Hi, everyone--

I was wondering if I could get solicit some opinions/suggestions about a car problem I'm having.

I've got a '95 E320 wagon. It's in excellent shape and has been regularly serviced. I've had no problems with it until today.

This morning it was freezing out (~15deg F), and I was driving to work. I was on the highway and had been driving for about 10 minutes. It was stop and go traffic. Suddenly, the ASR light came on and the accelerator failed to respond. The engine was still running, but when I pushed down on the accelerator nothing happened--the engine didn't rev. Otherwise the car seem unaffected. I stopped the car, put it in park, and restarted it. The light went off and the car ran fine. No problems on the way back from work today.

Any thoughts on what the problem is? Is it something I should be concerned about or a freak event? Any possible fixes?

Many thanks!

Well that is kind of the definition of ASR. At least on my car that is how it works. When it detects slippage it applies the brake to the slipping wheel and will also lower the engine throttle if necessary to prevent slippage. You can push a button to turn it off but that will just cause the wheels to spin usually. However, maybe yours was cutting on when it shouldn't have. Mine has always worked correctly, but mine is a little later version I think, but different car so who knows. Mine has been doing a lot for me the last couple of days. I would be stuck somewhere without it.

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Yes, I should say that there was no ice on the ground, the car was hardly moving, and the light stayed on and the accelerator failed to respond for some time.

You will want to read any codes from the computer.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Could be a bad ABS sensor, if that's what these cars use for ASR. I dunno. Never had ASR. If it does use the ABS sensors, then I would almost bet that's your problem.



-tp

You need to hope M.B. Doc chimes in with the answer! Sounds like it is activating when it shouldn't. At least you should be able to push the button and turn it off.

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

No off button, and yes it uses the ABS sensors. Seems that an ABS warning light would have accompanied the ASR light if it was a sensor though.

Read the codes.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

ASR [Automatic Speed Reduction] light will activate and car can go into "limp home mode" for a variety of reasons.
As simple as the floor mat jammed under the gas pedal, to malfunctioning acceleration linkage, switch(s), wiring harness and / or actuator.

You can either take it to a mechanic who has a MB computer diagnostic system or if you're a DIYer, you can build Arthur Dalton's code reader and post the codes. The list members will help you when we know the codes.

Been there, done the DIY with the help of the forum members.

PS Take care of it now, because it will keep recurring.

The problem is not that the car might have been on a slippery surface. A patch of ice will not cause the car to go LIMP. There is actually a problem in the car, and it could be caused by many different things, and might be difficult to locate. See the post I started on Nov 22 , 2008, " '95 Wagon, won't start in "N", /ASR " . There were a number of good replies to that posting, with a lot of good preliminary info. I am still working on my problem and will post some results soon.

If you want info on asr i can you give some info. The system has sensors which could be faulty with your car.

__________________
1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

Actually, ASR stands for "acceleration slip control." So says the 1992 MB factory shop overview of the 400e/500e. I guess MB is not one for accurate acronyms

Not that any of this matters....just an interesting observation

as for your issue, ASR is essentially the nervous system of a 124. ASR lights/limp/other components are all interconnected, so yes, you've got to read the codes and go for the cheapest potential culprits first