I've posted this problem for the last few weeks and I still have not fixed it , I took it to 3 different places , spent money and still my convertible top does not go down in my 91 500sl , in the beginning i was told to read the codes , the code reads #29 , i was told that 29 has to do with a speed senser , I got the speed sensers checked , they are fine , I had other things checked , but it still doesn't work , as soon as we reset the codes the top will work , as soon as I drive it , it stops , The ABS light is what is causing the problem , the ABS light is on , I was told that MAYBE , there may be a wire that goes from the ABS to the codes that is not working , has anyone ever heard of this before , ???
I just want to ride my car with the top down at least a few times this summer ,
Is there a way to disconnect the ABS light so the code does not read it , ?????the top is not going down because the ABS light stays on , I need to disconnect it .
or does anyone have any ideas about this ??
Please help a girl who just wants her nice blonde hair to flow in the wind while driving her old Benz !!!!

First of all let me say that I have no idea what I'm talking about, but feel pretty sure that taking the ABS warning light is not going to help anything. Howevery taking the ABS control unit out might do something, actually it will certainly do something, it will disable your ABS system, but your brakes will still work fine. Whether it has any impact on the top I don't know, but it's cheap and easy to try.

Jubie,
MB tops (and MB cars) are very complicated. Try to find a good MB mechanic you can trust. Research, network, pick local brains, whatever, but try to find someone in your area that knows these cars. Try here: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/good-mb-shops/
The dealer can be a good place to start for diagnosing but be very wary of throwing money at it if the prognosis is flaky. IE: It may be necessary to pay for troubleshooting but don't start throwing parts at the problem unless you have a good reason to believe a fix is at hand, ("Well, let's try this, and if it doesn't work, we'll try something else! "). A good diagnoses is worth a lot. You said you took this to 3 different places. Unless you mean 3 different shops that specialize in MBs, you are wasting your time. Also, it may help to post in your public profile where in the world you are. Help may be nearby, if only we knew where nearby is.
Aaaah, 91 500sl, a very nice car. If I had one, and it was early summer, and the roads were beckoning, and the top was misbehaving, well, YOU know...
Good Luck, Dan
Please don't forget to close with us when you finally resolve this. Some other poor soul will undoubtably have the same problem someday.

__________________
2012 E350 Bluetech

If all else fails take it to a MB dealer.

jubie

Is it a car that has not been used very much ???

The clue of the ABS light is probably low voltage related, as by design, when the voltage is low the ABS is designed not to function - normal braking is still OK.

I am thinking if the car is not used much then battery charge is suspect.

Has the battery been charged or replaced ???????? as that could help.

The other related item is the over voltage protection relay which has a history of faults on some years - has anyone suggested replacing that.

Regards

You guys, this girl is talking about needing help...

So she can drive her oldie Benz around town, her long blonde hair blowing in the breeze...

And the best you can do is tell her to take it to a mechanic?

How come none of you guys are offering to go to her house and help her fix her top?

But seriously though...convertible tops are complicated (unless they are the manual kind)...taking your car to a dood, indie mechanic is a great suggestion.

Where are you located? If in So. Calif., there are some great indies here.

Good luck.

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

Is it a car that has not been used very much ???

The clue of the ABS light is probably low voltage related, as by design, when the voltage is low the ABS is designed not to function - normal braking is still OK.

I am thinking if the car is not used much then battery charge is suspect.

Has the battery been charged or replaced ???????? as that could help.

The other related item is the over voltage protection relay which has a history of faults on some years - has anyone suggested replacing that.

I'm pretty sure the Batery is fine , I guess I can have that checked , I'll go today and have someone check my battery strenght ,
can you tell me more about the (( over voltage protection relay )??
were is it on the car ? how do I check it ??
Thanks

Points of interest that may or may not have anything to do with this , I did take out the power motor for the seats a while ago , it was the power motor under the passenger side seat , it had a lot of wires I disconnected , I took it out because part of it got shorted out , ( it got wet somehow and did not work anymore ) , could this have anything to do with it ????
from what I remember the top did go down a couple of times after I took it out .

The other thing is I seem to have a problem with my front passenger side front end ,tire , wheel or ETC . , every once in a while I would make a turn and hear a screaching noise ,It seems to happen often when I turn into my driveway , my driveway has a little bump in the entrance part , .....................also , the car starts to vibrate around 60 MPH's , I put 4 new tires on and then I took it somewhere to check the front end , I was told that I needed new brakes , rotors , and new front shocks , so I had all of it done , ............... well The noise was still there sometimes and the car still vibrates after 60mph's , so I took it back to him , and I told him what was happeneing , he said I needed 2 new Ball joints and a Passenger side Tire rod , I thought this was strange because how come he didn't see that before , he did work on the shocks and the brakes !! , anyway what I did was order the ball joints and tire rod , but I took the car to a Guy who specializes in Mercedes and 500sl's , this is the guy who gave me all the info with the codes and other stuff ,when I took it to him I didn't say nothing about the front end , I told him I was having a problem with my convertible , after that ........ I told him to check my ball joints and tire rod
's , he said everything was fine , I told him that someone else said I needed them , he checked again , and said that I didn't need ball joints or tire rods , , anyway , my front passenger tire which is new is worn on the inside part of the tire , ................. ((((( could this front end passenger side problem cause the ABS light to go on ?? ))))) and if so , what could the problem be ?? I put new brakes and rotors , theres new shocks , I was going to put new ball joints and a tire rod , but I was told nothing was wrong , It has to be something !!! ??? what else could it be ???
what do you think ???
Any idea's of any kind would be great ??
Thank You

I'm in Rhode Island , that tiny little state , I went and look how to change my profile to add my location in and couldn't find how to do it ,
I'm also a rookie with my computer !! lol