Help! Can't start the Engine of My 98 E320 after 45 Mins of Jump Start
 

Hi all: i've got a 98 E320 that has refused to start since yesterday. i bought the car brand new, and it's still on its first oem battery. Today, there was not a hint of power at all from the battery. I had driven it out of the garage after a 12 day hiatus, and the outside temperature was reaching 90 degrees today. I placed the E320 under the tree to cool it down, and washed it for 2 hours. Afterwards, when i try to start it, there was barely any indication of power from the instruments. The car cranked once.. or attempted to crank once.. and dies.

I took out the backseat cushion today, took a look at the battery, and found there's virtually no water at all inside. I filled up all six cells with water and then tried jumping directly into the dead battery... No go at all. When the jumping cables are connected, i get the instrument lighting, and all the windows and door locks work. But when i crank it, all i hear is a loud and sudden "Click", as if the engine attempted to crank.. but got hold back at the last minute by some invisible hand. Just one sound, and then nothing.

i'm wondering if i should continue to charge the dead battery over night with the jumping cable connected to my other car, and hopefully get the car to start tomorrow. But i'm also worried if my problem might be more than just a dead battery, since the car should have started with of without a good battery, as long as i have the jumping cable connected to a good battery in a running car.

any ideas? i'm thinking that i should just have AAA come tomorrow and tow my car to the dealer. Sigh!!

Hi all:

i just finished completing another 30 min. charge to the dead battery with a running car and jumping cables. i'm now getting good lights and door locks perfectly after the jumping cables are removed. But still won't crank. I'm beginning to suspect there's more to the starting problem than the battery, since the battery seems to sustain the charge.

Should i buy a new battery tomorrow and test it out, or should i just send the car into the dealership? i've just had a type a service done on this car about 3 weeks ago. You'd think the master mechanics in the dealership will take the trouble to check if there's sufficient water inside the battery.

Grrr!!

new battery
 

Just call 1-800-for-mercedes...They'll come out, check the battery for free, and if it needs replacement, install a brand new battery with no labor charges. If your battery is 4 years old, it seems plausible that it's time for replacement.

Hi Tex:

Thanks for the tip. Thank you for that valuable info. I'll make sure to give them a call when the situation arises next time. (notice the When, not If ) On another note, i did call the AAA this morning, and the tow guy came in, heard my sob story about the failed charging, and told me that the reason my jump starting didn't work was because the cars are too "NEW". The computers inside each car sees each other when i connected the jump cables, and refuses to jump each other. (no puns intended. :P ) Apparently this is a safety precaution built inside these newer cars (mine is a 98 E320 and a 2002 Lexus SUV ) that forbids one car from receiving jump start from another.

Another reason might just be that my suv didn't have enough juice to start that massive Mercedes battery.

who knows? i was completely flabberghasted when i heard his take on the situation. But sure enough, he connected my mb battery to his chevy pickup, and the car fires up at first attempt!

hehee. i'm gonna drive it to work now. i'll get the battery checked on the way over, to make sure it still got some life left in it.

btw, i'm just copying and pasting my reply, coz i placed the same post twice. :rolleyes:

Did you use de-ionized water??
The battery is probably simply Dead. Get it replaced.

later

what's "de-ionized" ? is it like tap water, but poured into a pitcher and left undisturbed for 24 hours?

hi mazuro, when you are cranking a powerful car like a Mb you might need to race the engine of the other car while you crank your engine. i tried to jump my MB from a 12V Kia battery belonging to my co worker as i had left my head lights on. he turned on his car and i tried to jump my MB. all the lights and whistles came on. but when i tried to crank the engine it didnt even make a sound. after he raced his engine a good bit i finally got my engine started.
Another thing, your batteries drying out often is a bad sign and you might need to change your batteries. if you should fill them, do so with with distilled water available at most markets.

Yes, like 'TurboTurbine' says, distilled water is what you want, I'm hoping for you that putting tap water in your battery hasn't damaged anything yet! Distilling and de-ionizing are chemical processes though, leaving the water to sit undisturbed would do nothing for it

later

Oh no!! i've filled it up the reams with taps. Now what am i gonna do? The car's starting up fine right now. Let's hope the battery will be ok also. -_-lll

Quote:

i did call the AAA this morning, and the tow guy came in, heard my sob story about the failed charging, and told me that the reason my jump starting didn't work was because the cars are too "NEW". The computers inside each car sees each other when i connected the jump cables, and refuses to jump each other. (no puns intended.

Ok, what the AAA tow guy said was just too funny. :D :D :D
That sounds like another automobile myth. If its not somebody prove me wrong.
:)

You are probably better off with a new battery. Prolong periods without water ruin a battery.
With batteries being put in trunks and under seats more and more are being neglected. Its the "out of sight, out of mind" theory. :(