My Crossfire 2005 Roadster has been garage kept for the last 5 years.. and finally after (LIFE) is all we will say... I have her about to be back on the road. 5 years of sitting and it looks like only about $1300 of maintinece and she will be road worthy once more. I look forward to some connections on this slowly fading fun car but. Until She wont run I plan on enjoying it till the last days.


She needs some dash work, some love to the front bumper, new front billet grills, (stolen) but otherwise minor nicks and touch up I plan to do as much to condition it and keep it functional.
Any ideas are welcome!

 

Get to the Dragon this next fall and we will pass judgement on the car AND you!

 

You don't mention how many miles she has, but you should probably change all the fluids; disconnect the siren under the windshield cowl or replace it; Ditto for the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System)
Welcome to the forum and by all means make it to the Dragon event up at Fontana Resort.

 

Where are you in NC? Checkout CarolinaCrossfireClub on Facebook.

 

@zip439 Thank you. Yes brought it to a highly recommended shop in town here, First opinion was , um.."You know we can't get parts for this now?" call back after inspection. "WOW she's in great shape! " I am doing a full fluid flush and replace. Also making sure the battery issue @pizzaguy has helped with is not there (i think i was having this problem just before I moved to NC and put it away) The alarm etc.. Never thought of as the Key Fobs etc are so damn old.. Looking to replace it with a Keyless Entry Alarm system. thecrossfirestore but my questions would be why the TPS?? And yes thank you we are defiantly planning on the vacation for 2021. Going to book a cabin for the wife and I

 

@Shamrock ]Charlotte, Matthews area. I have applied for the group and yes looking forward to getting this car back on the road and some fun modding it a tiny bit

 

Almost all of the mechanical parts are 2003 Mercedes SLK320. Not hard to get at all.

 

You'll have a fun time at the Dragon; a nice group of people help with any question and plenty of good looking Crossfires.
As to the TPMS the batteries in the TPMS inside the rims of OEM wheels are shot. Most everyone has disabled the system to get rid of the annoying instrument cluster warning light, or have replaced the old system with new stems and then had them all calibrated to work with the Crossfire system. Check your wheels and look at the valve stems. If they are metal and show a nut screwing them down tight they may still be the originals. If you do not have the warning light lite on the dash then don't think nothing more about them, but you might want to check next time you have a tire replacement to see if you have a sending unite inside the rim. If you choose to ignore the warning light it can be easily disable . Click DISABLE Don't let a tire store insist that your car requires the TPMS. That is not correct for 2004 or 2005 Crossfire. The Federal mandate did not become effective until 2006. There is a lot of information on this forum about the Crossfire. If you have any question type in the search box on the upper right corner, choose the google option and search the forum for the info you are looking for. Enjoy the ride!

PS Looking at your picture the stems on your car look to be rubber, so the original OEM sending units have been removed and if you have no warning light it has probably been disable as per the link I provided above. Just for your info. I do not have the system active; I'm old school on that and use a simple air pressure gauge when I have a need to know.

 

I will look at the Tires I believe you are right, I do not recall a TPS system ever being triggered, Now my first challenges are the Top is apparently not retracting for some reason they say, I haven't gotten back to them, We are testing the electrical, and I do need to think of a 2nd Key (reached out to Needswings already. Hoping I don't need to do much as I have 2 Keys but one shattered and the RFID seems to have popped out when the red cover came off. Then I need to look at radio etc.. cleaning headlights and replacing all bulbs.. YAY!

 

Update - So the shop, I am now wondering how good they really are with Mercedes based items.

1. Yes the car is in great shape.. (I arrive to pick it up, Top wont go down, No interior lights, No power seat functions, no trunk lights, the TPS is triggered, (no metal tubes in the tires), and the Radiator sensor is showing as well, (it was filled and flushed)
"We just cant find the issues.."

I found already 2 fuses that were part of that issues. then when we take it for a full test drive, while idling, (wife likes Pokemon Go) .. the car starts overheating and looks like we have a leak suddenly.



Very sad and disappointed, the owner of the shop has reached out to me and we will se where this goes.

 

That would be an awful mistake. Just order a new key/fob from Needswings and you are good.

 

"The radiator sensor is showing"? I'm sure you mean "the little light that looks like a radiator is on". This is not a "radiator light" it's "The General cooling system alarm light" and it comes on for the following reasons:
1) Coolant level is low. (rare)
2) Coolant level is fine, but level sensor is bad. (common)
3) Engine temperature is too high (the temp gauge will show this as well).
4) Then engine cooling fan motor is bad. (somewhat common)
5) The Fan Control module is bad. (somewhat common)
5) Probably other stuff we have not figured out yet. (but it's usually one of 1 to 5)
The fact you tell us the car is overheating AND this light is on, makes me think the fan motor is bad.

DO THIS:
With the car COLD, temp gauge at the bottom:
1) Start Car.
2) With outdoor air temp over 40F, turn climate fan to 1/2 speed or faster.
3) Press A/C button so it's little light comes on.
4) Pop hood, the engine cooling fan must be running slowly, it comes on with the A/C regardless of engine temp.
If the engine fan is not turning, you gotta fix that. You need a new 50 amp fan fuse or a new fan motor/blade assemble or a new Fan Controller.
Let us know what you find.

They are not competent, stop taking it to them.

See? You are fixing stuff they overlook. Stop taking the car to them.

Leaks are easy to fix, find where it is leaking and fix it. Keep in mind that overheating can cause leaks - so fix the overheating first.

I know I did not address the top or TPMS issues, but you implied you may have fixed some issues with fuses. IN any case, the overheating thing has to be addressed first.



If you mention an aftermarket keyless entry system again, you will win my "Dumbass Award".

 

@pizzaguy Okay okay!!! Don't worry about the aftermarket start.. just a curiosity. I already have Rob in the "Wings" to get a new Key fob built. keep your pantyhose on. :P

As far as the shop i have after a discussion with the owner, he is taking personal hand on this and understands that he needs other resources, I have directed here and to the CICCI Forums as well..

Much of the work I do intend to do myself, but we are addressing the leak and radiator now. After sitting for 5 years, unstated until now I should expect a few hiccups. Once we get that done and the car can move and get back home I can start working on the power issues.

 

Ok, that did it.

Your profile is now marked "DUMBASS"!

 

This thread is going nowhere, get any codes read and the meanings of them found.
Then solve one problem at a time, start with the biggest problem and go from there.

 

Update.
@pizzaguy @onehundred80 1. Yes. I told them to stop touching the car, regrettably apparently, they did not listen. They went ahead and replaced the radiator without my written approval, and lo and behold hey suddenly they noticed the fan wasn't working. (HOW they did not test that the first time.. lets not go there.) and suddenly they find.. what you suggested and I had forwarded to them PRIOR TO ANY work being done.. several of the articles from the forum here. What do they do? Run the same tests that you and others suggested here AFTER suggesting doing these when I dropped it off. and OMFG.. suddenly a 50 amp fuse has to be replaced, and my my look at that, the Top works, The power seats work, all of the sudden electrical problems work.... that they "couldn't' find" that frankly a simple evaluation of all electrical systems which I just didn't have the time to perform, would have shown the fan wasn't working, which would have led to the replacement of the fuse, and most likely, a happy radiator.

Yes we had a "civil" conversation and I am being reimbursed for the "diagnostic" and I will pay for the radiator part only. Never to see them again. The car will be back in my hands this AM and yes I have ordered my own tools and
Now just so you all know I do not have the time to work on the vehicle as I would like and I do not have the trained eye to restore a 5 year old sitting car, that is why I trusted those that said they have worked on SLK systems for years, and several people referred me to them. From this point forward I will do as much as I can on my own and yes I am a (previous) certified HVAC Tech / Installer so I have a clue about engines and heating / cooling systems.
And I do take advice from those that have more experience than me, that is how you get better.

"Never take fitness advice from people who are less healthy than you."

Next steps:
1. Full test of all systems once more. Find the most important issue and fix that first.
2. Do #1 first then figure out whats next.

 

Are you SURE this is not a dealer? They are usually about this bad.

But seriously, there are times I think we are at a crisis point in this country/culture; we are surrounded by complex equipment and systems, yet it seems NO ONE is learning anything about troubleshooting. I've seen this with a lot of heating/air guys.

It's worse with electronics, NO ONE is teaching or learning electronics anymore. The school I went to has dropped it's electronics program (and it was an awesome program with good texts and very good labs) due to lack of attendance. Guys in my line of work (I left a corporate engineer position last year for a technician job at a radio dealer) can work as long as we want to, as there isn't anyone young entering the field. Even in the recessions of the last forty years, jobs in my field go unfilled.

 

Unfortunately I believe that is true with mechanics also, now days. Just start replacing parts until something works.

 

I wish this was a dealer.... then I would agree with your "dumbass" label.
I agree the skill of "deductive reasoning" has been lost, the radiator failed..... Owners answer "We see black and white" you fix it then move to the next.

Good tech in any industry.... Your thingamabob failed..... WHY? So we can prevent it from happening again if possible. My father was a Aerospace Engineer, you didn't have unlimited tries to figure out the problem. You made sure there wasn't one. I have worked in retail, HVAC, Education, and now Mental Health. When I got into HVAC I had the education of a squirrel. Now a certification. When I started with my wife into Mental Health? I was like every other person, "Please God let me Insurance cover this." Now I manage our company and over 32 different insurance programs run through our billing systems and I know all the ins and outs.

Like I say my expectations really are low, just be able to do your job. Any how this story continues to get worse now that I have the car.... Yes it runs, Yes the top is working, No the radio and power seats are still not even though they said they were... and where the power locks were engaging as normal a week ago... Now they are not.... / facepalm

Plan - Chill pill for a few days. Sometimes in the next 2 weeks after i have diagnostic tools etc. Do as best a job checking everything I can. Go from there.

oh and continue drinking coffee as it is medicinal and helps prevent me from delving into the thoughts of the older i get the less time I have to worry about a life sentence. Ill talk to you all with the amature inspection.

 

So, back on the road fully!
1. New Alternator
2. Fuses in the Radio now working but needs replacement for modernization.
3. Cleaned up the contacts in the dome light housing.
4. Still need to fix a few dash items (however the dmg to my knee panel etc is much less than most of the parts I have found out there.)
5. Need to install LED adjustor for Fog Lights (warning light comes on but working)
6. Have Trunk pneumatic rods to install to prevent the "SLAM"
7. Some new rocker panels to go under the car for the front tires.
8. And a few cosmetic items to clean it up. (touch up paint, new wheel covers if not new wheels may not stay factory, )
9. Finally order a new KeyFob and WindBlade and outside of tweaks
10. Luggage bags for the Roadster... (already have)


So Tail of the Dragon!! Here we come!!!

Whoo Hooo!!

Thank you to all the people in here and the insights.

Dave