C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

2002 c32: new owner, transmission question

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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 03:02 PM
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2002 c32: new owner, transmission question

Hey guys...i just got this car 2 days ago and ive been using it a little...put about 50 miles on it.
Last night after being on the highway for about 20 minutes, i'm getting off the highway and im in W mode accelerating slowly and I get that jerk that alot people talk about associated with the torque converter. About 2 minutes later it jerked again when accelerating slowly, before then, or after that I haven't been able to replicate the jerk.
After searching the forums and reading that the problem is more commonly associated with driving in W mode i just went out and drove around the neighborhood for about 10 minutes purposely accelerating slowly and letting the car shift between 1500-3000 rpms and I could NOT replicate the problem.
Last night was the first time it occured and only my second day owning the car, so i immediately started researching the forum and realized its a very common issue.
My car is within the manufacturer date for the bad valeo radiator, however my car does not have the valeo radiator in it. I just went out and looked, there is no valeo stamping on it anywhere.
The person i bought the car off was the original owner and she was an older woman, maybe in her 30's or 40's.
She assured me that she had any recalls or tsbs taken care of. I also had the car checked with my friend at mercedes before i bought it and he assured me she always had it at mercedes for all her maintenance and told me that there wasnt very much that went wrong with the car.

The transmission seems to shift and function perfectly, i just had those 2 jerks that alarmed me.
Are there any suggestions or any precuationary measures I can take? Or any other way i can try to replicate the problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Like I said, i searched the forums and the pots i have found stated they were able to replicate the problem, i however am not, it seemed to be completely out of the ordinary.
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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by pane2k
...The person i bought the car off was the original owner and she was an older woman, maybe in her 30's or 40's....
Dude, first of all, I should come over there and smack you upside the head for calling someone in her "30's or 40's" and Older person.

Second, congratulations on the AMG.

Third, you will be living with that jerk for as long as you own it. I am only surprised you have experienced it just twice. Mine will do it twice before I turn the corner leaving my house. It is worse when the car is cold. Just wait until your S/C clutch starts acting up. then you'll have another set of jerks at about 2900 rpm.

I suspect you'll still love the car anyway.

Sincerely,

An older man. (in his 40's)
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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 04:42 PM
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yes your right, i shouldnt have said it that way, what i meant by it is it was owned by a more matur person meaning its possible it didnt experience too much abuse. Sorry about that, wrong use of words.

Anyhow, so what your saying is, that jerk is somewhat normal for this car? I've read some people say it is normal but its just hard to believe. It just alarmed me the first time i felt it.
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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 04:53 PM
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Originally Posted by pane2k
yes your right, i shouldnt have said it that way, what i meant by it is it was owned by a more matur person meaning its possible it didnt experience too much abuse. Sorry about that, wrong use of words.

Anyhow, so what your saying is, that jerk is somewhat normal for this car? I've read some people say it is normal but its just hard to believe. It just alarmed me the first time i felt it.
I took mine to the dealer about 7-8 times for the jerk. Only once did they find anything wrong with the tranny. I had a contaminated TCU, that was replaced along with the torque converter. Nothing changed. The jerk stayed with the car. Every subsequent visit, I was told that this is a high performance transmission and it is normal for it to do that (jerk). So, my warranty is up and I am living with it. As I said, once the car warms up, the jerk seems to get better.

The single best piece of advise I can give to you is to reset the ECU (easiest way to improve your car for a few days). It has been described a thousand times in this forum. I notice the jerk is lighter until the ECU re-learns the shifting patterns. Then I can just reset it again. Try it out.
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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 07:02 PM
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well i dont see a need to reset my ecu just yet, like i said the jerk has only happend 2 total times in my ownership which has only been 2 days. We'll see what happends in time i suppose.
Thanks for the responses.
If it does happen every once in a blue moon i dont mind, but if its a constant problem that happends consistently, i cant see the car being designed like that.
Lets see, i've only put like 80 miles on the car thus far.
Thanks for your response.
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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 08:36 PM
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Originally Posted by pane2k
well i dont see a need to reset my ecu just yet, like i said the jerk has only happend 2 total times in my ownership which has only been 2 days. We'll see what happends in time i suppose.
Thanks for the responses.
If it does happen every once in a blue moon i dont mind, but if its a constant problem that happends consistently, i cant see the car being designed like that.
Lets see, i've only put like 80 miles on the car thus far.
Thanks for your response.
Look it up. The reset takes 5-7 seconds with just you and your car key. Most of us do it just to feel what the car was meant to feel like when it left the factory floor. The first time I tried it, I jumped on the throttle and lit up the ESP light for 200 yards. Woo Hoo!

Trust me, you will want to do this routine at least once a week, if not daily.
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Old Jul 20, 2008 | 09:15 PM
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Originally Posted by ScottW911
Trust me, you will want to do this routine at least once a week, if not daily.
haha +infinite
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 08:49 AM
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alright, ill give it a shot, thanks for all the responses, i appreciate it.
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 11:40 AM
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I replied to your PM. Here's a picture of the TCU that solved my transmission issues. It's the black box on the bottom...


TCU is the lower control box attached to passenger-side footwell plate.
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 02:29 PM
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thanks again for all the help guys.
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Old Jul 29, 2008 | 01:53 AM
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i have an ECU reprogram from PowerChip. Does resetting the ECU affect the program setting from Power Chip?
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Old Jul 29, 2008 | 02:06 AM
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Originally Posted by 60n5pt1
i have an ECU reprogram from PowerChip. Does resetting the ECU affect the program setting from Power Chip?
NOPE.
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