It will finally throw a CEL if the sensor fails &/or fuel trim goes haywire. But it needs to get quite bad. All the downstream sensor does is tell you if your Cat is performing adequately. Knowing your parsimonious ways you don't care

Who you calling a parsy? Just kidding.

I really do care, but I see no reason to do it just yet. Today it started just fine even after a very long time of sitting idle.

Don't ever do a downstream sensor unless you have a persistent CEL.

Damn Glyn -- you made me go look that one up.

Good info on the O2 sensor. Until this point I had assumed that both should be replaced at the same time.

So my car has sat most of this month or has had trips limited to a few miles here or there. First I was sick for a week, then it snowed and stuck around for a week, then the thermostat stuck and I didn't drive it for a week.. well yesterday, we took it on a 300 mile trip to pick up some BMW rims:



And I got to see just how much better it runs now. It is definitely a noticeable improvement since all the maintenance was done.

Unfortunately, an energy drink exploded in the Benz yesterday and I'm not sure it will ever be clean again.

Wish you guys never hopped in the back seat for a quickie huh??

ROFL

Hahahaha in fact all of the sticky junk all over the inside of the car is energy drink, not other stuff.

"I really picked a great one. It has taken very good care of me in this first 100,000 mile chapter and I've taken good care of it,

And that's why she's still good to you. You have taken good care.

Keep up the good work. You should get another 100,000

I really am still cleaning up sticky points in the Benz. Here is what happened:

I stopped at 5 gas stations in search of a Venom Death Adder + Fruit Punch energy drink. I like the taste and it really works for me. Having had not enough sleep and facing 300 miles of driving, I needed it. So I finally got one and we set off.



I had drank 1/4 of it and had screwed the lid back on the metal container tightly when Marco made some sarcastic comment. I pretended as though I were going to hit him in the... huevos.. with the metal can. In spite of being completely, tightly closed the sudden movement was enough to send fruit punch energy drink spewing from under the closed cap. I threw the iPhone in the back seat. But my brain was really having a hard time processing what was happening. I rolled down the window after being dumbstruck for a minute and held it out till I could pull over. The end result was that I had bathed in it. It was all over the radio, center console, steering wheel, driver's seat, driver's door panel, driver's door window, and all down the side of the car.. it was a complete mess. By the time we rushed to my house, it was drying up and becoming super-glue sticky, at which point Marco goes all Jose MacGyver and begins cleaning things with a towel and his spit.. in general, not a shining day in the history of my C230K.

But once I get it cleaned up completely, we can all laugh about it.

lol on the bright side it was not in the 135

Transmission fluid, filter, pilot bushing changed 1/20/2011 at 100,816 miles.

Today at 104,469 I drove the car for 30 miles, got out and smelled something burning. Investigating, I find the transmission is leaking fluid (very slowly). No erratic shifts or anything at the moment.

Rushing it back in Monday.. will update the thread at that time with the findings.

Sounds like the TCU connector problem a lot of people are having.

That was replaced along with the service.

They may just have fouled up putting the pan back. The 722.6 is nowhere close to being as pernickety as the 722.9 but you never know.

Matt, did your car have the torque converter drain plug, and did they drain the converter? If so, it could be excess fluid that splashed between the transmission bell housing and transmission. When I drained my torque converter, I had quite a bit of fluid that splashed in that area and it leaked quite a bit of fluid for a long time.

John - I do not believe my car has a torque converter drain plug. The refill only took 5 quarts, if that tells you anything.

Yep Matt - No TC drains on our 5 speeds - Curse

Glyn, I though we concluded some had them and some didn't and the 5-speed? I can't keep up with all these changes

Hi John - My scratching tells me that the TC drain was deleted from the 722.6 in 1999 - I can find no detail on VIN numbers applicable from. It appears it was reintroduced sometime in 2007 mainly on diesels that still use the 722.6. - again no VIN detail. I'm told if you buy a new TC for a 722.6 now it will have a drain plug.

Early 722.9's also had no drain. It seems all W203's fitted with 722.9 would appear to have drains.

It is indeed confusing.

:hammer:

Thank you. Filed away.

sorry to change subject but does anyone know how much the TQ would cost? And how involved is it to replace. do you just rebuild the whole transmission or just do the TQ. my tq is acting up sometimes and with my miles i have to start thinking about it.