Hi Everybody,

I have bought a 2001 E55 wagon (imported from Japan) WDB2102741B142933, I have had it since August, came in with the transmission not shifting from 2nd gear.

Got the transmission repaired within a week of getting the vehicle and everything was fine for a month. Since the second week of September it has a weird problem, it starts fine sometimes and after I drive and park it and leave it for a few hours, when I come back, it cranks and starts, rpms go upto 1K and it dies within a second. Leave it for a few hours and it will start like nothing wrong. Keeps doing the same thing randomly throughout the day, while it's on and running its fine but the moment I switch it off I don't ever know for sure if it will start again or I will have to wait out a few hours for it to so.

I have had it checked at 3 shops now, and keep getting suggestions to replace one part or another, so far I have replaced - the CPS, the plugs, the ignition coils, the cam sensor, fuel filter, fuel pump among other things.

The issue is not resolved and makes the car unreliable for use, it's been at different shops for over 5 weeks now. The dealer won't touch the car since it's imported, and even if he did would probably charge me 3 times the price I paid for the car in repairs.

I have a feeling reading through this forum that it might be DAS / EIS related but don't know what I should be doing next instead of throwing parts at the car which don't need to be replaced. Is there a way to bypass the DAS system?, a fuse or relay I can pull to disable it and make the car not die within a second of starting.

The error codes I got when the shop checked last week were as follows.
P1570, P1603, P308, P304, P110, P300, P305, P306, P307, B1010, B1117, B1482, B1217, B1436, B1438, B1154, B1053, B1056, C1141, C1204, C1140, 135, 146.

The last 2 codes came with a description on the reader
135 : Resistance CAN too low
146 : Sporadic RPM N3 toothed disc carrier too high.

Please help.

Ali.

 

Good Day, MMMM, This in my bucks worth. Grab your volt meter and carefully check that your battery has a standing voltage of at least 12 1/2 volts. That your terminals are clean, lightly lubricated and tight. Start your engine and after a few minutes your voltage should stabilise at close to 14. A battery with a low cell or a failing alternator can be the cause of many weird things in all makes of cars.
Next be suspicious of a failing ignition key switch. If it is failing again it can cause a lot of grief that will not show up as an individual code. Then another could be a failing grounding wire between the cars chassis and the block/ battery. This is not common but is automobiles in salt water exposed areas.
RUN away from that dealership. I strongly suggest that after you do your basic electrical checks that you find a mechanic locally that is a certified journeyman. Ask that journeyman to recommend a person that is good at automotive electrical troubleshooting to guide you. Good luck Allan

 

Thanks Allan, will check tmw morning, it's 0126 am here now. Appreciate your help.

 

Hi,

I have checked and can confirm that the battery voltage is 12.5v with engine off and 14-14.5v when running. Is there a way to verify if the ignition switch is faulty? and where would the grounding cables be located on a 2001 w210?.

Thanks, I really appreciate the time you have put in to help me.

Rgds,
Ali.

 

I had a spare key made about 2 months ago at a key shop close to my place, this problem wasn't there prior to that, could it be that they didn't fit the ignition switch back in properly?, maybe a wire not properly secured?. It never occurred to me until now that it might be related to the problem I'm having (the engine starting and turning off within a second).

Rgds,

Ali.

 

Hi,

Just an update in case anyone else faces the same problem.

I took the car back to the key shop where I had the spare key made and requested they check the work they had done as this issue started right after that. Initially they flat out refused that their work was in any way related to this problem but after a lot of convincing they asked I get the ignition switch removed from any auto workshop and they would check it.

When the workshop opened and removed the ignition switch they discovered that one of the plugs was broken and joined by super glue. I was furious at the key shop when I saw this. I went back switch in hand and asked them how it had come to this, they realized it was their fault and replaced the ignition switch cover and the plug which had been glued on. It's been 6 days and I have had no problems starting it up so hopefully the issue has been resolved.

Thanks for your help.
​​
Rgds,

Ali.