Battery dead...cant MANUALLY unlock door
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2005 Mercedes ML350 SE, 2004 Mercedes ML350, 1999 Mercedes C280, 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser
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546 Posts
does your key turn a full 90 degrees?
2005 Mercedes ML350 SE, 2004 Mercedes ML350, 1999 Mercedes C280, 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser
Joined
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546 Posts
so the arm raises but the door doesnt open right.
well, its raising but not all the way...id say approximately 3/4, then it meets a lot of resistance. i know that the lock works manually, as my car battery has been dying just about weekly now after sitting idle for 3-5 days (been happening for the past 2 months....and it has a history of this one year ago - had it in the shop for a week, and the benz techs said they couldnt find an electrical draw on the battery).
so today, went out there, the keyless didnt work....checked the flashing alarm light, and it is out. figured the battery went dead again, so, as i usually do, went to manually unlock it...this time, gave the key approximately a 3/4 turn, met a lot of resistance, and it wont unlock...
so today, went out there, the keyless didnt work....checked the flashing alarm light, and it is out. figured the battery went dead again, so, as i usually do, went to manually unlock it...this time, gave the key approximately a 3/4 turn, met a lot of resistance, and it wont unlock...
......when i say it gives resistance, i mean in the sense that it feels like if you really cranked on the key, itd pop the lock...almost as if the automatic door lock mechanism is providing a counter-resistance that i cant overcome by manually turning the key..
2005 Mercedes ML350 SE, 2004 Mercedes ML350, 1999 Mercedes C280, 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser
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546 Posts
ok i just went out to my car and my key turned a full 90 degrees. after 3/4 i got a little resistance but not much. the last 3/4 is when i see the arm come up.
right, i understand that. im to the point where im nearly cranking on the key, and i dont want it to break. its like if someone was holding their hand on top of the lock inside the car while you were trying to turn the lock...
is it possible that the electric lock mechanism is malfunctioning (like in spasm) because the battery is drained but not totally dead? for example, in the past ive seen this car do some funky things when the battery is near fully drained (like the doors locking and unlocking themselves without touching the button).
is it possible that the electric lock mechanism is malfunctioning (like in spasm) because the battery is drained but not totally dead? for example, in the past ive seen this car do some funky things when the battery is near fully drained (like the doors locking and unlocking themselves without touching the button).
2005 Mercedes ML350 SE, 2004 Mercedes ML350, 1999 Mercedes C280, 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser
Joined
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546 Posts
just call up road side. theyll help you a lot better. call them and ask them how to get into it. get back to us and let us know what they said.
haha, i know...thats what i was planning on doing, but i figured id throw the question out there and see if anyone knew what might be going on.
plus, i was wondering if anyone could comment on what might be drawing the battery down to nothing every few days...and why the benz dealership couldnt figure it out after having it in the shop for 5 days......
plus, i was wondering if anyone could comment on what might be drawing the battery down to nothing every few days...and why the benz dealership couldnt figure it out after having it in the shop for 5 days......
2005 Mercedes ML350 SE, 2004 Mercedes ML350, 1999 Mercedes C280, 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser
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546 Posts
good luck man
How old is your battery, the reason I ask is because car batteries after 4 or 5 years start going bad and can’t hold a full charge, remember you have a parasitic drain on your battery when the vehicle is not running, this so called parasitic drain is the energy required to keep the electronics in semi dormant state, alarm, etc, that is why you are able to go to your car and by using your remote you can open the doors, etc.
Then the battery may be good but poor connections impede a good charge, make sure you battery cables are clean.
If both check OK then to check for a cause of excessive drain disconnect the negative cable to your battery and connect an ammeter between the battery and the end of the disconnected cable, give it a few minutes for the electronics of the vehicle to go dormant then read the current flow, I don’t know the specs of the ML but in general 25 milliamps is the norm, if you have more than 60 milliamps then there is a short in an accessory, start disconnecting fuses in an orderly fashion one by one, if by removing a fuse the drain suddenly decreases you found the faulty circuit, there may be more than one, you will have to consult a wiring diagram to see what the particular accessories it covers.
If all is well the alternator may be the culprit, disconnect the alternator from the + of the battery and connect the ammeter, if there is a current there then you have drain in the alternator.
Then the battery may be good but poor connections impede a good charge, make sure you battery cables are clean.
If both check OK then to check for a cause of excessive drain disconnect the negative cable to your battery and connect an ammeter between the battery and the end of the disconnected cable, give it a few minutes for the electronics of the vehicle to go dormant then read the current flow, I don’t know the specs of the ML but in general 25 milliamps is the norm, if you have more than 60 milliamps then there is a short in an accessory, start disconnecting fuses in an orderly fashion one by one, if by removing a fuse the drain suddenly decreases you found the faulty circuit, there may be more than one, you will have to consult a wiring diagram to see what the particular accessories it covers.
If all is well the alternator may be the culprit, disconnect the alternator from the + of the battery and connect the ammeter, if there is a current there then you have drain in the alternator.
You need to lubricate the locks.
If you can get a product called Lock Ease use just graphite. Other penetrating oils will attract dirt.
If lock ease not available anything called a "dry lubricant" is going to be graphite based and should work.
As a last resort getting them to work is the most important so if you have you use a penetrating oil you can use an electrical cleaner to get the oil out of there once the lock is freed up.
If you can get a product called Lock Ease use just graphite. Other penetrating oils will attract dirt.
If lock ease not available anything called a "dry lubricant" is going to be graphite based and should work.
As a last resort getting them to work is the most important so if you have you use a penetrating oil you can use an electrical cleaner to get the oil out of there once the lock is freed up.
Are you still locked out of your truck? If you are, use the procedure below.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w163-m-class/1417771-diy-thread-collection-10.html#post9046145
2000 ML55 sold? 2013 ML500,? 2017 C43 AMG,1929 Victory 6 roadster, 1927 Dodge 4 sedan, 1929 Dodge
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6,350 Posts
Do you have a spare key or your valet key. My main key will not open the passenger door and my spare key which is now in my keyless go card will open my passenger door but both start the car in the ignition. If that makes sense I had to read that myself a couple of times.
Don't know why that is but it might be worth a try.
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Don't know why that is but it might be worth a try.
Sent from AutoGuide.com App
i wonder if it is possible for people with a factory towing options to recharge the battery via the 7 way plug.
you can obviously not hook massive jumper cables and expect things to work in a minute as you would with a direct jump but unless they put a diode in the circuit i don't see why you could not trickle charge it through that outlet...even with all doors closed.
it would be the black (12V+) wire and the white (GND)....Not sure what crackhead came up with the color designation on that one. goes against every rule of of thumb. (brown, black dark usually ground...red, white, bright usually positive)...
anyways if this works for somebody let me know
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you can obviously not hook massive jumper cables and expect things to work in a minute as you would with a direct jump but unless they put a diode in the circuit i don't see why you could not trickle charge it through that outlet...even with all doors closed.
it would be the black (12V+) wire and the white (GND)....Not sure what crackhead came up with the color designation on that one. goes against every rule of of thumb. (brown, black dark usually ground...red, white, bright usually positive)...
anyways if this works for somebody let me know
sgt p, he is locked out of his vehicle and the remote cannot work because his battery is dead. He only needs enough power to open up the driver's door.
I have no idea what you are trying to get across with the trailer connector.
I have no idea what you are trying to get across with the trailer connector.
He's saying that if you have a trailer connector fitted, you could apply 12 V to it in order to unlock your doors without removing the wheel or using the mechanical key. Then you could simply pop the hood and charge it the normal way.
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