DRBC43AMG

So "T-Rex" has decided to start making problems. These last days I found the transmission sluggish in normal driving conditions and sometimes it felt like it was starting in third gear when moving from a complete stop. In WOT the gears change OK even if a bit harsh.

Today on the highway it lost fifth gear and wouldn't change up from fourth. Stopping and restarting the engine, fifth gear worked again perfectly. Before that, when I was manoeuvring from Drive to Reverse, no way to find that gear. A pass through Park before going the Reverse solved the problem.

Coming back home, I decided to plug in the code scanner and it pulled a P0715 "Input/Turbine speed sensor circuit" code. Nothing else. Browsing on the web, it would seem the transmission conductor plate is the culprit and needs to be changed.

Oh, I forgot to say that no warning light comes up, but I don't know if we Europeans have the "check engine" light like you in N. America.

Any other ideas or comments?

P.S. I use an Android application OBD 2 scanner called Torque Pro. Cheap and simple to use. You just need to get the special 32 pin plug and a Bluetooth adapter/transmitter to send data to the smartphone. It works very nicely and monitors plenty of live engine data.
https://torque-bhp.com/

cm60k

Yeah, i think speed sensor on conductor plate has failed,,

*Very Important to check if oil sneaks to your TCU as well,,

BTW; Euro/Japan version doesn't have "Check Engine Light"..!!

,,ZAYED,,

DRBC43AMG

Thanks Zayed
I'll check the plug, but will probably change for a new one also.

cm60k

Sure, prefer that Daniel..

,,ZAYED,,

KJI3jflarryfe93

did you ever change your o2 sensors?
Boss claims they should last approx 160000km's but may fail much earlier.
if o2 sensor is bad it will cause strange shifting.

one of my o2 sensors failed on 60000km's which gave me screwed up tranny shiftings between 1st and 2nd gear.
maybe this is not your problem with o2 sensors but a good idea to replace them if they are worn?

DRBC43AMG

The error code is powertrain related an specifically speed sensor, so not expected O2 which would give a emission specific code me thinks... 😊

KJI3jflarryfe93

you never had the conductor plate replaced before?
is it still the original factory CP after 17 years?

I replaced mine maybe 6-7 years ago

PJmak

Kowalski are you positive about 02 sensors???

I might have to change mine coz I had a code for that before.

KJI3jflarryfe93

when i bought my car, i had a weird tranny shifting in D-mode when i stood still waiting for green light, then floor it, tranny acted erratic!
as we europeans were not blessed with C.E.L. we can not know when soemthing is wrong giving a check engine light as we don't have this feature activated.
i did a code reading giving me a bad code for 02 sensor, then swapped for a new one, car was re-born with smooth tranny shifting.

if you have 4 of them they will be expensive to replace, try to read codes and swap the bad one(s)???

ziveli!

PJmak

Ill swap from my parts car to start with. Those should be fine.

Hvala matori haha

DRBC43AMG

I can't confirm if it's from 99', but since I purchased the 43 it has not been changed, so it could indeed be from the beginning...

cm60k

I know it's some kind exaggerate; but i change the "conductor plate/pilot spacer/MAF/CPS" every year, even if they in good condition..!!

,,ZAYED,,

KJI3jflarryfe93

that's overkill maaaaaaaaan!
either you're loaded with cash or parts are very cheap in UAE?

cm60k

Yeah, agreeeeeeeeed,

Sometimes can get some parts in very good price here,,

but even so; some stock parts flows around my Room, that's helps a lot..

,,ZAYED,,

cm60k

+1,

Bad O2 sensors will directly affect to the out-put Ex. mixture, and that will collapse the performance of the Engine..!

better to check them,,

[---Four O2 sensors in "U.S" version vs Two O2 sensors in "Euro/Japan" version---]

,,ZAYED,,

PJmak

Ill swao all my o2 sensors as soon as this heat goes away and Ill teport how the car acts

DRBC43AMG

Checked around for conductor plate prices yesterday. Going for around CHF250 which is about the same in $ equivalent.
I'm going to check the MB dealer prices as per EPC they even have reconditioned units. I'll report back in a while...

Purchased the small parts at the local dealer just up the road: harness plug, gasket, filter and crush washer. CHF55.- for everything. The part exchanged conductor plate is sold around CHF550.- + taxes so I walked on that and ordered the conductor plate on the net. Drawback is it will take a good week or so to get here. I also order a 20lt reserve of ATF Fuchs Titan 3353 Dexron III.

In the meantime, that gives me plenty of time to lift her skirts and place the vehicle on axle stands, flush the ATF, drop the pan and drop the conductor plate.