Yesterday my transmission started to act funny. When driving, and getting engine to about 2000rpm the transmission would upshift on its own, and the car will shake some, and you hear the car vibrating because it in a higher gear than the car should be.

I took my car to a local independent shop that has a very good reputation in this area and they told me that the issue is with my transmission, and it may be the fault of my radiator. I do not have a Valero, I have a BAHR. I know the Valero was prone to a leak into the transmission. The car after I accelerate above 25mph shifts fine and runs without a problem. They are telling me its going to be a new tranny for about $5,000.

I asked them if there was a way they could test or look at the transmission fluid and they said its very hard to tell if radiator fluid has entered the transmission or not.

They said that there are no codes from the transmission showing any problems, but this is a similar issue they had last year with a transmission with a valero radiator and a new transmission was put in the car to fix it.

I am picking up my car from them this afternoon and wanted to get some feedback on if anyone has seen this happen with a BAHR transmission.

My car is a 2004 C240 4Matic with about 114,000 miles.

I am hoping there is something less drastic than a new tranny and possibly radiator, I bough this car used 2 years ago and still owe quite a bit on, About what a new tranny and possibly new radiator would cost.

Also on that note, I am in the DC area, anyone in the DC area know of someone who could help me out with replacing the transmission and or radiator without having to pay retail prices. I live in an apt and even though I would love to learn to fix and do repairs on my cars I can't.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Jeff

 

I can't imagine your transmission is bad with that low of miles. Have you ever changed the fluid/ done a full flush? What about transfer case fluid? If you don't have the Valeo radiator you don't have the coolant contamination issue. The shop is obviously stupid you can get a sample of oil and send it off for an analysis and know what's going on. I would honestly guess the electrical connector to your transmission is leaking which caused the fluid level to drop and mix that with the freaking cold weather we have been having in McLean caused shifting issues. If the connector leaks long enough it can get up into the TCU and cause serious issues.

 

No I have never did transmission service. I have followed the MB A B services since I have had the car.

The only other odd thing that I have had with my car is it keeps telling me my license plate lamp is out. I changed it and the message went off for a while and just recently started displaying again. When they did a scan they said that the light was on because of an electric problem and some of the computers are not talking to each other.

So with what your telling me, it may be more of an electrical issue, do you or anyone in the DC area know of a place I can take it other than a dealership, or would I best to go to a dealer for this type of thing since I do not have the tools or the way of checking this myself.

I drove it today in stick mode and the transmission seems to shift okay and to me it feels like it could be electrical. If I accelerate at a decent speed then I have no slip or issue with the transmission.

Thanks.

 

Before you do anything. Check the electrohydraulic bush for leaks as Trey says. If you have a Behr radiator you are fine. Service the transmission. New approved fluid & filter. If the fluid looks crap you need to do a full flush.

Transmission must be serviced every 39K miles or 60K Km's. Your fluid level might also be low.

 

Do the 2006 C280s have a valeo radiator or the Behr one? The oil cooler is a Behr product so I'm guessing the radiator will be the same?

 

Yes you have a Behr radiator. Probably made in South Africa.

 

I am taking my car back to the shop tomorrow. I asked them to replace filter and fluid, should I have them do a full flush? I bought this car used at about 64k miles and it now has 114k miles on it and do not know if the previous owner did anything with the transmission. I do know they did scheduled A/B services.

I told them to check conductor plate and he insists its not that, it said my clutch is slipping. But I know I am having electrical problems with my car. The rear license plate bulb out always comes on even though its not out. When they ran STAR on my car they said the computers were having problems communication with each other which is why the check bulb light keeps coming on.

I don't know if this has anything to do with it. But 4 months ago they replaced my CV boots and axles because the boots burst and had grease all over the bottom side of my car and they steam cleaned the bottom side of my car. I started to notice slight shuttering shortly after that, nothing transmission related but engine. If I would do a hard stop, the check battery /alternator light would come on. This happened 3-4 times. The more I drove my car the less I had this problem.

I am going to ask them to check the conductor plate and do transmission service.

I do not hot rod my car or drive it crazy, I am always very careful with my car and have been faithful at doing the A/B Service. I did not know I should have been doing transmission service as well since that is not part of the service book :-( This has been on my mind the past few days and losing sleep and not eating well because I am worried about this. But tomorrow should know more.

I have read in other forum postings that others have felt a slip and hard shift in the transmission and transmission service has resolved the problem. I am hoping I get lucky.

One more thing, When I drive the car first thing in the morning, it shifts perfect and no problems, Its when the car warms up that the problem happens.

So would a full flush or just standard transmission service be better?

Thanks!

 

I would personally do a full flush it should take 12-14 quarts of fluid if done correctly. You drop the pan and filter first replace it then flush the rest of the fluid though the system. I did it on my car about 40k ago (needs it again but is way to cold) BTW how much are they charging for fluid you can get shell 134 ATF (which is approved by MB and many of us on here run it) I found a place in Manassas I believe that sells it for under $60 for a case of 12. Make sure that the place you take it to uses the correct fluid as if they don't it can ruin your transmission.
If you want I may have some time during the day Thursday till about 4 then after 7:30 should be home.
The rear bulb issue is probably a dirty contact I kept having bulb out issues and finally cleaned the contacts and put in a new bulb and have not had the issue in over a year. If it is a computer issue I could try to help Remember I have STAR

if you have my number still txt me if you need anything. If you need it again let me know if you are adventurous we could try a flush or inspection in my garage. I do have the dipstick for the transmission btw if you want to check it.

If you do have them do anything with the transmission make sure you have them give you the old filter as well as a sample of fluid in a clean container (maybe take in one with you that is perfectly clean and sealable you need about 2 shots of fluid I can give you the kit to send it in as I have a few extras) if you decide to send it in for analysis which may be important if this does not fix it. Also have them show you what fluid they put in the car and if it does not have the approval rating on the side don't drive the car!! The newist generation of fluid for our five speeds is 236.14 and 236.10 or .12 are ok too just older

 

I want to thank Samaritrey for his help tonight. Using Star did not find any codes for my transmission, Found some things that were not talking well to each other but nothing transmission related. He reset the adaptations, the max for each would be 1400 and most were in the 20-30 range. There were a few in the negatives, I believe one was -2 and another may have been -30. Resetting the adaptations seems to have fixed the issue. The transmission shifts very smooth, at the right times, whether I accelerate slowly or quickly there appears to be no issue with the transmission shifting. The issues would normally start within the first minute of driving the car and after resetting the transmission I drove it for about 30 minutes stopping and starting a few times, turned off and on the engine once and so far so good.

So I will drive it tomorrow, holding my breath to see what was done tonight holds tomorrow. I am hoping it does.

If it does, any idea what could have caused it? I did have some issues with the Battery or Alternator, would voltage irregularities possibly cause issues with the transmission? Next thingI am going to do is take my car to get the alternator and battery tested.

Thanks again Trey!

 

Thanks to samaritrey I had my transmission adaptation values reset on my 04 C240 4Matic. When he hooked up Star found a bunch of readings in the negative. Anyone with transmission knowledge know if these negatives could have been the reason for my transmission shift problems. <knocking on wood> since he did this on thursday my car is driving great with no transmissions issues.

If this was the cause, anyone know what may have been the reason, what I can look to get checked to ensure this does not happen again?

Thanks again!

 

Low voltage could have caused some of your issues. Resetting adaptions was the right thing to do.

The transmission must be serviced every 60K Km's or 39,000 miles.

Service & monitor the performance. You might have a conductor plate going out but the problems could have been caused by low voltage.

 

Yeah and with your complaints about the occasional low voltage error and the possible original battery that could be your issue. I did check my adaptations and had negative numbers in some places as well but my TCU displays everything differently than yours did. I saw a special at the MB dealer in town (don't want to name the one but it is the closest one to our homes) that they will do a free battery testing and car wash (useful this time of year) they will probably want to charge you a crazy amount for the insulation so while you are waiting for your car go to the parts counter and get a battery quote (make sure they use your vin) I know it will be expensive so then call the other local dealers and see what the cheapest is. I know it is more than a parts store battery but how often can you find a parts store battery that will last 6-10 years on a regular basis. I am going to take my car in soon to have it checked out as I think it is going bad and my car is caked in salt.

edit changed my mine here is a link http://www.mercedesbenzoftysonscorne...sid-45352.html