I have a 1987 190E 2.6, bought used in 1999. It now has 145K miles on it.

Last Sunday, as I was driving on the freeway, I suddenly found it difficult to accelerate going down a hill. It turned out that the anti-lock brake light suddenly went on and I felt the brakes engage. I pulled over to the nearest call box, and turned off the engine to investigate.

When I tried to start again, nothing happened. There was a clicking sound as I turned the key, and the interior lights dimmed, but nothing happened. Power windows worked, but they were much slower than usual.

I got AAA to tow me back to my house. The next day I tried to jump-start the car. The car started - BUT - as soon as I disconnected the jumper cables, the engine quit.

I checked the battery and starter connections - they were clean. I even changed the fuse in the battery cable. Still, no luck.

Anyone ever have this problem or know how to go about fixing it? Thanks for your help.

Have you checked the alternator? It may need new regulator/brushes.

__________________
2012 E350
2006 Callaway SC560

I vote for the alternator and/or regulator too.....

Iggy

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

Thanks for the quick replies. Would changing the alternator be a difficult job on this car?

Before you through an alternator at it, which can be a little pricey, check it out. Could be just the regulator? The sell them here at Fastlane (click on the link above) for something in the neighborhood of $25.00, if I am not mistaken.

Also, by chance, is the s-belt still good? Could also be (rather unlikely though) that the belt is extremely lose and therefore not charging the battery correctly. Furthermore, how are all teh connections for the battery? Are they clean?

If you have a multi-meter, and do a search on this forum, you can find the instructions on how to diagnose whether it is the alternator and/or the regulator.

Iggy

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

The first time this happened to me I paid about $200 to have my alternator "rebuilt".

The next time I simply replaced the regulator/brush assembly. Easy, five-minute job.

__________________
2012 E350
2006 Callaway SC560

Thanks for all your help on this board.

As euronatura and brewtoo suggested, this problem may have been caused by a faulty voltage regulator. So, acting on their advice, I purchased the Bosch regulator to see how this would go.

I took it home and quickly found the mount on the side of the alternator. After disconnecting the battery cables (for safety), I unscrewed the old voltage regulator out. GUESS WHAT? One of the two metal prongs fell out as I removed the regulator from the alternator. I wonder how that might have happened? How long are these regulators supposed to last?

Then again, that explains how the car went down so suddenly. I still wonder how come the ABS brakes had to actuate when the car went down. The connection between ABS and voltage amazes me...

After the replacement went in, I jump-started the car as before. The car still ran after I removed the jumper cables, and so far it runs great.

Thank you all for your help!