99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Hey guys, New to this forum. I'm writing on behalf of my sister, who owns the 99 e320 in question. The car runs great (until now), no problems was regularly maintained always with the dealer. There's about 125k miles on the car now. Here's the problem: My sis started the car up like normal and drove to the store which is a minute drive. She noticed the car wouldn't shift out of first. She figured it was because the car was still cold. It's usually lazy to shift out of first after a cold start but is no problem after its out of first which is usually around 3k-4k rpms (we considered normal as it's happened for years and if it's warm there is no lag). She said it wouldn't shift at all, not even at higher RPM's. After shopping she came back and the car wouldn't start. All the lights were fine but it wouldn't turn over. She figured the battery was dead or something so called me. we tried to boost it but no luck. We called mercedes roadside and the guy tried repeatedly to start it, find codes or something but no luck. Finally he reset the crank control module (? if I remember right), and it started right up. he said to leave it running for half an hour before shutting it off again. While driving the car home again it wouldn't shift for about a minute, then all of a sudden started shifting fine. We drove around the bolck a few times just to be sure. When we got home she waited a half hour before shuting the car off. After she shut it down, she tried starting it again but no luck. The next day we had it towed to MB dealer and told them everything. They checked out the car and said there was some kind of white powdery residue inthe igbition switch. They cleaned that out and it started fine($300). They found no problem with the shifting after they got it started but said if it continued that it might be the shifting plates or something? an $800-$900 job. The car ran great for 3 days, then all of a sudden the shifting problem happened again. once we got the car back home, we shut it off and tried to start the car again and guess what, no start. My sister doesn't want to keep paying MB alll this money just to have them guessing at her expense, so she asked me if I could help her out and try out some forums. Well here I am and from what I've seen you guys know what your talking about and are willing to help where you can, so here's me begging for help!! I gotta drive my sis everywhere now and it's a pain!! Please help!!

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Please confirm that no DTC (Diagnostic) codes have been set.
If a check has not been run then this is the first step.

When you say won't start. Do you mean that it cranks but won't fire up or that nothing happens other than the usual instrument pack lights come on when the key is turned.
Is the CEL Check Engine Light On or Off?

When was the battery last replaced?

Stuart.

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Where are you located?
You need to check alternator output,battery condition.They both can cause limp mode to go into effect.
Has she ever spilled anything on the shift console?Another culprit.
Crankshaft position sensor,if going bad can not be reset it needs to be relplaced.$67 at autohausaz.com and diy on w210 section benzworld.org diy area.
If you do not diy,you really need to find an independent MB shop with a star diagnostic machine and they will be able to solve your problem and your sisters:)
send me a message and I will shoot you over my cell number and you can detail starting issues,cranking issues,no start issues,so we can get a clearer idea of the issues:D
ohlord

Stuart would talk to you also,but he resides in merry old England.

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Hi guys, thanks for the quick reply! The battery hasn't been changed in while but since me and mercedes roadside tried to boost it with no luck, we assumed it wasn't the battery (or alternator) and ruled that out. There is no CEL and no codes came up when mercedes roadside tried to diagnose it with his computer. The part about spillining something in the gearbox is a possiblity since this car belonged to my mom before and she treated it like a living room more than a car. But my sis has had it now for over 3 years and she takes great care of it. The car does not crank at all though all the instruments lights turn on like normal. I don't think it's the altenator or battery because after getting it back from mercedes it started fine (and shifted fine for that matter) several times for 3 days. But can you show me a link that would detail what limp mode is and what symptoms it might give? I do consider myself a DIY person (I work on my VW and occasionally my moms audi), but I really have no formal training in anything automotive and I have to much respect for MB to attempt to try to fix anything that really isn't a simple fix. If replacing the CPS really would help and it's not that difficult than I can try it. I've seen a lot of guys on these forums with the same problem of no start due to the crank position sensor, but none with the shifting problem. I beleive these 2 issues are related because they appeared together and dissappeared together on both occasions. Would a faulty CPS also cause the shift problems? I live in Queens, NYC and my sister definitly expressed interest in finding a mechanic who knows what they're doing rather than paying dealer repair costs. So you say a star certified mechanic is who I should be looking for? Again thank you guys Stuart an Ohlord for all the help and quick replies!!

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

It will crank over with a bad cps it just will not start or once it starts it will stall and not restart till cooled down.
Seems like you are saying it is not even turning over at all at times.Low battery or voltage regulator problem below 10 volts can send the car into limp mode,which means you only have 2nd gear and reverse and the car goes slow.Those codes do not show up as a check engine light they show up on a scanner.If you can get a battery charger charge the battery overnight using the engine compartment charging post and the key out of the ignition.Then see how it drives and starts.Call if you need to,but please keep us posted.We have other members in your area that may know of a shop if we can't solve it net wise.

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Limp mode sounds exactly like whats going on with the car. But just wondering (and this might be a stupid question): wouldn't the car turn over if I boosted it through another car? Also when MB roadside assistance reset the crank control module (or computer) the car started without any help from boosting or charging. Would the module simply prevent the car from starting if it felt the voltage was too low? He said no codes came up when he had it hooked up. I'll see if I can get a charger from a friend or something and will keep you posted about what happens, though it might be a few days.

On a separate note: I don't know why I never looked for these forums. We've had at least 1 mercedes in the family since '84 (300dt, ML 320 before this). I'm definatley gonna let my extended family know about these forums too as they have a few MB themselves (95 s500, 03 ml 430?, 07 s550). You guys are great and well knowledged in MB, it seems even more so than the actual service department at the dealers. Thanx again and I'll keep you informed.

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

sounds fishy to me...all the way around this one...

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Right.,

So we have a vehicle that will not crank but the usual dash warning lights come on.
No CEL or (OBDII) codes set.
Battery hasn't been changed in "a while". How many years I wonder?
Battery life rarely goes beyond 4 years even with modern geared starter motors and temperate climate.

My next step would be to measure battery voltage at the batterty with ign OFF.
Then with ignition ON.
Then whilst turning the key to try to crank.

I still believe battery to be the most likely cause however something related like a loose battery terminal may also come into scope.

Limp mode (and likewise CPS() doesn't impact cranking however low voltage will initiate limp. Limp resets with ignition off only to reset next time the initiating parameter is experienced. Limp doesn't necessarily set codes.
Low voltage should show up with a MB Star SDS diagnostics Quick Check although it wouldn't show up with a simple OBDII scanner.

Battery with engine running should be circa 14v.

Subject to having an off and on load battery voltage of circa 13v we may have to start considering the EIS Electronic Ignition switch.

I await your response update.

Stuart

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

Hey guys just wanted you to know that I haven't forgot about posting results here yet. A lot has come up in a short time and my sister and I haven't had a chance to take a look at the car. I couldn't get a charger, but we decided after 7 years, well nearly 8 years actually, of owning the car the battery definitely has to be replaced. It probably was never replaced before we owned it, so that's nearly 10 years. So we're going to start there and see what happens. I'll post the results when I have some.

RE: 99 e320 Car wont start or shift....Please Help!!
 

If you change the battery ENSURE that the alternator is working correctly i.e. 14v with engine running.

Once a battery goes below 12.5v it will never be the same again. Period.
Yes I know you can recharge it and it then appears to work fine etc BUT chemical changes have taken place and the life / reliability of the battery has been seriously COMPROMISED!

Just ask any (especially import) car manufacturer (or at least scrap dealers in the vixinity) how many NEW batteries are SCRAPPED at the port / car storage compound. They are RECHARGED at voltages above 12.5v and below approx 12.9.
They are SCRAPPED BELOW 12.5v

Stuart