Quote:
Originally Posted by bolomiester
I just bought a 1997 S500, black on black. Very nice body paint and interior, but has several dash lights on, outside light (should be easy to find and replace whatever bulb is burnt out), SRS, ABS/EPS. Plus the oil pressure gauge shows zero when the car is cruising. When idling the gauge will show about 2 bars, then begin to rise as the engine speed increases. Just at the point when it would hit the top, 3, it drops to zero. I'm not too concerned as I'd been test driving the car for an hour before I noticed it and it ran perfectly, no engine noise, overheating or bad smells.
Anyway, my first thought is to replacing the oil pressure sending unit. Are the oil pressure gauges known to be a problem on these cars?
Can I use my OBD2 scanner with ths car, and will it read the codes for whatever is causing the SRS, ABS/EPS lights to be on.
Finally, where can I find a list of this car's codes?
Thanks, owning this scares me a bit as I know from reading the forum that it's a complex beast. My good old '89 300se is so reliable I hate to sell it but there's only room for so many cars in my life. ;-)
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Your car is OBD-II compliant, so any OBD-II code reader will read the normal codes, and most will also read the manufacturer-specific ones. The codes are all over the internet as well.
However. (There's always one of those, right?)
A normal OBD-II reader will only clear the normal codes...and ABS, SRS etc. are not normal codes.
For advanced diagnostics (and to clear the others) you need something compatible with MB's system. Obviously the $$SDS$$ will do that, but there are other alternatives, including Carsoft. These require dedicated Windows laptops with serial connections to a proper interface for the 38-pin diagnostic connector under the hood. They are also more costly.
The ABS/EPS error may simply be a bad brake light switch. That is pretty common, and it's inexpensive and easy to replace. Source it at the dealer to make sure you get a genuine part, the aftermarket ones seem to be pretty buggy.
If SRS is a hard code, it's going to have to be reset by the proper interface and the source of the error needs to be corrected. (The passenger seat pad is a common failure point). If it's not a hard code it will otherwise reset with a battery disconnect (once it's disconnected, step on the brake pedal for thirty seconds to dissipate stored energy). This will trigger some additional alerts on restart related to the steering angle sensor, cranking the wheel lock-to-lock a few times and then restarting the car will clear them. You will also need the radio code, and to reset windows, etc. (covered in your owners' manual).
So if the battery disconnect and resets doesn't clear the SRS error, you'll need the more advanced interface to clear it, and that should also point at the source of the failure.
Hope that helps and good luck. Also, welcome to the club of MB ownership.
