Please someone help out , any ideas??

[jubie]

I've posted this problem for the last few weeks and I still have not fixed it , I took it to 3 different places , spent money and still my convertible top does not go down in my 91 500sl , in the beginning i was told to read the codes , the code reads #29 , i was told that 29 has to do with a speed senser , I got the speed sensers checked , they are fine , I had other things checked , but it still doesn't work , as soon as we reset the codes the top will work , as soon as I drive it , it stops , The ABS light is what is causing the problem , the ABS light is on , I was told that MAYBE , there may be a wire that goes from the ABS to the codes that is not working , has anyone ever heard of this before , ???
I just want to ride my car with the top down at least a few times this summer ,
Is there a way to disconnect the ABS light so the code does not read it , ?????the top is not going down because the ABS light stays on , I need to disconnect it .
or does anyone have any ideas about this ??
Please help a girl who just wants her nice blonde hair to flow in the wind while driving her old Benz !!!!

[waybomb]

I'm no MB Tech, but - Get the Anti-lock Brake System fixed?

If the light is on, there is something wrong. If code 29 is a speed sensor, then the top must think the car is moving, thus the top won't work.
Having one of these cars, I read all the tips posted here. I believe I read that where the speed sensors connect to the wiring harness, the joint can get corroded, causing problems. And I suspect if a speed sensor was bad or with a bad connection, your ABS would see a problem and would not function as well. So, take all the speed sensor connections apart, clean them shiny, and re-attach. If the ABS light goes away, I bet the top works.

Just a thought.

[airedale]

Originally Posted by jubie

I've posted this problem for the last few weeks and I still have not fixed it , I took it to 3 different places , spent money and still my convertible top does not go down in my 91 500sl , in the beginning i was told to read the codes , the code reads #29 , i was told that 29 has to do with a speed senser , I got the speed sensers checked , they are fine , I had other things checked , but it still doesn't work , as soon as we reset the codes the top will work , as soon as I drive it , it stops , The ABS light is what is causing the problem , the ABS light is on , I was told that MAYBE , there may be a wire that goes from the ABS to the codes that is not working , has anyone ever heard of this before , ???
I just want to ride my car with the top down at least a few times this summer ,
Is there a way to disconnect the ABS light so the code does not read it , ?????the top is not going down because the ABS light stays on , I need to disconnect it .
or does anyone have any ideas about this ??
Please help a girl who just wants her nice blonde hair to flow in the wind while driving her old Benz !!!!

I knew I was going to buy my 380 SL the moment I looked at it and the salesman demonstrated the manual top. The power top on my 86 Mustang Convertible I waited for to fail every time I used it. No help I know but I love a well engineered manual top.

[Strife]

Originally Posted by airedale

I knew I was going to buy my 380 SL the moment I looked at it and the salesman demonstrated the manual top. The power top on my 86 Mustang Convertible I waited for to fail every time I used it. No help I know but I love a well engineered manual top.

It IS possible to build a well-engineered, inexpensive, and dead reliable automatic top. A 90's Chrysler Lebaron's top has heated glass(!), a headliner, and did not give my ex a single spec of mechanical trouble in the 10 years she owned it, and she used it a lot. The vinyl did eventually fall apart in the hot Atlanta sun, but it was inexpensive to replace.

[bobterry99]

Originally Posted by jubie

The ABS light is what is causing the problem , the ABS light is on , I was told that MAYBE , there may be a wire that goes from the ABS to the codes that is not working , has anyone ever heard of this before , ???
I just want to ride my car with the top down at least a few times this summer ,
Is there a way to disconnect the ABS light so the code does not read it , ?????

I think Waybomb offered some good advice.

Here's the deal, Jubie. You have a simple sensor mounted to your left-front wheel (picture). When the wheel rotates, this sensor sends a signal to the control module for your ABS brakes. The ABS module processes this signal and sends an output to the control module for your convertible top over the wire that you mention. The top uses this signal to inhibit operation when the vehicle is in motion.

Since your ABS light is on, it's a pretty good guess that there is nothing wrong with your convertible top system. If I am right, you have an ABS problem that is keeping the ABS module from passing the signal to the top controller.

There is no simple way to bypass this signal from the ABS controller to allow the top to operate. Besides, for safety reason, you really ought to correct the ABS problem.

To get an idea of what your ABS problem may be, I have a question. When you turn the key on, the ABS and other indicator lights in your instrument cluster come on. Once the engine starts, they turn-off. Does the ABS light turn-off too (and then come on when you start driving), or does it never turn-off?

[jubie]

First let me say thank you for the reply ,
and thank you to waybomb and anyone else who replys , BobTerry , I went in my car and turned it on , all the lights in the cluster can on and then went off ( like they always have ) , the ABS light did not stay on , I tired the top and it did not go down , I put the car in drive and slowly started to move , still no ABS light came on , I went about 20 to 30 feet moving very slow and then I hit the gas a little and the ABS light came on .....any Idea's ??? on what to do or try next ??
question , ?? so your telling me that there is nothing I can disconnect on the ABS that would not send that signal ??

Points of interest that may or may not have anything to do with this , I did take out the power motor for the seats a while ago , it was the power motor under the passenger side seat , it had a lot of wires I disconnected , I took it out because part of it got shorted out , ( it got wet somehow and did not work anymore ) , could this have anything to do with it ????
from what I remember the top did go down a couple of times after I took it out .

The other thing is I seem to have a problem with my front passenger side front end ,tire , wheel or ETC . , every once in a while I would make a turn and hear a screaching noise ,It seems to happen often when I turn into my driveway , my driveway has a little bump in the entrance part , .....................also , the car starts to vibrate around 60 MPH's , I put 4 new tires on and then I took it somewhere to check the front end , I was told that I needed new brakes , rotors , and new front shocks , so I had all of it done , ............... well The noise was still there sometimes and the car still vibrates after 60mph's , so I took it back to him , and I told him what was happeneing , he said I needed 2 new Ball joints and a Passenger side Tire rod , I thought this was strange because how come he didn't see that before , he did work on the shocks and the brakes !! , anyway what I did was order the ball joints and tire rod , but I took the car to a Guy who specializes in Mercedes and 500sl's , this is the guy who gave me all the info with the codes and other stuff ,when I took it to him I didn't say nothing about the front end , I told him I was having a problem with my convertible , after that ........ I told him to check my ball joints and tire rod
's , he said everything was fine , I told him that someone else said I needed them , he checked again , and said that I didn't need ball joints or tire rods , , anyway , my front passenger tire which is new is worn on the inside part of the tire , ................. ((((( could this front end passenger side problem cause the ABS light to go on ?? ))))) and if so , what could the problem be ?? I put new brakes and rotors , theres new shocks , I was going to put new ball joints and a tire rod , but I was told nothing was wrong , It has to be something !!! ??? what else could it be ???
what do you think ???
Any idea's of any kind would be great ??
Thank You

[bobterry99]

Originally Posted by jubie

I put the car in drive and slowly started to move , still no ABS light came on , I went about 20 to 30 feet moving very slow and then I hit the gas a little and the ABS light came on .....any Idea's ???

This is a clear indication that your ABS controller is not getting a signal from the left-front wheel speed sensor. There is probably a problem with the sensor, its electrical connections, or the wiring back to the ABS controller. I can't believe you took it to a shop and they were unable to solve this.

What next? Return to one of the previous shops, try another shop, or you can easily diagnose this yourself with a basic electrical test meter that you buy at Sears for less than $30.

Originally Posted by jubie

question , ?? so your telling me that there is nothing I can disconnect on the ABS that would not send that signal ??

Yup. Pretty much. It would be possible to fake-out your top controller so that it will operate without the ABS, but it would be probably be easier just to fix your breaks, which for safety reasons you really ought to do anyway.

[jubie]

when you say left front is that passenger side or driver side ??
all depends were I'm standing ........ lol

[jubie]

Originally Posted by jubie
I put the car in drive and slowly started to move , still no ABS light came on , I went about 20 to 30 feet moving very slow and then I hit the gas a little and the ABS light came on .....any Idea's ???


This is a clear indication that your ABS controller is not getting a signal from the left-front wheel speed sensor. There is probably a problem with the sensor, its electrical connections, or the wiring back to the ABS controller. I can't believe you took it to a shop and they were unable to solve this.

What next? Return to one of the previous shops, try another shop, or you can easily diagnose this yourself with a basic electrical test meter that you buy at Sears for less than $30.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jubie
question , ?? so your telling me that there is nothing I can disconnect on the ABS that would not send that signal ??


Yup. Pretty much. It would be possible to fake-out your top controller so that it will operate without the ABS, but it would be probably be easier just to fix your breaks, which for safety reasons you really ought to do anyway.

Ok , I'll go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a electrical test meter , is there a certain kind of one I should buy ??
and once I buy it how do I do it ??
and how do I fake-out the top controller so it will operate without the ABS ??
thanks

[deanyel]

Originally Posted by jubie

when you say left front is that passenger side or driver side ??
all depends were I'm standing ........ lol

Left while sitting in the car, i.e. driver's side.