CLK-Class (W208) 1998-2002: CLK 200, CLK 230K, CLK 320, CLK 430 [Coupes & Cabriolets]

Replaced shifter.. lasted 3'

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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 12:54 AM
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1999 e320
Replaced shifter.. lasted 3'

Picked the shifter up today for my 2000 clk430. Installed it, car fired right up. Put it in drive, nothing. Reverse, nothing. Put it in park. Wouldn't shift back out of park. Shut car off, wouldn't start again, i started removing shifter, wiggled wires a lil tried to start it and battery connection was bad/battery dead. Replaced the battery. Car fired up. Put it in reverse. Car moved. Put it in drive car moved forward. Put it in park, shut car off and fastened down the shifter. Go to start it again nothing, cant get it to come out of park again. This time i fiddle with it for good half hour disconnecting battery, unplugging the shifter, wiggling the plug ect. Cant get it to start again. Eventually i decide shifter is bad now gonna take it back and get the other shifter from the yard that's another hour away. What would cause this erratic behavior? What i find odd is it quite working then started working then quite again. Has this ever happened to anyone else?
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 08:45 AM
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not enough info here. You have to be very clear for people on the internet to help you. Like for starters why did you change it in the first place? Any codes? Any other issues?

Basically this reads like " I replaced my tire and not its still messed up can you help me. Plus according to your use CP your in the wrong forum.
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 09:10 AM
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1999 e320
  • The previous owner left the sunroof open and it rained, the car would no longer shift out of park or start after that. My previous experience with Mercedes (had the same problem with a 99 e320. Was simple as ordering a used shifter and replacing it) led me to believe it was the shifter. My question is what would cause the used shifter to go bad so fast? Has anybody else experienced the shifter working, not working, working again, and then not working in a span of 5 min?
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 01:40 PM
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Like Insame1 said,

dump
the
codes

Basically you've got a car you've never seen run. The PO said he left the sunroof open, but he may have left off something important (like the transmission being one of 400 issues before the sunroof incident or the part about the passenger foot well having 4 inches of standing water). The codes will point to the usual suspects. The last owner wasn't named Keyser Soze was he?


Last edited by MarcusF; Oct 11, 2016 at 03:54 PM.
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 02:10 PM
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How does one go about getting the codes without a scanner. Would the codes be erased aftee sitting without a battery hooked up for 24 hrs? And can they still be read without it running?
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 03:37 PM
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One does not just get codes without a scanner. Your going to have to figure that out. And no the codes are stored.
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 03:55 PM
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So no trick like other makes were u turn the key on n off push a heater control or something and count the flashes to get a code?
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 04:17 PM
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OP - Here are the choices: start tossing parts at the car and hope you replace the right one (without damaging something else) or use a scanner. Many long term owners bought scanners because we know that cobbling together some contraption vaguely described at "Joe the hacker's website" doesn't work. Why? Here's a list of codes I put together ages ago. There are over 600 powertrain codes listed. That would take a lot of flashing bulbs.

Go to your local auto parts chain store, leave them a deposit and borrow a scanner.
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Old Oct 11, 2016 | 04:29 PM
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1999 e320
Lol yes that would take a lot of flashing bulbs, sorry didn't think the scanners at oriellys were sophisticated enough to scan the trans. Im loading it up on the trailer and bringing it home im sure the previous owners has bout enough of me fiddling with the car in his yard lmao. Ill stop at a parts store along the way and see what codes come up, while it was running it did say there were 4 error or malfunction messages on the lil info center bas n such
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Old Oct 21, 2016 | 11:59 PM
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1999 e320
Update, ordered a used shifter online from a 430 not 320 (not sure if it actually made a diff the first shifter that went bad right away was from a 320) and replaced the trans connector plug adapter, reset the trans b4 starting. Been working great so far. Fingers crossed.
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