Low battery, alternator not charging, and convert top balky
 

Hi All,

I looked at a 1995 E320 cabriolet the other day, it had some issues.

It had been sitting for a while, and the battery (a Bosch, less than a year old they told me) was flat. I understand this can happen since these cars have some small electronics that remained powered even when the car is shut down.

Jumped it and started the engine, drove it around, it ran great. Good power, no smoke, never a bit of hesitation. Tranny shifted smoothly, forward and reverse, with no hesitation I could see/feel.

But the top wouldn't go up and down, much. It would move a few inches and stop, and the little light inside the switch on the center console would flash. Several more attempts and it finally went up all the way, I reversed it and it went back down smoothly and quietly.

Put a voltmeter on the battery, and got readings around 10 or 11 volts with the engine running. Clearly the alternator is not charging the battery.

Anyone know what a new (or remanufactured) Bosch alternator would cost for this 95 E320 Cab? What is the ampere rating for one?

And is there one available (Bosch or non-Bosch) that has higher ampere capacity than the original? I've heard that cabriolets have a big appetite for electricity, due to the top mechanism.

I've done a lot of work on other cars (Ford, Toyota, air-cooled VW etc.), but never on a Mercedes. Is replacing an alternator on a 95 E320 Cab, much more difficult than on other cars? Does it need any specialized Mercedes-only tools?

I don't know if the engine wiring harness (eco-junk insulation) has been replaced. I'm guessing that the hydraulics in the top mechanism ore OK, since the top (eventually) went up and down quite smoothly. I've heard they get balky when the voltage driving them, isn't enough. True/false?

Thanks in advance! :D

Say, why do half a dozen random words in my post, wind up with a double underline and a link?

When I hover the mouse cursor over them, they connect to some ad for Verizon phones or something else that has nothing to do with the word, or with the post. What's going on?