94 E420......yes ASR
 

I am a troll on forums so this is my first post, but have an asr issue. I have searched and see ASR is an issue. I was hoping this post would ring a bell with someone so i might get a head start on the problem. Wishful thinking....

94 e420
1) ETA was replaced in 2008.
2) Wire harness is cracking and original.
3) Built the blink tester
4) ASR module error code is 30, NO CAN
5) ABS/ASR module give 02 (list), and 08 left front speed sensor.

before money is spent...

--Will the brake switch cause all these problems (dont think it would cause all)
--Can the CAN issue be wire related or does it mean bad module. how can i test the module
--disconnected the front right abs sensor and the asr light is still on (thought that got rid of the asr)


ANY other guidance would be appreciated. The car is in good shape other wise and would like to get it back up and running. We might have to sell it as we need a bigger car...a running e420 would be much better

THANKS!
JR

No CAN is a code i see often but does not usually cause ASR light to come on.

Wire harness can cause all of these problems.

Your car does not have a code for the brake light switch.

Why on earth did you think the problem would go away by disconnecting something?? That's like sticking your head in the sand and hoping for the best, you don't fix a problem by making it worse. Just start by replacing the left front speed sensor, than clear the codes.

From what i have read the asr uses all the wheel sensors. Thought disconnecting a speed sensor would disable asr. Might have been a wrong thought but wanted to see if disabling asr would get the car out of limp

Until wiring harness is replaced, all bets are off

And remember, there are TWO harnesses. The main one and one that feeds the starter and other electrics on the bottom side of the engine.
Anziani
'93 300CE
'95 E420

But the lower harness wouldn't cause the problems in question. As said diagnostics is pretty much futile if the upper harness is suspect. I'd be tempted to rebuild the harness rather than invest in a new one for such a car. Of course I have about 10 years of presuming that any car with ASR is really a parts car and not suited for actual transportation - probably a minority view.

Spend the money. go on ebay or find a member selling one here... Dont try to rebuild the harnesses it will take you forever and be unknown when your done.. doing halfassed repairs will lead you into more trouble then it's worth.

Deanyel,
The lower harness has its own set of gremlins as I found out on my E420. I only mentioned it because if the upper is bits and pieces, so is the lower. I have ASR on this car but so far, so good, as opposed to my '93 300CE. Still haven't solved it on the CE.:(
Anziani
'95 E420
'93 300CE

Sure it does, just not the faults in question. Rebuilding a 119 harness is about as hard as falling off a log - it just won't look good when you're done, which shouldn't matter much for most E420s at this point. This just has the smell of a bottomless pit. Lots of ASR cars with new harnesses are still unuseable enigmas, at which point you're down $500 with a still unuseable car.

this is why i might just sell it. Its too bad because the interior is nice. I am not afraid of wiring up my own harness, but time is an issue these days. 500 in the hole to find out it is the module too is not what i am after.

Thanks all for the replies not sure where this project is going to end up...

JR

Actually it's about $550 with shipping at XXXX. I'd have trouble putting that much into an ASR car but maybe that's just me. The lower harness is of course much easier to rebuild.

Sorry I got to this issue so late, BUT I will still share a solution to my similar problem.

There was too much accelerator cable play at the linkage (by the firewall). Tensioning it solved my intermittent ASR (after I rewired the ETA, changed the NSS, changed the brake switch.....)

It is not clear what you are experiencing: Which ASR light is illuminating – the one on the bottom of the instrument cluster next to the ABS light? Or the one on the top of the speedometer?

Because your wire harness is deteriorated I will not offer my usual “check your battery” diagnosis for this problem. In your case the culprit could likely be an electrical glitch in the harness.

I will, nonetheless, conjecture that ASR is not at fault. It is your ABS that is shutting down and taking ASR with it (since ASR depends on ABS). Why MB engineers had the ASR light illuminate when the car goes into limp mode, as opposed to the ABS light, is a mystery to me. (I suspect it is one of numerous twisted jokes German engineers play on the world as payback for losing two wars.)

In my car, the ASR issue began 4 years ago and is directly related to ambient temperature. The only component that correlates so consistently and predictably to that is the battery. But because my battery refuses to die, and because the ASR issue does not occur in warm weather, it may shock those of you who have heard my ASR woes before to learn that I still have not replaced it. :rolleyes:

I just noticed the original harness is still in the car.

I retract...all bets are off until harness is replaced.

"I will, nonetheless, conjecture that ASR is not at fault. It is your ABS that is shutting down and taking ASR with it (since ASR depends on ABS). Why MB engineers had the ASR light illuminate when the car goes into limp mode, as opposed to the ABS light, is a mystery to me. (I suspect it is one of numerous twisted jokes German engineers play on the world as payback for losing two wars.)"

Checking for codes will give definite direction on whether it is the ABS or not, but again, with old harness, all bets are off.