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  #1  
Old 02-18-2009, 06:28 PM
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ASR problem limp mode etc opinion needed.

I know very little about cars as I just drive them and I am stuck with a big problem. I have an S600 V12 1991. I had my battery replaced along with the battery charger (cant remember what it is called) because the battery would not charge. For the first hour or so after i got my car back I believe that ASR light was on but everything was fine and it disappeared after a while. It has been around 4 weeks now and today while driving in traffic suddenly ASR goes on and the car goes into Limp Home mode. I turned off the car and turned it back on and it was fine again. Few hours later it did exactly the same thing but this time I had to wait longer for it to turn back on.

I read all of the other posts and forums and I know that many go to their mechanic to get the error codes and some have to pay lots of money to get it fixed. I dont have money to get it fixed and I am actually in Switzerland right now and just have 2 weeks left here before I have to drive back to Germany where I live (It is 600KM which is a few hundred miles!). My question is, is it safe for me to drive back to Germany? Will I be able to make it? Should I stop driving for 2 weeks and take the bus, and then drive to Germany? I really dont have the money to get it fixed here in Switzerland so any help would be appreciated!!!
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  #2  
Old 02-18-2009, 08:15 PM
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It's an 18 year old car. It's ASR. No one can tell you if you're going to make it home. The astute answer is that you might and you might not. If it was me I'd consider two alternatives 1) get the codes read, or read them yourself, then reassess, or 2) develop a plan to divest the car in the next two weeks. It doesn't sound like a real good fit for you under any circumstances.
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  #3  
Old 02-18-2009, 11:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deanyel View Post
It's an 18 year old car. It's ASR. No one can tell you if you're going to make it home. The astute answer is that you might and you might not. If it was me I'd consider two alternatives 1) get the codes read, or read them yourself, then reassess, or 2) develop a plan to divest the car in the next two weeks. It doesn't sound like a real good fit for you under any circumstances.
Agreed to all. An aging V12 Benz is not for the faint of heart or wallet. That said, under/overvoltage conditions can certainly cause an ASR light. Finding a shop to read codes is step 1; after that, it's an exercise in logic and going from smallest/cheapest components first, unless the codes give a plain answer.
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  #4  
Old 02-18-2009, 11:39 PM
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If you are worried about the trip, fully charge the battery the night before you leave and use as little consumables as possible..if the fault is low voltage condition, you will most likely make it OK..
..or, if the roads are dry , you could unplug one of the front wheel sensors up near the shock towers , thereby dis-abling ASR/ABS...that will stop possible limp, but remember that you now just have reg braking and no ASR .
Personally, I would throw a voltage regulator on the alternator, just cuz it's cheap insurance and may in fact be the fault...and get the battery up full with a SLOW charge ....[ 24 hrs/low Amp]
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Last edited by Arthur Dalton; 02-18-2009 at 11:46 PM.
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  #5  
Old 02-19-2009, 03:02 AM
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thank you for the replies and for putting it in fairly plain terms. im going to go today to see if i can get the codes checked. ive read that in many cases its a progressive problem so I thought that if I dont drive the car for 2 weeks it wont get any worse and Ill manage to get to germany but because it happened twice on the first day then Im not sure anymore.

just throwing this fact out; my old battery was 100ah V12 while the one that they put in couple weeks ago is 90ah v12 from what I remember. I believe that these are the figures. Does this have any effect on it? Im not sure if this is related at all but sometimes as I start up the car and simply put on D, the car kind of chokes a bit fr a few seconds while driving min speed. It doesnt choke on start up but as you put on D and start moving the first 10-20 meters. Could both of these symptoms are related to the ASR and low voltage?
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  #6  
Old 02-19-2009, 08:21 AM
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As you may know the Neutral Safety Switch is part of the ASR circuit. I have read many cases where the NSS starts going bad, and cars go into limp home mode.
A forum member (do not remember if this forum) had the same problem as yours, what he did was to drive the car in 3 and that solved the problem until he got home. The car was on running on higher RPM's, but at least he got home.
I am not saying that your problem is the NSS, but it "appears" that is the case. Reading the codes will definitely will help you to narrow it down.
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  #7  
Old 02-19-2009, 12:28 PM
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so the chances of it being the regulator are slim now eh... ill get it checked out. thanks once again. If it is not the regulator than what else could cause this to appear twice without any code errors?
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  #8  
Old 02-19-2009, 01:00 PM
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Could be a hundred different things....but the first thing to check is charging system b/c you had a battery problem coupled with asr lamp. So that indicate low V condition..that's all..it is just the FIRST thing to check before you go guessing...
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Old 02-19-2009, 06:21 PM
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I didn't think the 600SEL came out until 1992, you cannot read asr codes with the impulse counter until 1993-94. you must do pin tests, voltage / resistance etc.. codes with a scanner / impulse counter are only for diagnostic module, engine, abs and throttle actuator. The problem is probably the throttle sensor of the actuator but testing without known good part substitute is time consuming. We would charge 4hrs to diagnose the asr system. Be very careful with charging system problems and address them fist. Check the connection of the smaller wire at the battery positive cable end at the battery, I have seen other shops loosen this when changing a battery (it doesn’t need to be loosened) and then forget to tighten it. Good luck with the repairs, make sure to post what your ultimate fix is.

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  #10  
Old 02-19-2009, 06:46 PM
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Should be able to get analog ASR codes on that chassis from pin #7 of the 38 pin diagnostic connector.
EA/CC/ISC w/ASR control Module.
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  #11  
Old 02-20-2009, 11:47 AM
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I would certainly hope that at a mercedes dealer, a mechanic would be able to effectively check it. He came back and said that there were no problems. By the way, many of the cases where limp mode occured were in traffic. I am wondering if limp mode can go on when driving much faster than that. If so, what happens after it goes on at 100-160kmh? Car starts to slow down to 40-50 slowly or does it break fast? Getting to Germany is the top priority
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  #12  
Old 02-20-2009, 11:56 AM
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They probably did check it ..the problem is you have to check it right after the fault appears..if it does not do it for a few cycles after that, then it clears itself. That is the problem with imtermittant faults ..and the most common one on ASR is the Brake lamp switch..your in traffic condition is were the brake is used the most and many guys that can not find an offending ASR code change the brake switch and the problem clears up..
You can go into that pin yourself with a simple Led/sw tool to check it, if you are handy...that is what I would do next.......

Page 48

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1039/mercedes/cs1000_mb.pdf

Search Brake lamp switch.
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Last edited by Arthur Dalton; 02-20-2009 at 12:19 PM.
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  #13  
Old 02-20-2009, 12:51 PM
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You can afford to fuel a 600SEL at Europe's fuel costs.....but can't afford to get it repaired?
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  #14  
Old 02-23-2009, 02:08 PM
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so i had a few days of peace. The weather was very dry and it was all good. Yesterday It started snowying and the snow melted. Today is a little wet but yesterday the car was fully covered in snow. I turn on the car and ASR light is on but it is ok to drive. I turn the car off and on again and it goes away, but after driving about 500m limp home mode goes on with ASR light.

I just remembered that this was the exactly same situation the first time it happened. Could it be that the cables are just soaked and that is causing the problem because the insulation is gone? After two days or so of dryness I didnt experience the problem.
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  #15  
Old 02-23-2009, 02:45 PM
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Do the following:
When the car goes into Limp mode. Shut it off. Turn it back on, but instead of D, drive it in 3 for a while. If the problem does not happen, most likely the problem is the neutral safety switch.

Another could be the brake light switch.

I do not know if your car has one, but the OVP relay causes the same problems.

Those are the 3 cheapest to replace components that are known to cause limp home with ASR.

I am not surprised the problem came back, as nothing was done to fix it in the first place.
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Last edited by pesuazo; 02-23-2009 at 02:50 PM.
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