank. I thought the battery might just not have the power to crank it now and so I hooked up my backup battery pack to it to let it charge. Please someone help me I am pulling my hair out.

Well for starters charge up your battery. It would be a good idea to listen for the fuel pump when you turn on the key. It will run for a few seconds then shut off.

Sounds electrical to me. I think a fuel problem would have been more of a sputtering death.

Hi,----Good tip from Benztech,if you have good hearing, does the fuel pump run for a few seconds with key on. If you don't have any professional diagnostic equipment, a DIYer can diagnose with a few items from the local Pep Boys or Autozone. You need to buy 2 items, a 12 volt test light or a low cost multi-meter & a fuel pressure guage kit,you have a threaded pressure tap on your fuel rail with a brass hex cap.These two items will pay for themselves if you are able to determine the problem. Next time you need them,they will be FREE. OK, you need 3 things for your engine to run ,compression , ignition (spark) & fuel pressure. You said there were no noises, so I doubt if the chain broke,compression OK. You can make a spark tester from a sparkplug & a piece of wire 15" long with 2 fairly large alligator clips one clip on the plug thread & the other clip on to engine metal, pull one easy to get to plug wire from a spark plug & connect that plug wire to your homemade tester. Now get the wife,girl- friend or somebody to crank it over.Now look at the gap for a BLUE spark,if it's yellow it won't start!, needs to be BLUE. If it's blue , OK done. Next thread on the fuel pressure guage,always use good judgement when working around gasoline. Key it up , NOT CRANKING ,you may have to cycle the key a few times from OFF to RUN to get full pressue approx.46-52 psi. If no pressure now get 12 volt test lamp or meter & check fuel pump fuse & all other fuses in your panel, your car may have fuses in the trunk near the spare tire. Probe both sides of the fuse with the test lamp to a good ground, a good fuse will illuminate on both sides , a bad fuse only on one side.Read the decal on the panel cover for fuse info location. You are now armed with enough info to determine what "street to go down" & get this baby running. Please reply back with your findings so all can benefit. My motto "repairs through testing", you have to fix it with "Smarts NOT parts".Good Luck ------- Ray

Thanks for the replies with great advise so far. Engine is cranking like a champ again, now that I have had my battery pack charging it for a few hours. Tried the carb cleaner with no results what so ever. I have a good multi-meter so all I need is the pressure gauge. I will begin with these tests this evening and let you all know what I find. I didn't think to mention that I got a high end alarm system installed several days ago. Feeling like it is an electrical problem is making me suspicious that they might have screwed something up with the alarm interfacing with the imobilizer unit. Who knows? Hopefully I will find something with the basic tests that will help me know which "road" to take.

Thank you so much for giving me the advice to check the fuses. That didn't even cross my mind for a problem that I considered so serious. I started checking all the fuses throughout the three fuse panels that I know of. I found a blown fuse that is labeled ignition coil in the box under the hood. I thought sweet, I just have to replace the fuse and I hopefully it will start. Well, it fired up and then quit a second later. Checked the fuse and it was blown again. So, question is, what causes an ignition coil fuse to blow any time the engine is running? Anyone?

xtrmerik, I recommend contacting the high-end alarm installer and get some details regading exactly what and where he made splices, connections during the installation. The installer may have inadverently damaged or loosened some wires or connectors during the installation, especially if he worked behind the dashboard. That sounds like the culprit to me. What's wrong with the MB alarm system that you felt the need to supplement it?

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Fred Hoelzle

Hope and pray that you haven't ruined your mass air flow meter with the carb cleaner - I believe in that car it's a hair thin heated wire that probably doesn't like being soaked with carb cleaner.


Troy
1995 E420 101k

Hi,--- Received your message. I think the post by Ferman is right on. Over the years I have seen many "hack jobs" with these after-market alarms. I have 2 questions before we determine the reason why the fuse is blowing. 1) Does the alarm have a remote starter system built in ? 2) Do you see any aftermarket wiring coming through the cowl that is tapped into your engine wiring harness ? Please reply with the answers to these 2 questions ASAP.------ Ray

Well this alarm pages me up to 2000 ft away if the alarm goes off for any reason, and it tells me what type of sensor is being tripped. It also has REMOTE START so that I can start my car and let the engine warm up and the cabin cool down before I go tearing off. I'm in Vegas and cars get hot as ***** here. It's nice to cool it down a bit before I get in. Doesn't hurt to warm it up a little during our fake winters either.

I will be looking for where he connected the remote start to my wireing harness and find out what I can see. I have a feeling that this is the problem. Whether I can see what it is and fix it or if I have to get it towed back to them to repair their install is the question.

Well, I tracked the wires that the alarm installer had coming through the firewall. One went to the siren and one went under the cover of where the coils are. The idiot just ran the wire under the side of the cover, so when it was bolted down it was putting considerable pressure on the wire. I guess the heat and pressure only took a few days before cutting through the shielding and contacting the metal below the cover with bare wire. I repaired the wire and then ran it through where the other wires enter under the cover. No more short, everything runs like a champ, and my alarm works like it should. Thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate it. One more reason to do everything myself.

So , the answer to my 2 questions was,yes,yes. I could just see it, 2000 miles away that the guy did a hack job somewhere with the aftermarket alarm. Don't look under the dash because you are going to "cry". If he did that under the hood, I could just imagine that "ball of spaghetti wiring" under the dash ,that is tapped into your ignition switch circuits & the underdash harness while he was laying on his back. I hope he has everything fused in correctly If you ever get a "no crank "issue you know the first thing to suspect . Bottom line is that the problem is repaired & you did it with "smarts ". Just goes to show with a few pieces of test equipment & some kmowledge you can help yourself if there is a future problem someday. Keep extra fuses & a 12 volt test lamp in the car at all times ,you never know when you may need them .----------- Ray

Welcome aboard.
This site is great for helping find things that have gone wrong; good advice: start with the simple stuff.
This past May I was having a problem with my AC; no fan.
I was suspecting the worst, $300+ components; yikes.
Turned out to be a $2 30amp blower motor fuse

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Hi Ray and All !

I had a question on a 1997 E420. The Car had gotten wet via the sunroof. I disconnected the battery for days and the car will not turn over and start. It almost sounds like its starving for fuel. When turning the key to the on position, I hear something under the engine cover start to almost whine and click, the noise continues and doesn't stop. I finally left it on for about 5 min, and then I heard it go off. All the electronics in the car do work, Lights, Horn etc.. I checked all of the fuses with a tester and everything seems to be fine. Do you think the car not starting is related to that "whining Noise ? Is that the Fuel Pump ? What may I check from this point.

Thank you

this should be it's own topic... but your fuel pump(s) are generally in tank or in the frame near the tank. since everything got wet inside you should let everything dry for awhile. Disconnect the battery and hope that you diddnt fry any computers in the process... Check all your fuses look for any broken ones.

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed