ALL FUSES must have power on BOTH SIDES of each fuse with key off except for fuses 2 and 3. If you don't have power to the four others, your issue is not the RCM.
Power comes from SPlice Block 100 in the back of the undershood fuse box, under the fuse carrier, for all fuses cept 2 and 3. SPlice block 100 is fed by the 200 amp chassis fuse in the box next to the battery, if your headlights come on, that fuse is good.

 

The 200 amp fuse is good. I had continuity through the 3 fuses in that box

 

Pizzaguy, per your post #15; Will the horn fuse have power on both sides on a new RCM without the "Me so horny mod" all the time or only when key is moved to ON?

 

Horn fuse always has battery power. What the horny mod does, is change the feed to the horn relay coil from ignition to battery supply. The "Horn Fuse" is fused power to the relay contacts, not the relay coil.
BUt that is a good question.

 

I spoke with Rob at NEEDSWINGS and will be sending my ecu and skreem module as well as keys for retesting. He will install the components onto their vehicle and check for faults and charge a 200$ diagnostic fee. If an issue related to their work is found then they will warranty their work. If their is another issue with the components not related to the work they performed then the diagnostic fee can be will be added to the price of new components. Rob has been great to work with and I appreciate how he does business!

 

If you are in California why didn't you use Josh at MercedesSwapShop? https://themercedesswapshop.com/

 

Per post # 1, probably because Rob did the original work.

 

Yep Rob did the original work. I would assume there is an issue with the Ecu or skreem. The vehicle ran and drove perfectly before I sent out the components to Rob to program additional keys. Mercades swap shop was my second choice. I herd lots of good reviews for needswings here so I naturally chose them

 

Still if you are in California why did you pick someone so far away with a greater risk of items being lost?

Everyone recommends Josh first no matter what for skreems and keys. I don't think he would charge you a $200 diagnostic fee either after the fact.

 

I make it a point to recommend both. Both are good to deal with and both support our cars where no one else does.
Rob has been at it longer than Josh, but Josh has put in a LOT of effort to contribute to the longevity of our cars.

It will be interesting to see what he finds.

 

I agree. Thank you again pizzaguy for your help with the issues I have been facing. I know how important forums such as this are... I own a 2006 audi a4 quattro. Which I do all my own work on. This is my first venture into the mb realm.

 

As 'quirky' as these cars are to even minor electrical glitches, This (above) may have caused a sort of cascading failure. Lets hope any repairs are limited to something other than this little 'gotcha'?


.

 

As per Rob at NEEDSWINGS We finished retesting your ECU, SKREEM and antenna in our test vehicle repeatedly without fail.


I am waiving the $200 diagnostic fee for you, on courtesy, I will send over an invoice for $25 for return shipping.
Truly a stand up individual! I ordered a set of needle probes for my multimeter and will test as directed. Does anyone know where I can find the terminal layout for ecu connector 5 in the service manual?

 

Wiring chapter, connector pinouts start on page 8W-80-4 of the 2005 and/or 2007 Crossfire Service manual.

 

Shortened (above) for clarity/readability. This is why NEEDSWINGS is a 'plus plus' advocate for the membership, and Crossfire owners alike. Class act ethos for you Rob!

Your Powertrain Control Module "C-5" (white connector) is shown in my 2008 Service Manual (pinout) page 8W - 80 - 59, top of page, 9 pin layout. Good luck!


.

 

Correct?

 

The pinout and picture in my service manual matches the picture you posted. Looks like you have what you need to test the wiring in a previous reply! Good luck!


.

 

I reallly think you should go back to my question about the voltage on the fuses of the RCM. I never got from you an exact answer, but fact is: EVERY FUSE ON THE RCM should have power (11 volts or more) on BOTH SIDES of EVERY fuse when the key is ON.

If you don't have that, the car WILL NOT START.

You must measure this voltage with the fuse inserted, you use the little "test pins" on the top of each fuse as I showed in post 20.

I think a wire, somewhere, fractured when you pulled the modules and sent them to Rob. Notice I did NOT say "broke", I said fractured, said wire probably LOOKS fine, but is open under the insulation.
I've seen this before, many times. We know the modules sent in are fine, if this was caused by you pulling things out and putting them back in, then that's my first guess.

You MUST verify power at every RCM fuse as your first step. Once that is verified, I can see chasing grounds or other concerns, but it is human nature to try to turn this into something more complex than it is. We had a car at the Dragon several years ago that would DIE, one of the fuses on the RCM would blow. Change fuse and car would run for some time, then DIE without warning. It all turned out to be a wire that had crept out of it's loom near a sharp piece of metal, it would get hung up and short to ground at certain times. I warned him not to change modules, he didn't, his dad went probing around in the engine compartment and found it some three weeks later.

 

I haven't received the ecm and keys from Rob yet. As soon as I receive them I will reinstall and retest.


I could see wire fracturing being a possibility

 

Given the symptom, I bet this is gonna be "Stupid easy" when you find it.
And I bet REAL MONEY, it will be a "Ah, I see what happened, makes sense now" kind of moment. In 40 years in electronics, I've gone thru this COUNTLESS times, either due to what I did or what someone else did. Working in the shop, we would often say to one another, "You wanna look at this, I can't see what I did..." Usually, a second tech will find "it" in less than five minutes, even working on a complex multichannel radio site.

It's almost gotta be a bent pin, broken/fractured wire or similar. DO NOT make it harder than it is, but it's human nature to do so...........