Mercedes C220 CDI Bosch 0281 011 741 Engine ECU: A No-Start Repair With Its Cause in the Starter Motor Circuit

Damage inside the Bosch 0281 011 741 engine ECU of a Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220 CDI had its cause outside the unit altogether: the car’s starter motor circuit. Our engineers repaired the ECU and returned it, and the customer was given advice on the starter circuit as well.

The C220 CDI, the no-start and the local diagnosis

The car had been running fine until one morning, when it failed to start. It was diagnosed locally as having a faulty ECU, and the customer sent the unit to us for testing.

The unit is a Bosch EDC16C2, the type covered by our page on EDC16C2 units we repair for Mercedes-Benz. Testing was the job the customer sent it to us for.

How Bosch 0281 011 741 was tested and repaired

Like every unit that comes in, it was logged and inspected first. The initial inspection showed no problems; on our ECU testing rig, the unit failed. We explained the faults to the customer, who agreed to go ahead with the repair.

Our engineers then replaced the faulty components. Work at this level is carried out under a microscope, with temperature-controlled rework equipment. The ECU was retested afterwards, passed final testing and went back to the customer.

For 24 months, our warranty backs the repair made to this unit, and it cannot pass to another owner.

Where the ECU damage came from

Repairing the unit dealt with what had failed inside it. It did not, on its own, account for why the damage had happened. On this job, we were able to identify the cause: a faulty starter motor circuit on the car.

That places part of the problem outside the box we repaired. A repaired ECU goes back into the same car, and work on the ECU cannot put right a fault in that car’s starter motor circuit.

Starter, wiring, relays and fuses: our advice on this job

Our advice to the customer was to have the starter and its wiring checked, along with any relays and fuses. We gave that advice for this car, because the cause we identified sat in its starter motor circuit. The checks themselves are work on the vehicle, not on the ECU.

Taken together, the repair and the advice cover the two parts of this job: the unit that was damaged, and the circuit identified as the cause.

Checking a Bosch 0281011741 and sending it in

If you have a Mercedes engine ECU with the Bosch number 0281011741, the details below are on record for that number. 0281 011 741 is on record with the Mercedes number A 646 150 10 79. A Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220 CDI is on record for 0281011741. Records for 0281011741 also give a 2.2-litre engine. Testing, not the number, shows whether a unit has a fault and where it lies.

We take engine ECUs in by post from anywhere in the UK. Each unit is tested and diagnosed, you receive our findings and a quote, and chargeable work starts only once you authorise it. Before posting the unit, make a Repair Form quote request for a Bosch ECU.

For Mercedes engine ECUs with other numbers, there is an index of our Mercedes engine ECU pages. Our What We Repair page covers engine ECUs from many other vehicle makers too.