2003 Mercedes E500 Battery Drain When Vehicle Is Off Diag - Let's Walk Through

[@mlieser1230]

Great diagnosis! You are a true automotive technician who can work on any make of vehicle. I think you would be a great asset to this independent shop. I've always felt that you would make an ideal instructor.

[@FordBossMe]

That's my dream

[@thomasperina2990]

Hello Rich: Thank you again for another superb diagnostic video. How many times ea have I mentioned how amazed I always become with your capabilities. At keast you had a newer Benz where the modules go to sleep. I have an older Benz and the modules are not designed to go to sleep so I must keep a Noco battery maintainer hooked up while not in use. When I had my businesses wether it was a BMW , BENZ, etc we would always find these types of vehicles with a high parasitic draw caused by faulty modules. The thing is that the European car makers have stuck it to us all. They will sell you a new module but it must be recorded with their OEM SOFTWARE. You can have all of the aftermarket programmers ever made but if you don't have the latest OEM programmers it will not operate. Again, God Bless & my best to your family, TMP from N.J.

[@patrickdiehl6813]

Parasitic Draw is third on my diagnostic tree for drained batteries. 1. How old is the battery, after charging what is the CCA? 2.What's the alternator output under load? if all of these are good then 3. What's draining the battery? Basic diagnostics go a long way. Great video Rich👍

[@johncraig406]

good find Rich, as an IT diagnostics guy retired, searching for what's really wrong is not always easy. You can spend hours eliminating "what is not the problem". I just finished up today, eliminating a Parasitic Draw of 1 amp on an '02 7.3L Ford Excursion. a prior mechanic had bypassed the Ignition Switch "ON" wiring and hooked the Alternator 'I' terminal direct to the output Stud post.... Overnight, it would start. Leave it several days, and it would NOT start.

[@lloydstrayer4139]

Hi there Rich, I'll be damned you've done it again.checked out the car and found the problem with a temporary fix to keep them going down the road.with out buying anything but the new part when they can get it done.you and Ray are my favorite mechanics to watch on the phone.keep it up and I'm still rooting you on to a great recovery on your knees.

[@FordBossMe]

Tyvm I appreciate that brother

[@billyryder501]

You are a great technician I get so much information from your diagnosis thanks from a old mechanic

[@jameskennedy673]

👏👏👏👏👏Rich. It’s ashamed that there’s not enough of tech’s like you.

[@bobimbordino3024]

Great find! I learned something new, I never knew the E500 has two batteries. Thank you for sharing. Love you brother. I appreciate you & I’m grateful to have you in my life.

[@alouisschafer7212]

Yeah they don't do that anymore I think.

[@thomasperina2990]

Good afternoon sir: Yes there are 2 batteries for the E500, S500, & the S 600. The main battery is in the trunk ( large ) & there is a small battery mounted on the p/s firewall. The small battery is for an emergency voltage supply for the electric brakes. Usually the small battery goes dead cause most mechanics ignore any maintenance or testing thereby a light comes on in the dash cluster & tells you that you are in deep S it. TMP from N.J.

[@footpathjunkies1051]

Awesome episode Rich, I watch all your stuff but these repair videos are definitely the best...looking forward to you getting back in the buisness.....still think you should review Ceratec....really surprised you havent...keep the vlogs coming, thank you sir

[@carlevans7966]

Another fine job. It's refreshing to find someone honest

[@robertdiehl9003]

Excellent job and wonderful story.

[@RustyZipper]

Well done 👏 I could see a full time job at any shop just doing diagnostics. So many parts changers out there wasting customers money and the shops time to not resolve the issue.

[@EuropeanAutoRepair]

Good find! I’ve replaced those modules for that issue in the past

[@FordBossMe]

Now I know where to go if I need help

[@EuropeanAutoRepair]

Seriously if I can help you out with anything let me know, I love your content, I know your at a crossroads right now with your big career decisions but if it was me I’d jump on that independent shop your bud picked up opportunity, I was in a similar spot 8 years ago and went with a smaller independent shop that felt like a real gamble, ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve made

[@chrishengeveld6117]

Awesome-sauce Rich. God bless brother!

[@kerrylewis2581]

Diag work, especially electrical, is what impresses me the most. Nett Arbeit Rich. That's german for nice work, Rich.

[@FordBossMe]

Tyvm

[@BuddiesBBQIncorporatedLLC]

Thank you so much for the Bless .my car was doing the same thing.God Bless you and your Business.

[@underscr0e]

If I were to do this exact thing do I disconnect the positive battery cable and connect one meter lead to battery and one to connector and let the power flow through the meter? How many amps does the.....or should the meter be good for?

[@FordBossMe]

So what you need to do is you need to open your doors that you're going to have open that you're going to be working in but then you're going to want to take a screwdriver and close all your latches so it thinks that the doors are closed but on the 2003 Mercedes-Benz on this one it has a actually push button for the light so you put a little clamp over the button and secure it into the closed position and open the trunk and close the latch on the trunk while it's open so it thinks that the trunk is still closed then remove your negative cable from the battery put your meter and your amp draw a setting but one side to the cable and one side to the Post and then wait about 20 to 30 minutes so all the modules shut down and when you see your amp reading you shouldn't be anything more than .050 amps theoretically we don't want any more than 0.030 amps Once you have given about a half hour time for all the modules to go to sleep you start pulling one fuse at a time and checking your meter to see where your amp draw stops or drops down

[@underscr0e]

@@FordBossMe thank you good sir! Electrical is a nightmare for me.

[@u.p.tinkering]

Really diggin these new videos Rich!!!

[@hughbrackett343]

One time, I was looking for a parasitic draw on a friend's car. I had the meter hooked up and was starting to pull fuses when I heard a click from under the driver's seat, and the draw disappeared. I checked and the motor was too hot to touch. It turned out that the control switch had gotten mashed downward and stuck. I popped it loose, and everything was fine. I advised him to be careful of the switch when getting in and out of the car.

[@petersmart1999]

I worked on a mini excavator that had a draw till dead,looking at the draw on my meter,i disconnected fuse by fuse,but never saw the draw drop out! I was under the engine compartment following a loom of woring and heard a mild sizzling noise,it was the starter wire,tightened it up and it waz good! The other guy that worked on ot saod that was impossible,well if its arcing,its using power right! Its ben good for over a year now.

[@russellbshoes1470]

Great catch have a E320 2003 with lots of electrical issues had car 1 yr already replaced battery

[@cu2tonite]

Nice. My car has the same issue. Did mine by trial and error. With driver’s seat module connected, battery died. Went out of town for 3 days with passenger side connected, came back and car started without needing to jump it. Since I need only the driver’s side to work all the time due to having multiple drivers, gonna swap them and wire the passenger side so it’s operable with key on by connecting the Acc and 12v together. This way the module gets power with key on. Since mine is a C320, it can be done without removing seats.

[@aliadam575]

🇺🇸❇⚓🔩🍻🇩🇪🍻🔩⚓❇🇺🇸.....A German Admiral this week! Kinda miss the good old diesel MB sedans from back decades ago.....

[@AAQI0504]

Thank you for the diagnosis, I'm having the same issue, I just replaced the alternator, the main battery and the auxiliary battery, this morning was dead when it was running like a champ! So the amp meter goes in the negative battery cable?I will check it out tonight and will let you know. Thank you again....

[@Motorsportsgeek]

Used module would be a cheap fix. Don't need to code those in, just plug and fix. Dielectric all that stuff since that's what causes them to fail being right where your feet are. Engine is 5L m113 btw

[@FordBossMe]

I knew it was a 5.0 or a 4.6 I just wasn't sure

[@Motorsportsgeek]

@@FordBossMe Too much ford on your mind haha

[@FordBossMe]

@@Motorsportsgeek lol

[@CharlieVega-hz2uj]

You recommend any good mechanics in Fresno ,ca like yourself.

[@adammuise6178]

Awesome diagnosis buddy

[@christopherbradley5456]

What does it mean when you’re not getting any draw showing on multimeter?

[@kranch173]

Question of OEM battery I have a 2017 f150, original battery- what is the life expectancy you see of f150 original battery. Currently, auto start and stop doesn't work- has message of- engine on due to vehicle charging. I don't drive the vehicle alot- 5000 in last 1.5 years.

[@FordBossMe]

3 - 4 years

[@ezrllc]

Awesome work 👏

[@rizzotto139]

So how do you check voltage, by connecting multi meter to the battery (what setting on meter) if so? Then start pulling fuses ? Thanks so much !!

[@FordBossMe]

This is not easy to explain in a text so I'm going to do it one time and then I'm moving on You remove the negative cable from the battery and you take your meter and you put it over in your amp selection like on 20 or 40 whatever your meter is and then you hook your positive lead up to the negative cable the part you disconnected and you hook the positive lead up to the battery post and you'll start getting an amp reading it should be less than .5 ideal less than .3

[@rizzotto139]

@@FordBossMe thank you very much for taking the time to explain it to me!! I think I’ll figure it out with the info you gave me. Again thank you!!

[@AaronGWest]

It’s a 5.0 Liter🔥 Sir 🫡

[@FordBossMe]

Ok

[@lchavarin]

Great diagnosis!

[@DocDave-oe8tl]

I wish you gave a little demonstration. I have the same car it’s the same problem. I also wish you were nearby, like in south Florida

[@RothBeyondTheGrave]

E500 = 5 liter V8, back when the numbers still meant something. I forget if the "smart charging system" aka dumb charging system was implemented this early. Don't think it was yet, but you could imagine all of the parts changers who will throw 20 alternators at a car they don't understand which only gives 14v under very specific conditions. Proper scan tools would've shown problems with the seat control modules. If nothing else, there'd be historic/stored voltage issue codes. M112/M113 is arguably the most reliable Benz platforms of all time, but old electronics demand that proper voltage. Always cool to see some old school fun via pulling fuses ✌️🤘

[@alouisschafer7212]

Pretty sure they don't do this dual battery stuff anymore I can't think of any regular Benz that has two batteries except the Hybrids of course. This car is from a time when Mercedes still made really good cars. Id love to have a mint early mid 2000s C or E Class preferably with the Diesel and 5G Geartronic automatic that's a million mile drivetrain right there. Mercedes also makes Wagon Versions of their cars called "T Modell" I'd like to have one of those. Saw a mint 1998 (I think) E Class T Modell Turbodiesel in Blue recently posted for 1500€. MPG ain't the best on a stone age Diesel like that I mean it was special to have a Turbocharged Diesel in a car back then 😅 Old mercs are just interesting cars I think. Especially because they made great Diesels and thats kinda unique.

[@czechmate6916]

Awesome find brother. Nothing like a parasitic draw to kill batteries. You isolated the problem and I bet when she has the money she will come back to see you for the repairs.

[@FordBossMe]

I hope so

[@pauldhiman8369]

Stillrockin it bro🤠👍🏽

[@gatodoasfalto2721]

Nice! but if you unplug the seat module the SRS Will not function properly and in a accident scenario who will be the responsible?

[@FordBossMe]

There was no SRS light on

[@KaanARGUT]

@@FordBossMe Merc would not give a permission door control module could be connected to that module one can confirm y looking at the wiring diagram and fusebox diagram. I am not saying it is %100 safe but checking the All data wiring diagrams may help on this issue. Telematics module are connected to SRS and emergency module that one I know.

[@daewooparts]

Another huge issue with many Mercedes Benz vehicles from this time period is the actual wiring, find many got a plastic soy based wiring harness insulation & it literally becomes brittle & peels off or rodents snack on it ,,also in the headlamps it really comes apart from the light,heat & breaks down ,i just replaced a OEM Mercedes headlamp assembly the other day due to a physical hard short that fried the HID ballast & had smoke in the inside, that light wasn't cheap & was almost $1000 for it & the module, seen many perfect looking Mercedes end up in the scrapyard because of electrical issues

[@KristopherStidd]

Nice 🔥🔥🔥🔥👍🏿👍🏿

[@MoparHollics]

Nicely done 👍

[@adeobaekundayoadeyinka2234]

Good day , I removed my driver's seat cable the car still drain my battery, pls what could have happened? Thanks

[@danielb-c9100]

Do you have any n o s g m parts for 2007 to 2013 chevrolet silverado

[@FordBossMe]

I have not helped him completely go through the inventory and if I find something I will let you guys know

[@danielb-c9100]

You guys have any body panels I need bedsides and outer wheel wells

[@johngoodwyn8246]

Nice job Rich !

[@FordBossMe]

Tyvm

[@williamscheer1481]

I have an ‘06 E500 and the engine is a 5 liter 305 cubic inch 302 horsepower and I believe it’s the M13. Maybe Mercedes put a 4.6 liter engine in earlier models and called it a E500? But wait. I think Mercedes DID have an E460 (or E450?) during the early 00’s…(?). By the way, can you work on my Mercedes to troubleshoot and diagnose future electrical issues ? Nice “detective” work 👍

[@FordBossMe]

I mean that's what we do here

[@jamesjine1702]

I've got this exact same vehicle, 2003 Mercedes E500, it's a 5.0L engine. I as well dealt with this parasitic drain problem for a year and a half (also being my daily) and went to the extremes of making a "kill switch" for the negative terminal of the main battery since I had gone through 3 batteries already. I did all the same diagnostics as he did in the video with no luck. What my drain was actually coming from was the 039 fuse I believe, next to steering column which is the "lower control unit / Switch off relay". Ended up realizing that these models and year range create parasitic drains due to "short circuits to ground" over time. Only realized this because the extensive research I've done with others having same problems but a lot of them coming from other electrical areas. Wasn't ever consistent with cause. It's really nice though too be able to use the vehicle the way it was intended instead of constantly killing the battery every time I got out of the vehicle lol.

[@timkis64]

thats the problem with german vehicles.when they get older, they become banks, requiring many regular deposits by their owners.

[@Nathan_Jay]

Particularly when the owner isn't a mechanic.

[@therickster24k]

Hey bro, I have the exact same car with the same issue, the car keeps dying overnight and I have no idea what to do. I checked for any fuse that would give off a charge even when the car is off but even after removing those fuses the problem still doesn’t go away, my temporary solution was to add a switch to the main battery so every night I flip the switch to completely disconnect the battery from the car. It’s not a huge hassle but I wish I didn’t have to keep doing that.

[@jadw33]

I own a 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 and recently had to have a switch added to my main battery so I could disconnect it when not driving my Benz for more than a few hours. My local independent Mercedes Benz mechanic was unable to diagnose where the power drain was coming from. After paying over $300 in diagnostic fees I'm done with trying to get it repaired. It's a pain but since the main battery is located in the trunk it's actually less of hassle then if that battery was under the hood of the car. Other than this new electrical issue which first appeared in June 2024 the car still runs great and it is a great highway cruiser. With 156,000 miles on her I'm going to see if I can get another two years out of her before buying another car. I'll miss this Mercedes Benz though because it was originally a well designed car. Age takes its toll on electrical systems and computer modules.

[@atribecalledcookies4]

More of these tracing electrical gremlins broham! good stuff! hope you're doing well.

[@FordBossMe]

More to come!

[@SnareX]

I had a goofy one a while back. Can't remember the vehicle but it was an SUV. Turned out the rear wiper arm being broken couldn't find it's resting spot so was killing the battery. For some reason the ASD relay never shut it off. I did the same and just disabled it tell they could get it replaced

[@FordBossMe]

I have a video in the library on an escape I had that does that

[@shadowred1980]

Great job with that diag. :)

[@FordBossMe]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Gthang878]

Same thing happening to my car 2003 e500 and I jus leave the driving seat and passenger fuse out because if I leave it in over night I would need a jump start but if I do need to move it I jus put the fuse back in and take it back out

[@troublemakingpups5787]

😊🐶🐕👍🏼

[@syntheticsoneindependentam9939]

Those modules are notorious for going bad. I've been at the Benz dealer for 10+ years

[@FordBossMe]

Tyvm feel free to give tips

[@dangilbert8391]

Yes

[@encinobalboa]

Have to wonder how many otherwise good cars get junked for bad seat module. If that beautiful car was mine, I would pick a track runner and replace.

[@proudcanadian5713]

There are two types of mechanics or technicians, same as there are two types of doctors. The first type treats the symptoms, the second type treats the disease. Rich, that's what makes you good, you don't treat symptoms, you treat the disease.

[@FordBossMe]

Tyvm

[@maxxbenzz7842]

Same thing happened on my 03 e320. I just pulled 30amp fuses for each seat. It was the passenger seat module drain. I just drive with the fuse out. If I need to move it, I plug it back in. No way I'm buying a seat module, tearing the seat out bla bla. This car has been an electronic nightmare. Never buy MB again

[@kevinbobb1031]

Proper.

[@dougbackstein2937]

A common fault problem in mercedes

[@ChowOne]

E500 are 5.0L 500 cubic inch. Wtf?

[@FordBossMe]

Calm down fella calm the f*** down I'm newer to European stuff so I made a mistake sue me or get over it and keep watching the videos I can diagnose them but I don't know everything about European cars I'm newer to them but I am one of the only ones in the area that can fix them It's all based on Theory and operation and I have the smarts to get it done and I do it but I don't know everything about the history with European cars I just fix them actually I run the company because I own it but I just fix them

[@ZhongjieChen-ug2gp]

Is that a Chinese dialect in the background?

[@FordBossMe]

Yes i use to work with a few Chinese guys

[@davidsimmons1603]

Its a 5 liter motor.

[@FordBossMe]

Look through the comments I know

[@davidsimmons1603]

@@FordBossMe Sorry I didn't see all the comments. I still own a M113 e50 powered Benz. I also own a Ford Ranger as well.

[@PowerStrokeTechTalkwARod]

Buddddy

[@FordBossMe]

Hiya

[@the_normal]

Its a real 5.0 liter .

[@FordBossMe]

It's been said multiple times to me already just look through the comments

[@TyroneShoolaces-f8e]

HEY MAn AC-DELCO Batttery, GM WARRANTY SCAMS; anyone else been scammed by them? they tout a no questions asked 3 yr warranty BUT when my new $375 battery failed in 2 weeks, i was initially DENIED warranty and now been waiting almost 2wks for replacement

[@FordBossMe]

I don't know nothing about that situation with them

[@KRAGHVON8169]

The car owner needs to TAKE CAR BACK TO THE OTHER SHOP AND DEMAND A REFUND...OR... FIX IT FOR FREE👍

[@grey5.087]

You don’t work no more at FORD DEALERS

[@FordBossMe]

I'm trying this out for a little bit while I'm at workman's comp as volunteering my time not getting paid for it to see if I like it and I'll let everybody know whenever the time is right I'm still at the Ford dealer but I'm not at the Ford dealer

[@grey5.087]

@@FordBossMe where are you going to work and getting paid

[@jacobfilzen7005]

It's a 5.0

[@JunkRemovalPro]

That is a 5.0L E500

[@FordBossMe]

We know buddy it's been fixed many times in the comment section if you look

[@deansapp4635]

2003 Benz, Trash

[@alouisschafer7212]

No. Them things are for sale here with 500.000km on them often old used Cabs. The diesel engines Mercedes also put in these things last forever. 5G Geartronic also lasts forever. They even had special order versions with reduced hp output for better fuel economy and even less wear on components. An older well maintained Diesel Benz that's NOT rusting will outlast most modern junk.

[@jonmccormick8683]

The E and S series are great cars, but being 20yrs old and with the Chicago salt it is only a matter of time before this hits the junkyard. -If you don't run them in Winter and don't put a ton of miles on them they are great cars. Also new cars/trucks are $50k+ which this car was just under when new. $1k-$2k is not too bad for service per year, plus if someone steals your 20yr+ car (Chicago) you don't feel so bad.

[@motocrossmaza]

Old bentz still 10times better to drive and better made than American shit today.

[@SibRevs]

The E class of this vintage wasn't the best but the facelift version rectified a lot of the earlier issues.

[@jodepi1130]

The 2003 E320 has a bullet-proof engine. I've dealt with multiple foreign car mechanics who say the same thing about it. Great car with a fantastic ride. Also has beautiful styling. You can get 200K easy if you maintain it. The newer Mercedes engines are junk. Made of plastic. Lucky to get 85K.

[@larryfine6013]

Top notch, rich