SLK 320 electrical short starting problem

Asked by GuruT1ZT5 Jul 03, 2018 at 02:15 PM about the 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK 320

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 2001 slk320 has been having starting problems. There is possibly an
internal short somewhere that occurs when trying to start. I have disengaged
the alternator harnesses to eliminate one source of the problem. It almost
started then after trying again it would not, and then a very strange and quite
audible warning sound (not the antitheft alarm) came from under the
passenger side dash that ran for about 1 minute and stopped. Like
dadodadoda.... at a rate of 3 per second.  
I have been testing the car with a volt meter and taking current readings by
putting a charger across the battery. I think the alternator is OK, but I pulled
the power and control line off of it. Maybe that was a bad thing to do. But I
think the car should start without it and it almost did. The diode on the
alternator tested OK. Have not tested the starter. I took reading of the three
electrical leads stemming from the main 12V line. They are F2-Electronic
suction type fan, F3-Hydrolic Unit (traction), F4 Fuse box, terminal 30.
Yesterday I was trying to chase down what appeared to be a short at F4, it
went away. All 3 lines show some capacitance, and I would expect that to be
normal. OK ready for the expert. How much will it cost?

2 Answers

20

my 2001 looks like an arcade game when I start it.I was always told to be wary of car mechanics wearing boat shoes.you are buying him his boat....what a mistake to buy this fine crafted german product[you notice they don't have a space program]ghost in the machine...yet there are no ghost busters to call.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Richard Keeler
    Reputation
    660
  • #2
    bobkat
    Reputation
    350
  • #2
    Michael Kane
    Reputation
    350
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
8 Great Deals out of 129 listings starting at $9,900
Used Mercedes-Benz E-Class
43 Great Deals out of 500 listings starting at $5,700
Used Mercedes-Benz C-Class
81 Great Deals out of 1,429 listings starting at $3,499
Used Chevrolet Corvette
36 Great Deals out of 992 listings starting at $19,500
Used Mercedes-Benz S-Class
15 Great Deals out of 224 listings starting at $8,887
Used Mercedes-Benz CLK
28 listings starting at $5,499
Used BMW 3 Series
69 Great Deals out of 1,205 listings starting at $1,995
Used Porsche Boxster
50 listings starting at $12,800
Used Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
13 listings starting at $12,900
Used Porsche 911
10 Great Deals out of 331 listings starting at $20,988

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.