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  #1  
Old 10-23-2008, 03:22 PM
michakaveli's Avatar
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w210 1997 E300 - Battery Maintenance

Need some help/advice concerning the maintenance of the battery for my garage queen.

I have purchased a unit, similar to this one from Harbor Freight Battery Charger.

I purchased a new Interstate OEM equivalent within the last 3 or so years. Last night I went to take the car out for an occasional drive and she wouldn't start. I connected the charger above and noticed that it wasn't charging, showed full but if left on trickle charge it would occasionally draw some amperage, around 7amps worth.

I have once or twice, completely drained this battery while either replacing fuel lines or filter(s). I had once, 2 years ago in October left the car at the airport parking garage for about 9 days or so, and when I returned the car barely started due to a weak battery. Obviously the vehicle was locked with no additional accessories active.


BUT, our '99 on the other hand draws virtually no electricity and can be left for easily a month without touching the car. So it's clear there is something drawing current in my vehicle.....

I know that a battery isn't fully charged after a short drive especially if it sits and only comes out of the garage, say once every 2 weeks or so. My prior plan/action was to connect the trickle charger on at least 1x per week if not 2x and let it trickle for a few hours, until the "charged" green LED illiminates...

IS this a good approach? I'm going to head down to Advance Auto Parts tonight to purchase a replacement battery.

They have 2 batteries, one for about $86 and the other around $130. The $130 unit looks like an OEM unit but minus the MB stickers. Same performance specs as the $86 unit and same warranty. Any ideas

Battery 1
Battery 2

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  #2  
Old 10-23-2008, 03:44 PM
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I'm leery of leaving a cheap battery charger on the battery with the battery still connected to the car. One good output spike could be very expensive.
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  #3  
Old 10-23-2008, 03:48 PM
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It would be worth disconnecting the battery negative cable where it bolts to the frame behind a little plastic door in the right rear passenger footwell area (your '97 should be the same as my '96). With key off, put an ammeter in series with the cable and ground, see if the car is drawing significant power (more than a few milliamps) with the key off. If so, you have a phantom load that is draining the battery.

I installed a small battery charger (a Harbor Freight product but also available elsewhere) on each of my diesels. The cord hangs down (like a block heater cord) so I can plug it in while the car sits overnight. The charger puts out only an amp or two and can be left on the car permanently without damaging the battery. I put a picture of it in a thread here somewhere.

Jeremy
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Our all-Diesel family
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Old 10-23-2008, 04:31 PM
F18 F18 is offline
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How old is the current battery? It sounds like it is over a few years old.
Given that the car is sitting in the garage for 2 weeks at a time the battery has never been fully charged which would shorten its life span because of the draw down with a load at start up. You need to run at least 20+ miles to replace the current used everytime you start so you are not always working on a deficit or you need to trickle charge the battery to bring it up to capacity.

Just buy a recommended new battery with the correct cranking amp/hrs and keep it trickle charged. The computer and the security system will draw current even with the ignition off so it needs to be kept fully charged.
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Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
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87 300SDL, 251K
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  #5  
Old 10-23-2008, 04:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F18 View Post

Just buy a recommended new battery with the correct cranking amp/hrs and keep it trickle charged. The computer and the security system will draw current even with the ignition off so it needs to be kept fully charged.
^^This is my strategy for my 1999 car which can sit for a week or two w/o use.

These cars have significant parasitic loss and the battery grows weak over time. C, get yourself a "battery tender" type product that can be left on for extended periods without fear of boil-off. I prefer the Yuasa unit. It's very good.
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  #6  
Old 10-23-2008, 04:43 PM
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Inspite of the age of your vehicle, MERCEDES ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE is still available, and you don't have to be broken-down and stranded to use the service! They came to my home and replaced the battery on my '96 E300D with a factory-fresh MB OEM for less-than $100.00 including tax!
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  #7  
Old 10-23-2008, 04:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uberwgn View Post
^^This is my strategy for my 1999 car which can sit for a week or two w/o use.

These cars have significant parasitic loss and the battery grows weak over time. C, get yourself a "battery tender" type product that can be left on for extended periods without fear of boil-off. I prefer the Yuasa unit. It's very good.
Tom,

This is why I bought the charger that I currently have. It has a 2amp trickle charge. Is that too much or not enough? I've never had so many battery related issues with any car I've ever been around except for this one.

This is going to be my 3rd battery in 6 years of ownership.
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Old 10-23-2008, 04:55 PM
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That does sound like a lot of batteries given the time frame. Are you sure the trickle charge is 2A? That's really high for a maintenance charge. I know these IC-controlled charges hold the maint. charge to 10mA. It's max output is 1.50A. My other Yuasa has a max output of 900mA. The float charge on that unit is also 10mA.

I wonder if you're frying the battery. Are you able to check the water level?

As noted above, it might be beneficial to try and measure the consumption when the car is turned off.

Last edited by uberwgn; 10-24-2008 at 09:22 PM.
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  #9  
Old 10-23-2008, 05:41 PM
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OK, so it appears that I know nothing regarding the proper maintenance of my E300's battery while sleeping in the garage.

a. what is a good unit to maintain my battery's full charge. Yuasa and Battery Tender have been mentioned, what model would be best for the large E300 battery?

b. how often do I connect it (trickle charge). I've seen photos of the "Battery Tender" where people appear to leave them plugged into the vehicle all the time while stored.

c. I would imagine that since my vehicle is in a single bay garage, the garage would need to be vented, i.e. ajar door as the battery emits gases during use, be it charging or drawing current?

d. what else am I missing?
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  #10  
Old 10-23-2008, 06:22 PM
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a. Yuasa 1.50A unit
b. you can leave it connected all the time. It re-cycles the test routine every 30 days automatically
c. No need to vent
d. You need to have your present battery load tested
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Last edited by uberwgn; 10-24-2008 at 09:22 PM.
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  #11  
Old 10-23-2008, 07:08 PM
F18 F18 is offline
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Yes I agree with uberwgn....if you are looking for something to leave connected without monitoring it you need one of the "battery tenders". They electronically monitor the charge capacity of the battery and there is no risk of overcharging. But it is a low miliamp maintenace current and you should start with a fully charged fully functional battery.

A regular charger that has a steady "trickle charge" setting of 2A will fully charge a battery in about 24 hours....beyond that it is overcharging and can damage the battery if you are not monitoring the charge yourself......most chargers do not have the circutry to do that....you have to keep tabs on it yourself.

I had a MB mechanic tell me once that the life expectancy of the battery in a W210 was much less than normal because the battery is located in the interior of the car under the seat. Summer time temps in the car can reach 100 to 150 degrees with it parked in the sun which takes a toll on the already stressed battery. Plus think of all those wonderful hydrogen fumes you are breathing!
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Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
Hobby Car: 69 Austin Mini
Past Diesels: 84 300SD, 312K
87 300SDL, 251K
94 Chev. K-1500 6.5Ltr.TD, 373K

Last edited by F18; 10-23-2008 at 07:43 PM.
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  #12  
Old 10-23-2008, 07:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F18 View Post
I had a MB mechanic tell me once that the life expectancy of the battery in a W210 was much less than normal because the battery is located in the interior of the car under the seat. Summer time temps in the car can reach 100 to 150 degrees with it parked in the sun which takes a toll on the already stressed battery. Plus think of all those wonderful hydrogen fumes you are breathing!
The temperature in the summer does make sense, but the battery fumes do not. The battery should be vented through the hole in the floor. Otherwise, I would be more worried about acidic gasses eating up the electrical connections under there.
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  #13  
Old 10-23-2008, 08:20 PM
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Yeah, the battery is vented in these cars via that little plastic tube and I'm willing to be that underhood temps are far higher (consistently) than cabin temps. I suspect the battery gets a break when located under the rear seat.
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  #14  
Old 10-23-2008, 09:33 PM
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Isn't it easier to just fire it up every week for 15 minutes and idle it halfway backed out of the garage?
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  #15  
Old 10-23-2008, 09:48 PM
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why not just buy one off these less head ache

70 bucks battery minder friend used it in his car 2 yrs ago dealer couldnt find drain on his car, he never looked back works great for ,Goodluck
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672454&bmUID=1224812567697&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443294641&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

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