Merc Actros - EPS Box - Warning!

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I’m fortunate/unfortunate to be currently driving a T reg Merc Actros, fitted with an EPS box, this morning however, I discovered a fault, that could be potentially dangerous.

Coming down the M5, this morning, the red battery waning light come on, indicating a possible alternator fault. As I was only 4 miles from j23, I carried on to the junction, knowing there was a layby just off it, which would be safer than the hard shoulder - BIG MISTAKE

As I reached the top of the slip road, I went to change down a gear - NOTHING - stuck in 16th :open_mouth: I had no choice but stop, due to traffic on the roundabout. So I am now stationery, at the top of the slip road, slight incline, fully loaded (44t) and stuck in 16th, can’t select neutral either. Behind the gear stick is a flap, with ‘emergency overide’ switch, this don’t work :open_mouth:

Eventually, Action Mercedes turns up (after unhappy Old Bill), jump starts truck, which is enough to select lower gear and move to place of safety.

Yes - the alternator had gone.

BUT - the 1st thing to go when batteries flatten is the main gearbox, followed by the emergency overide

Be warned - if your red battery light comes on, stop ASAP, while you still have gears.

John

2

Nice to hear that there is a fail safe if the alternator goes!

Never mind, Least they will sell a lot of clutches instead. :laughing: :laughing:

3

The emergency override still works. Problem is most people don;t know how to use it and on the T reg’s I’ve drive, the instructions have long since become unreadable.

4

Trust me Conor, I have been driving the Actros for a while now and yes the instructions are still printed on the underside of the flap, I have in fact used it before, following a gearbox problem.

Direct from Action Mercedes - If batteries fall below 20v, you will not be able to use standard or emergency box

This was proved after, he connected me to his ‘jump starter’ and all worked well.

John

5

cornish trucker:
the red battery waning light come on, indicating a possible alternator fault. As I was only 4 miles from j23, I carried on to the junction,
John

Four miles with no altenator and the batteries run flat:!: Me thinks you need new batteries as well :wink:

6

That is potentially a fatal flaw you have described.
Get a new driver to the EPS box, and the confusion reigning over what to do could easily cause an accident.
The emergency override should not lose power so easily or so soon, that’s why it’s called “emergency override”

7

Big Joe:

cornish trucker:
the red battery waning light come on, indicating a possible alternator fault. As I was only 4 miles from j23, I carried on to the junction,
John

Four miles with no altenator and the batteries run flat:!: Me thinks you need new batteries as well :wink:

This is a puzzling one. Just before last chrismas I over nighted at Leicester Forest North. During the cold night whilst the night heater had been in full use, one of the batteries decided to give up the will to live and left me with hardly any power to illuminate the interior, never mind turn over a cold engine, As I was facing uphill and the air was still up to pressure, I turned on the ignition and selected reverse in the normal way, dropped the hand brake and bump started.
So I would think that there must be some other problem other than low voltage that disabled the gearbox, as the manual overide does not need electric power, instead uses a pneumatic valve to manually select emergency gears.

8

I had this problem one night coming home on the A50. The battery light had been on for a few miles and the lights were starting to dim. I approached a roundabout and selected a lower gear, and nothing! I managed to keep my speed up round the roundabout and safely pull into a lay-by further up. Pretty frightening stuff, though.

I found on a few occasion that on start-up, the gearbox would not work. It required the engine being turned off and the ingnition turned on and off a few timers until neutral lit up on the dash.

9

cornish trucker:
Trust me Conor, I have been driving the Actros for a while now and yes the instructions are still printed on the underside of the flap, I have in fact used it before, following a gearbox problem.

Direct from Action Mercedes - If batteries fall below 20v, you will not be able to use standard or emergency box

This was proved after, he connected me to his ‘jump starter’ and all worked well.

John

:unamused: Fat lot of good that is then, just imagine if you were about to go down a long steep hill. :confused: :open_mouth: