Thanks for the update @Gorgerider. I've just got in - and yes - she stopped but luckily started up after only a couple of turns of the key and no banging about under the bonnet.

Luckily, the guy at the garage said he would give me my cash back if the car was not fixed so it's not all bad. Being a mere girl and having not a clue about mechanics I am pretty much at the end of my tether. I love my car but I'm seriously thinking about buying a new. However, I will take your advice and persevere a little longer. Wish me luck!

 

It's been a while since I've had anything to add on this topic. Here are the updated facts:

1). After changing the shifter the car worked great until about three weeks ago. Now she's back to her old habits and I'm wearing out the shoe leather again.

2). My previous correlations between outside temperature and the problem were out to lunch. This started up again during a sharp cold snap.

3). The $160 used shifter I bought on fleaBay was probably an over-sized fishing weight. If the shifter is the true problem, it lasted only five months before puking out again.

4). If the shifter is not the problem, I'm back at square one with no clue as to why this continues to plague a nice guy like me. I'd hate to think the Benz is pissed about me spending $500 on a 25-year-old Chev pickup last month and is envious that she won't be asked to perform farm-like duties anymore.

OZCLK430 mentioned in Post #12 that shifter failures were common. If two of them go to hell on the same car within six months, I'd upgrade that status to "chronic".

Thinking it is another shifter assembly problem led me to searching another one out. I kept running into inconsistent information as to the right part number and what other models/model years would apply. Four different dealership parts counters came up with four different conflicting answers - including a W170 from the 1950's! I got two different answers as to which part number was correct. I could not get another to commit to an answer as to what the year range would be applicable for my specific model. All the dealerships had the full VIN supplied. These are the same geniuses that work closely with the service department that thought it was an ignition key problem. After they cashed my $400 check, they stood there scratching their collective heads. I didn't even the Cappuccino Girl wouldn't look me in the eye (and no, I didn't even get a cappuccino out of the deal).

The eBay sellers can't be trusted for their compatibility references. I should have simply gone back to Post #12 and trust OZCLK430's list of applicable models/model years and his specified part number. At this point, I'll trust his information before any of these other clowns.

LKQ/Keystone (pretty good used/new parts outfit) came back scratching their head and asked if I could get back to them if I "found out anything". That said, I would buy a used part from them for the simple reason that they offer a variety of warranties: 6-months free, 1-year for $27, and 2-year for $56. That beats the hell out of rolling the dice with other fleaBay-ers or dealing with the "national network" of cigar-chomping junkyard guys.

Now I just have to wait for LKQ/Keystone to have one pop up on their inventory sheet. $500 - $750 is simply out of my budget.

And if SistarB is out there, what brand of de-icer do you use? I may be resorting to the Rattle-Can Method in the near future.

 

Did you ever change the brake switch?
With the car off, turn the key to the on position, depress the brake pedal to see if the rear lights go on, then release the pedal and then push it again, continue to make sure each time the pedal is depressed the lights go on. Is it possible you have new brake linings which will give you a firm brake pedal with little movement. With each depression of the pedal it will be firmer and not travel as far, had this issue with my E, if I pressed brake more than once to start with the keyless go.

 

Critter:

Early on I explored the idea of a bad brake switch. My understanding is that if the switch is bad or stuck, I would not be able to move the shifter from gear to gear (key on, foot on brake). Every time it decides to not start, I have always been able to move the shifter. For example, when I thought the problem was temperature related I simply put it in neutral and rolled it under a tree. I think this idea was also discussed in one of OZCLK430's threads when he first tried to figure out this problem. https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...ont-crank.html . Unless I'm off base here, I'll let the new brake switch I bought a few years ago continue to sit on the shelf (at least until I get a strong desire to punish myself by stuffing my fat head under the dash).


Additionally, all lights work - either with or without the problem being "active". Brakes were changed three years ago so they're not new.

 

Just to verify consistent electrics when the brake is applied after all the car is 13+ years old. I never changed mine out but I make sure I depress the brake pedal the first time and have no further issues. Have you tried to move the shifter without touching the brake? Try to start the car in neutral, (e brake on) next time it fails.
Good Luck

 

When you end up sitting in a parking lot for a few hours at a whack, you try everything you can think of to get it to cooperate, including trying to start with and without pedal, and in every gear. If I don't press the pedal, the gear lever doesn't move. When I do press it, it does.


Thanks for the input.

 

Purchased my new shifter online from the US for $440 delivered ( if I recall correctly) an it is genuine Mercedes.


Now the interesting bit, and forgive me if I have said this previously in a post.


The reason that the shifters fail is two fold and hence why Mr Merc came out with an upgraded shifter.


1. The feelers/ wipers inside the shift mechanism, give a voltage encoded signal to the shifter circuit board (inside the shifter). These wear out, and start giving incorrect signals which conflict with the Transmission control Unit - result is that the car wont start.


2. When the battery goes flat, after a period of time the shifter seem to lose its memory. I believe that the quality of the memory chips used are poor. Much like the average USB, buy one from Verbatim and you have quality, buy a cheap knockoff from china and you are less likely to have any long term data. ( I import electronic components and it is critical).


SO, given these two issues, Mr Merc produced an upgrade of the original, that was fitted to all post 2001 vehicles. and used in a number of the CLK vehicles ( not just the 430's).


My guess is that the replacement shifter is an older unit, and most likely plagued with the same issues.


I did a google search using the NEW part number and it returned a bunch of companies that can provide it - some asked for best offer - I think the company I eventually purchased from was listed on Amazon.


I don't like giving people advice ( I case I am wrong!) but my advice would be to buy a new shifter.


Regards
Dave

 

Hey @GorgeRider! My car is fixed!

I should have got back to you a while back but wanted to make sure that it didn't start playing up again but so far so good!

Basically, the guy at the garage fitted a relay (somewhere under the bonnet) which gives the car the extra spark to the ignition which it was missing before. However, after fitting it the car must be reset or it will fail to start at some point, as I discovered after beaking down again a week after the relay was fitted.

The relay cost £40 plus fitting and the car has been starting perfectly for three months! My can of de-icer is now a distant memory as is leaving the house and never being sure whether I was ever gonna leave/get home.

I'm not sure whether I mentioned this in a post before but from the very beginning my Dad explained to me that he knew how to fix the problem and that he would install a switch on my dashboard somewhere!!!?? which would sort the problem. Of course I declined but in effect he was right - it's just that I opted for a relay under the bonnet to get the car started instead.

Basically, the problem is with the electrics of the car that is not sending the signal to the ignition to start and so the relay (or my Dad's switch) by passes the defunct electric system and starts the car instead.

Its a bit of a make shift repair BUT it works and for anyone who is tired of spending huge amounts on their Merc without results and can no longer stand the angst of not knowing when and where their car is going to start playing up again, it is the perfect solution.

Ok, really hopes this helps.

All the Best,


SistarB :-)

 

SistarB: Congratulations! However, by actually telling someone, "My car is fixed!" you have doomed yourself to adopt a new, and likely even more frustrating, slew of mechanical issues. Good luck with those, too. Since I said the same thing after I got mine "fixed" the first time, I have some experience in this. Just a reminder: It is now winter (OK, not for you, OZ). For that reason alone, I'd keep the de-icer around until at least April.

OZ, When I first got this car I remember mentioning to more than one dealership service manager or independent wrench that I spend time on these mechanical forums for all of my four vehicles and a few other things. Almost to a man, they made similar comments with the theme, "You get what you pay for". If any of them saw this thread, I'd be first in line to hand them a fork and happily watch them choke on their words. Your thorough level of analysis and insight makes this thread the "poster child" for how valuable these forums are. I hope those who get to see and use this information in the future realize what they have. I know I do. The fact that you and Sis are back on this thread in less than 24-hours of my recent post is an amazing testament to what a treasure this site, and others like it, is.

To topic. My searches of the new part number have yielded the same results as OZ indicated. OEM stuff for around $440. I'll probably just go that route, but I'll have to turn out the girlfriend for a few weeks to be able to write the check. Hell, I might also have to turn out the wife. (insert lame emoticon here)

Yes, I'm sure my replacement "fishing weight" was old enough to have hair on it. Yuh pays yer money. Yuh takes yer chances. I lost that one.

There are a couple of questions that remain in the back of my head: Why does it work perfectly after sitting one to two hours and starts right up as if nothing had happened? What would change the screwed-up voltage signal from the wipers and why would it move in and out between functioning and not functioning and do so without further degradation of that condition over a relatively long period of time? Battery has only been disconnected a few times and has only been flat for a few hours when a light got left on. That's since I bought the car over three years ago. Does the "bad chip" idea mentioned above have to involve a flat batt, or can another condition incite chip failure?

Now, if a new shifter solves this problem and it's never again mentioned in polite company, these questions seem moot. I figured that since we have such a huge amount of time, stress, money, and probably therapy invested in this, these questions were worth asking. A response of "**** off, Tosser," is not unexpected, here.

I'll keep you posted as to how My Wimmenz do during the busy Holiday season.

 

SistarB - I hope that your issue is fixed and I also hope that the mechanic has not just replaced a K40 relay and charged you a stupid amount. I don't like telling people they are wrong, and with fear of upsetting you, there is / can be a lot wrong with just adding another relay to fix the issue. However if its got you running and seems to be working ok, then that's cool. Just keep an eye on your fuel economy and gear shift patterns as if there is another hidden issue( which I suspect there may be) it will soon show up.


Gorgerider - Mate, just trying to help anyone that I can as I feel the pain !!!


The wipers consist of 5 (from memory) feelers, made from copper ( about 1mm wide), with a small tip that sits on a carbon track. These feelers are on one end of the shifter mechanism ( A small white plastic ring drives the unit on the end of the main shaft of the shifter.) Positioning the shifter from P-N-R-D etc, moves the feelers in parallel across the carbon track, giving a voltage coded output, which is supposed to relate to a specific position. Ie in P = X Volts, N = Y Volts , R=Z Volts etc... That signal is then processed by the shifter, and passed to the Transmission Control unit, where it compares the Trans signals, plus the neutral safety switch. If they don't match, the ECU either stops staring or depending on the mismatch, throws the car into limp mode. There are obviously heaps of different mismatch issues that can cause limp mode etc.


I did find that the wipers were very worn when I pulled my unit apart and no amount of cleaning gave me consistent outputs. I suspect that you may be seeing ( like a lot of people) problems with dirt/dust and combined with a bit of moisture/humidity etc , creates inconsistent signals.


If I was to start looking at your car now, the first thing I would do is clean everything well. remove the shifter, wash out with isopropyl alcohol, and, blow the shifter out with a bit of compressed air, reassemble and test. I know from my electrical background, the WORST faults are the intermittent ones. also being a second hand shifter, there is nothing to suggest that the last owner hasn't spilled his coffee on it at some stage and you have just given yourself a second fault !!!


The shifter can be pulled apart carefully, avoid opening the wiper/feeler switch, its really not going to be an advantage...however the main shifter circuit boards ( there are 2) are well worth the effort to clean out...


Hope that helps to some degree....feel free to give me a yell if you get stuck... david.price at westwing dot com dot au


regards
Dave

 

Hello Boys and Girls. I have an update for you all since our last little confab.

I have news from the "You've gotta be S**tting Me" department.

As you recall, I had installed a used shifter. It failed after five months. I went ahead and installed the $475 MB OEM version. After installation, it didn't start. Same symptoms. Same everything. Thoroughly demoralized, I left it on the car lift for about three months - just to remind me on a daily basis of the shame I wear.

After that three months, I decided to turn the key just to see if the battery was still in the game. VRRROOOOOM!! Up she come back to life. I've been driving it without incident for the last four months thinking the problem with the first shifter was that it had been on eBay for a reason (didn't work). My confidence was restored in the idea of spending the money for the proper parts. Unfortunately, all of this was a large pile of bull excrement.

The other day, I had the top down on one of our rare-to-date 80+ degree days this year. It was the first time this year I had the top down with it that warm outside (dash indicated 84). I go to the grocery store and park with the dash facing the sun (no shadows on the dash). I come out after fifteen minutes and VOILA! car won't start. Same symptoms. Same problem. Same shameful phone call to have a friend pick me up and bring me back to retrieve the car after it had cooled down (he's gonna be drunk for a week on the beer I owe him).

My immediate thoughts are that this is not a shifter problem. Earlier in this thread I mentioned the possibility of this problem being heat related. It only puked out when the temp was above 80 F and went away in the fall. Now, I gotta come back to that idea. To repeat, symptoms are:

- All lights and gauges come on as normal when ignition is turned on.
- All switches, fans, seats, and the top work whether it starts or not.
- When car does start (cool days or after cooling off), it runs perfectly as if nothing was wrong.
- When it fails to start, there is no noise, dash light, or other indication something is wrong.
- Key always has and continues to work. It was the first thing I had replaced at the suggestion of the dealership. After that idea failed, I asked them to figure out what it could be. They just stared at me with mouths open and shoulders shrugged. I haven't been back.

After replacing a $450 key, two shifters, and still have the same problem, I have to look elsewhere. The ECU doesn't seem likely as it works perfectly when it does start and I get 28 mpg on the highway. Unless it's the ignition switch itself, I'm at a loss. I could do another expensive "remove and replace" thing, but that hasn't worked so far and I'm out over $1000.

This car fits my 6'5" bod and I really love driving it. I hate to give it up because of some ****ty little problem like this.

 

sound slike a CPS to me. crank position sensor. when the car heats up it wont start or it will shut down. if you have already done that I apologise because I didn't bother reading the whole thing but this im 95% sure of. its a cheap $50 fix.

 

Changed CPS over a year ago. Bosch. New. No change.

It always ran perfectly when it did start - no grinding, no missing, 28 mpg.

Thanks for your response.

 

OK. Here's the update:

I replaced the K40 relay back in July with a used one off fleaBay ($25). I swapped it out, but then lived with a BAS/ABS/ESP error w/ CEL that was driving me nuts for a couple of months. Fortunately, the intermittant-no-start problem never reoccurred. In an effort to get rid of the dash light errors, I opened up the cover to the K40 thinking I needed to swap it back with the old one. I found an wire connector that had worked itself loose (I didn't push it in all the way). After reconnecting, all lights went out. To date, it has never failed to start.

I think I got it, folks. Thanks for all your help and support. Now I have to figure out why the center brake light doesn't work right (too dim). Next spring I'll go after why the deck lid hatch not releasing for the convertible top (once release, the top works without problem).