Possible Transmission Problem
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CLK320 Sport
Possible Transmission Problem
Hi everyone this is my first post on this forum but ive been having a good old read for a few days before posting.
Anyway heres my slight issue, ive just bought a CLK320 Sport W208 2000 Model, after driving it for a few days i have noticed a slight issue with what seems the gearbox. When cruising upwards of 40MPH, there is a slight hesitation when you maintain speed, you can see the revs drop rough 100rpm or so and the car very slightly jerks. Its not very obvious but i can notice it after a hour or so motorway driving. The gearbox seems fine in any other driving scenario, doesnt seem like any slipping or anything and selects all gears correctly. I dont think its the engine hesitating as when you park the car up and maintain the revs there is no issue. I have looked through the service documents and it doesnt look like a gearbox flush/top up has been carried out so im thinking this could be my first port of call. Has anyone else had any issues similar to this? By the way the Car has 119K miles on the clock and the service light is on the dash. Im going to get it in for a full service asap. Anyway any help would be great!
James Anderson
Anyway heres my slight issue, ive just bought a CLK320 Sport W208 2000 Model, after driving it for a few days i have noticed a slight issue with what seems the gearbox. When cruising upwards of 40MPH, there is a slight hesitation when you maintain speed, you can see the revs drop rough 100rpm or so and the car very slightly jerks. Its not very obvious but i can notice it after a hour or so motorway driving. The gearbox seems fine in any other driving scenario, doesnt seem like any slipping or anything and selects all gears correctly. I dont think its the engine hesitating as when you park the car up and maintain the revs there is no issue. I have looked through the service documents and it doesnt look like a gearbox flush/top up has been carried out so im thinking this could be my first port of call. Has anyone else had any issues similar to this? By the way the Car has 119K miles on the clock and the service light is on the dash. Im going to get it in for a full service asap. Anyway any help would be great!
James Anderson
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Atlanta GA
02 CLK 55AMG
Is it the service light or a CEL ? Ignore a CEL at your own risk 
I'm afraid I can't shed any light on your problem but I'd make the observation that revving the engine in park does not in any way replicate the environment where you describe the problem.
The load on the engine, (hence throttle opening, airflow etc), is completely different to that experienced at cruising speed.
I'd suggest if the rpm drop slightly and you can feel a slight slow down, or drop in road speed, it's more likely an engine issue. If the engine rpm rise and the road speed remains constant, (or it seems like the gearbox is 'slipping'), I'd look to the transmission.
I'm afraid I can't shed any light on your problem but I'd make the observation that revving the engine in park does not in any way replicate the environment where you describe the problem.
The load on the engine, (hence throttle opening, airflow etc), is completely different to that experienced at cruising speed.
I'd suggest if the rpm drop slightly and you can feel a slight slow down, or drop in road speed, it's more likely an engine issue. If the engine rpm rise and the road speed remains constant, (or it seems like the gearbox is 'slipping'), I'd look to the transmission.
Thread Starter
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CLK320 Sport
Yes i agree thats a fair point, if i had problem with the transmission the symptoms would be more likely the revs increasing due to slipping rather than dropping off, the service light is on and i have it booked in for a service this week so hopefully this could cure the issue. I noticed yesterday that the idle is not that smooth and you can feel a little uneven running when sitting at idle so this could also be adding to the issue. Thanks again for shedding some light!
James
James
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CLK320 Sport
Just took car to a Mercedes Specialist in newcastle and he says its actually a missfire, he recommends plugs and leads change and a service. Quoted £400 for the lot. Thing is how much of job is it changing the plugs yourself? is it worth giving it a crack myself? thanks
