Now that you own a crossfire, a starters guide to ownership... Because of some of the posts I have seen over the past four years here are some pointers to make ownership a little less frustrating when an issue arises. As with any mechanical device it will need attention now and then and the same goes for our Crossfires.

1) If you have only one key, buy a second one…right now. Seriously right now, don’t leave your car stranded somewhere just get it on order. http://www.needswings.com EDIT; SEVERAL OTHER SOURCES ARE NOW AVAILABLE. CHECK THE TREAD ON THE TOPIC AND THE MERCEDES SWAP SHOP..... EDIT; AND TEST BOTH KEYS IN THE DOOR TO MAKE SURE THE MECHANICS OF THE DOOR LOCK ARE WORKING. We have had reports of batteries going dead and the key not turning the lock release mechanics inside the door.

2) Re-solder the solder joints in your relay control module. Even if they “look OK", just re-solder them. Clean the relay contacts too. https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-no-start.html

3) If you suspect a weak/old battery get it replaced. Period. These cars act weird even with old batteries that test "good." Some say spoiler deployment when the key is turned on or the car is cranking is the built in early battery failure warning system. Just replace it.

4) If you have not done the “sticky key mod” do that mod… soon. https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ru-2006-a.html

5) Replace the crank position sensor with the real Bosch part and put the working one in the glove box with the tools to replace it. https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...or-photos.html

6) If you have a problem don’t take it to a dealer or start throwing parts at it until you have read the entire archives of the forum. There are a bunch of tech savvy people on here that can save you a ton of money but they can only help BEFORE you act. If you post a question here please be as detailed as possible. These cars have overlapping symptoms for a no start condition. Leaving out details will complicate the over the internet diagnosis and prescription.

7) If you "mod" the car document what you did for both your mechanic and the next owner. I have seen too many posts where an owner has to wade through a mod of some sort to find or diagnose a problem.

8) Aftermarket accessories; Crossfire members can help you with the car but we may not know the accessory. (Alarms, Remote start, HIDS, etc.) You may not have a car issue, you may have an add on issue.

9) Research the issue; If you go to the trouble shooting section on the forum to look up a particular issue please read the entire thread. If you read the procedure and get stuck at a specific point in the repair odds are someone else did too and posted about it asking the how to get past the..... whatever questions. You will see several follow-up posts about the original fix that will greatly help with the fix you are trying to do and it will give you a feel for the difficulty of the repair. If you post a new thread or problem please, after the repair follow-up your post with exactly what was done to fix it. This will only help other owners.

10) And most importantly enjoy the car, enjoy the "cult" following and have fun meeting up with other owners of the car. There is truly no better group of car owners out there than Crossfire owners! WORLDWIDE!

 

And yet another 8) DON'T BEND IT !!! Insurance companies love to total these cars for anything more than a scratch.
( Always drive with the lights on, and add the flashy brake thingy )

 

Here is the forum info for the flashy brake thingy:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-lights-2.html

The Flasher Module is available on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Brake-Stop-Control-Light-Lamp-Flasher-Module-Flash-Strobe-Controller-12V-24V/111714125948?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D32476%26meid%3D2f5dffc3a71749d5bb4ffdc195beae9a%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D361324055756
Link for Crossfire documents / owners manuals / shop manuals etc
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...tml#post111722

 

Here ( https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...tml#post831215 ) is an up-to-date pretty good install of that module. 180 and MrMiata generated a couple of .pdf's from this post of mine (size of file/pictures are different) and they are stickied here in the forum somewhere. These modules are very inexpensive, and work GREAT! Good luck on the procurement and install!


.

 

I can't believe I missed this thread-been a bit busy.

Nice thought, but could it ever, EVER be complete?

I think not!

Nice thought, though!

 

Not intended to be a complete list but to address the issues that get the most questions or frustrations. Or the ones that give the dealers fits but we already have figured out.

 

Bump..................

 

Just purchased a 2005 SRT 6 with 56K miles that could go new on a showroom floor. I've lusted after ANY kind of Crossfire for a coupla years now. This car replaces my 1926 Model T Fordor, so it's a quantum jump for sure. How do I determine the "build number?"

GroundPilot

 

Serial number of a Crossfire is the build sequence. First thing to know is that the powertrain and most of the electrics are the same as a Mercedes SLK32 (SLK320 does not have the supercharger).

 

Hi All,

Great forum. I have had a very similar issue(s) to what's been described here.

I purchased a 2004 Crossfire and immediately changed the battery (brand new). Following this the car drove great for a week. Suddenly, one morning, while driving about 15 mph the engine shut off. After the car rests for about 10 minutes it turns on again, but doesn't go very far until the engine stalls again. This process essentially repeats itself -- if the car is left for a while it will start up but inevitably stalls out again very shortly after driving.

Based on everything I've read, it appears I need a new crankshaft sensor, which is this part: https://www.boschautoparts.com/en/au...tId=0261210170

Can you please confirm that this is the case? Anything else I should be replacing? (Camshaft sensor, relay control board, etc?).

 

The Crankshaft Position Sensor is the most likely cause of this. You absolutely should buy a Bosch CPS. They are $23 on Amazon. There have been many reports of other brands not working or failing.

 

We can't confirm it based only on what little you can provide. It could be the fuel pump, RCM,etc.

But experiece has shown that the Crank Sensor is at fault almost EVERY time one of our cars acts like what yours is doing.
Changing the sensor takes a few minutes and costs almost nothing - that is why we do that first. It could also be the cam sensor, but that is rare.

The BOSCH item on this page is what you want:
https://www.germanautosupply.com/cat...nkshaft.Sensor

 

Thank you guys, really appreciate this insight...

To provide a bit more color -- the car stalled while my wife was driving it. We got AAA to tow it to a Dodge dealership (thinking, erronenously, that they'd know the Chrysler make and Crossfire model -- they don't. In fact the guy said he hadn't seen a Crossfire in the shop for 2 years. But I digress..)

They ran some diags on it and found the code indicating the problem was the secondary air injection pump. That to me sounded totally screwy and he quoted me $2,200. That's when I found this site (and thank heavens I did).

I basically had it out with the Dodge service center and asked them to please replace the crankshaft sensor and the RCM. They quoted my $1100 for that. I'm pulling the car from there and doin this myself now... highway robbery happening there.

Can I provide any other details that would be helpful?

 

Thank you all. I replaced the RCM and crankshaft position sensor, as described in the PDF (many thanks for that...) and things are fixed now. Really appreciate the advice and the resource here.

 

Can anyone tell me the part number for the RCM for my 2005 crossfire limited...6 speed manual transmission. Thanks in advance!

 

pjd2025
The RCM part # is A170 545 03 05 (this is a Mercedes Benz part #) used in our Crossfires. The RCM can be purchased from an Ebay vendor or from Amazon.

Good Luck....
Dennis
DTMenace

 

Nevermind. please delete

 

These sound like great tips. I just bought an '04 and am not much of a mechanic. I intend to buy a RCM rather than solder my own. Is there a brand I should get that's better than others. I already bought the Bosch CPS and Cam position sensor. Thanks for the tips!

 

My suggestion would be to buy an RCM and send the original to TJ Tighe for reconditioning. That way you have a spare.