eidelsond

Hey guys so I am in a really rough bind. Basically I bought a 2000 clk 320 european model on the island of Aruba its now been in the shop for over 4 months, and the mechanics are having trouble figuring out what the problem is. So I would be willing to pay anyone who could help me diagnose it or give them my first born. I have already pumped over 10k cash into this money pit.

Basically the car won't shift out of first. We replaced the transmission shift module, electric board for valve body and shifter along with transmission connector and o-rings and car does not shift out of First. When we first changed the ecu control module it shifted for about a week and than burned out because of a short. We fixed the short and replaced the ecu and this time no shifting took place. If anyone has any ideas or any feedback it would be hugely appreciated. This is extremely time sensitive as I am trying to move off the island and need to sell the car ASAP.

eidelsond

also if anyone happens to have recommendation for a site in which you can pay for mechanic to answer your questions/diagnose your car please let me know. Thanks again for all your help as this is literally my last resort.

driveby99

I don't know your answer, but this experts link may have a Mercedes expert http://tinyurl.com/6dee5oe Good luck!

eidelsond

Link doesnt work. Willing to paypal anyone who can troubleshoot this:P

PANNYMAN

do you get any codes from the ecu's?

driveby99

Its a tiny url...

It does work it goes to a page where you click proceed to page.
This is the long link it goes to...

http://www.eanswer.com/mercedes/?r=p...FcJP4QodeW54_Q

(And thanks...)

insame1

its not impossible that you got a bad one. has this been tested? If it wrked the first time i would be look at the ecu again.

slowsky

are you sure the transmission fluid is the right amount?

how about reseting adaptation values? so ecu doesn't think it is still in limp mode?

just want to make sure we are on the same page, you replaced the gear shift assembly sensor (possibly fluid spilled in there) and the speed sensors on the conductor plate?

eidelsond

We did not replace the speed sensors on the conductor plate ONLY the conductor plate, and now ECU (transmission), what is the correct amount of Fluid in quarts, please? Thanks Slowsky.

Pannyman: we have not gotten 0 codes and no lights are on.

Insame1: We bought brand new unit that was tested as far as I can tell.

slowsky

the correct amount of fluid depends on what you took out as you can't take every single drop out, you will need the mercedes transmission dipstick to measure it. im assuming the mech should have the dipstick and know how to measure....making sure the fluid is at the right temperature to measure.

what about the sensor in the gear shifter area? peopel spill drinks where you put the cup holder.

make sure the adaptations are reset and that its not in limp mode still...

eidelsond

This is the response from my mechanic slovsky when I sent him your post:
1. shifter is brand new
2. we dont have a dip stick it is broken
3. can they check the required amount should be in quarts
4. we will scan for codes and reset

slowsky

its hard to judge by quarts..i gues you could do it by measuring how many quarts you take out...but without the dipstick and fluid being not at the right amount could cause your symptoms...

its not about the codes, its about hooking up the stars mercedes software laptop to your car and reseting adaptations and making sure to take it out of limp mode.

is this just a regular mechanic or a merc indy mechanic? if you can get a mechanic to plug up the star system to your car, you may be able to find the root of the issue..

insame1

seems to be that the level of fluid needs to be checked correctly or at all for that mattter. Mine was less that 1/2 qt low and was giving me problems. If you are not sure it is at the corerct level I would not even consider anything else untill i was sure.

I hope he doest think that yours is broken because your car did not come with one. you need the MB measuring stick and the instruction on how to use it.

eidelsond

This is what my mechanic from Aruba responsed Slovsky:

does the trans computer store old codes
does the ECM store any transmission codes that may trigger limp mode
does any ecm record faulty sensors on valve body or any transmission issues
what else may cause transmission not to shift out of 1st gear if we have, new shifter, ecm, and electric plate on transmission valve body
any idea how may quarts the transmission takes if you just do a trans pan gasket and the converter is still intact.

insame1

no offense but I would change shops and find somone that knows more about your car. If my mechanic had to aske me question about the amount of trans fluid and such I would be a little scared / mad that I was giving him my money. I would think those are questions you would as a mechanic.

eidelsond

the problem is I am on a remote island so I don't have that luxury there are about 3 mechanics who will even work on mercedes. So I have to help troubleshoot with him, basically he can do the work from my understanding he just needs to know what to do. As the mechanics here are not mercedes savy.

slowsky

the issue is, this isn't a toyota/honda, mercedes are complex machines...without the star system, how are you mating a new ecu to your car? ecu will trigger limp mode and i think only the star system can reset everything....

you've basically replaced just about everything you could in regards to the transmission unless your transmission took a dump, in which case the mech should be able to diagnose...

i think total transmission fluid capacity is about 8.5-9 quarts but you can not drain all, the most that comes out from a transmission fluid change via conduct plate or filter is about 4 quarts....you really need a way to measure, transmission is sensitive to fluid level.

slowsky

here you go, got this from another site, make your own dipstick:

722.6 dipstick is 1220mm long, which is about 4 feet. go to closest hardware store and buy 4-4.5 ft of 1/8" steel cable (galvanized) which is very flexible and use that as a dipstick. when fluid is fully hot the level should be between 55-65mm from the bottom of the cable, so you might want to put some colored tape between 55-65mm from the bottom of the cable. fluid is checked when tranny fluid is fully hot (car has been driven for at least 20-30 min), car is left RUNNING, put in PARK, and check on leveled surface. make sure the cable is touching the bottom when checking the fluid, try it several times.

slowsky

more research:

What Is Limp Home?

Well, that means, your car has lost a wheel so it is driving on three wheels to home.

Seriously, when the Electronic Transmission Control module (ETC) detects intermittent or active problems, it prohibits gear shifting, in order to avoid serious transmission damage.

There are two different types of Limp Home modes, depending how serious the problems are. The names of these two different Limp Home modes may sound counter-intuitive but that is what Mercedes used.

Mechanical-hydraulic emergency running mode (This is the light duty Limp Home)

In this Limp Home mode, the transmission locks onto the 3rd gear or the last known “good” gear.

This particular Limp Home mode can be reset by turning the ignition off and then on.

This mode could set generic OBD II code and also intermittent code in the ETC.

Electric emergency running mode (This is the bad boy )

In this Limp Home mode, the gear engaged at that time is retained and the assigned fault code is stored. After a shutdown, wait for more than 10 seconds, and restart, the transmission is locked in the 2nd gear and reverse gear only. When the shifter is moved from “P” to “R” or “N” to “D”, there is a huge clunk.

The transmission will be in this mode until the codes are cleared from the ETC by Mercedes HHT (Hand Held Tester) or SDS (Star Diagnostic System) or some third party special scanners or even the reversely engineered ones. Generic OBD II scanners cannot clear these codes from the ETC (although they can clear the corresponding generic OBD II codes).

When the transmission is in this “electric” Limp Home mode, it feels like it is completely shot. Many times (actually I will go out the limb and say most of the time) you do not need a rebuilt transmission or a new ETC.

What to do if the transmission is in limp home mode?

The most useful thing to do is to have the ETC trouble codes read. This requires a Mercedes HHT (Hand Held Tester) or SDS (Star Diagnostic System) or some third party special scanners or even the reversely engineered ones. These codes are pretty accurate at pointing to the fault that caused the limp mode. For example, it may have codes for speed sensors or the shift module.

If no Mercedes scanners are available, at least try to read the codes using a generic OBD II scanner. The generic OBD II codes are not as precise as the proprietary Mercedes codes but they might shed enough light to have a good enough diagnosis. For example, if a code P0715 is read, then it is fairly certain that it is caused by the speed sensors.

After fixing the underlying cause of the (electric) Limp Home, the transmission would still not shift. The ETC has to be reset (codes cleared) before it will act normal again.

Without an ETC reset, people often (unnecessarily) replace the ETC. Of course, a new or working ETC will make the car shift again but all is needed to be done is to clear the codes in the ("bad") ETC. When the ETC goes into (electric) Limp Home, it shuts off all the power to the solenoids so the ETC will test "bad" because of this.

There are different versions of the ETC and certain ETCs can only work with certain valve bodies so exercise caution when replace either the ETC or valve body. It is a good idea to use the existing part numbers to find replacements.

slowsky

your mechanic should have at least googled, as there is a wealth of information out there, instead of charging you 10k and still not fixing the issue....if you read through what i posted, you really need the sds system....you are better off importing this car back to the states...

Surf Tribe

I have a 2004 CLK 320 with 56K on it, this car has only been in the rain maybe 10 times not even a slight scuffing in the clear coat from washing it with a sponge. This car could pass for NEW I loved this car till last month when the transmission started making a strange shifting from 2nd to 3rd no lights came on indicating anything was wrong and it only did this one time. Then a week later it did it again and I started to worry so I planned to take the car to the dealer. Then just that fast the next day or so it got real bad and started shifting even worse and mad a strange grinding noise. I took the car to the dealer and I got the great news, a part that keeps the radiator coolant from getting into the transmission failed and leaked radiator fluid into the torque converter and the transmission. This in turn destroyed my low mileage cars transmission. They would not cover the coast of parts because it was out of the 50k warranty and there was not a lot of history of service to the car. I explained there wasn’t a lot because the only time it ever had to go to the dealer was for oil changes!!! What kind of reply is that? Then they tell me well you know the 2011 models are out ya know!! Lol…. Ya because I want to buy another $70K car that only last till 50k UMMMM NO THANKS!! The coast to fix this great German engender car is $6722.00 I’m thinking the money would be better spent on a down payment on a Lexsus or something that will last more the 50K miles.
So if you have a 2004 CLK 320 be ware and maybe you should just spend a few hundred and replace this part before it fails on yours! MB USA said the is no recall for this part but it seems like a common problem. After a quick search online I found a lot of people who had the same thing happen to them.

MarcusF

Wrong forum. W208's don't have those Valeo radiators that are known to fail. Of course, you just may be happier with a Lexus. I recommend the IS model. For example, on the 2008 model, after the recall for the fuel rail corrosion (NHTSA recall number 09V020000), and the recall for the stuck accelerator (NHTSA recall number 09V388000), and the fuel pressure sensor (NHTSA recall number 11V029000), you can arrange to bring it back later for the brake fluid leak. The brake fluid leak affects 750,000 Toyotas so there may still be a wait. But don’t worry, the other problem, yes there's another, the electrical issue for the fuel pump doesn’t involve nearly as many cars, so they can probably get you in quicker for that one. And the best part is your next series of complaints will be on LexusWorld or some other forum.

bigwill

that was truly entertaining