Ets/ABS light and battery dying while car is off

MMPEEPS

MEMBER
1996 MERCEDES BENZ E320
180,000 MILES

My 96 e320 ets/abs light keeps Coming on and off, Also my battery keeps dying when my car is off, I replaced the battery with a brand-new battery and the battery died the next day when my car was off, Also I replace the brake light switch but the Ets/ ABS lights keep blinking on and off

1 Reply

WRENCHTECH

MECHANIC
20,757 POSTS

One problem at a time.

There is a procedure for finding a battery draw like that.

You will need a digital ammeter and a jumper wire with clips on the ends to do this.
First rig any door switches so you can have a door open without triggering the interior lights and unplug the hood light. Remove one battery cable and attach the meter in series between the battery cable and battery post. Take the jumper wire and also attach it the same way. Leave the jumper wire on for at least 10 minutes to expire all the automatic timers. Now remove the jumper wire and read the meter. Anything over 50ma is too much draw. The way you locate this is to start removing fuses one at a time until the meter drops to normal level. This will be the circuit with something staying on. Determine what components are part of that circuit and check them individually until the problem is isolated.