russman1963

'99 E320
There are so many threads on this that I really hated to just update one...
I had a common issue,
When the outside temp is cold, the trans seems to stay in first or seems to want to start out in a high gear and feels like it's slipping.
NO CEL
"D" not consistently lighting up
Problem goes away as the car warms up and the "D" indicator starts working.
I decided that the issue was probably that the shifter was cold and the old gear selector module was fussy until it warmed up.

So.... I opened the console heating vent (the one inside the console) thinking maybe warm air moving thru the duct would heat the module.
And it worked! ever since I opened the vent, no issues (it was 19 degrees when I left the house today.)
Give it a try, it might work for you!

shadenfroh

That's not an issue, it's normal behaviour.

russman1963

Not this time, I'm not talking about holding gears to warm up the Cats, this is a different deal

shadenfroh

the OUTSIDE temp... I see :-)

fabbrisd1

Please read the thread I have copied below - pre-facelift - replacement of the gear selector switch is a deeper fix if you ever need to go there:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...on-switch.html

russman1963

Thanks, I agree, the switch is doomed, just a matter of time!

fabbrisd1

In your 99 W210 - the gear recognition switch is replaceable without major hassle - like a $120 for the genuine MB part.

The cold weather "like-limp-home-mode" below freezing is a symptom - once other possible causes are eliminated - switch replacement is relatively straightforward for your car. Plug-n-play no recodeing required..

http://www.importecwarehouse.com/Mer...1332-SF-22.htm