I believe I've lost my tranny! Let me know what you think.

I was driving my family down the interstate last Saturday and the car suddenly acted like it lost power at the same time the check engine lights came on. As I attempted to get off the side of the road we heard a very loud bang and the rear wheels locked up. This caused the car to fishtail, nearly sending us into the guardrail!

After about 3-4 seconds of the rear wheels being locked up they then released and we could hear a clicking noise (from the transmission area) that resembled the sound of a car being thrown into Park while in forward motion. Luckily we were able to get off the side of the road without causing an accident.

My first thought was that the transmission has grenaded. Some how I am able to get the car to go in a forward motion just barely, as if I only have a high gear. Reverse works fine.

I can hear, while the car idles, something that resembles loose metal rattling in the area of the transmission.

My questions are: What should I expect to spend (min-max) on a transmission replacement. I realize that it's a shot in the dark for an estimate without even opening the trans.

Is it worth it to find a replacement in a salvage yard for these cars?

The car in question is a 98 E320.

Thanks!


Eric

 

How many miles on this car? When was trans last serviced?

Sound like a frightening incident

 

100,000

Last serviced (trans) at the 70,000 mark.

 

Wow, you are lucky to have gotten it off the road.

I had my Transmission fluid replaced at 90k and 3k later I lost my clutch control plate. Check Engine electronics light came on while I was driving on the highway and I started losing Reverse and 1st gear randomly in the next two days before I could get it into the shop.

I didn't experience anything like what you had. Post up the damage when you have it opened up.

 

aren't these transmissions supposed to be sealed for life? My mechanic won't change my fluid, I've asked him a bunch of times and he says no way... I suppose he's right, after 130k miles, if it's not broken, I shouldn't fix it.

 

SMAZUR: All transmissions are sealed for life. If you never change the fluid, that fluid lasts the life of the transmission. Follow me?

HOWSER: sorry to hear about your transmission. Zam2000 recently had his tranny rebuilt for ~$2000, IIRC, but he got quotes all across the board. Search the archives.

 

Best bet would be an MB remanufactured transmission from an MB dealer. A bit more expensive but the warranty and quality control are well worth it. Because the Transmission locked up you should have the differential and U joints checked also as they took lots of stress.

 

Regarding the MB factory rebuilt transmission:

Warranty, yes.

Quality control, probably not. MB "quality control' is the reason his tranny grenaded @ 100k.

 

Like Lexrex said, the fluid will last the lifetime of the tranny. Which will not be that long, wink wink.

Get your fluid changed by 80k miles or face the wrath your mechanic's boat payment, possibly up to $4,000.

 

Thanks lexrex. $2000 sounds reasonable I guess for a luxury car. I am dollar amount greater than $4000. It's hard to justify that kind of repair bill for a car worth only 10-12K.

Anybody here know any reputable shops in SW MO (Springfield)?

Thanks again folks.

Eric

 

You do not know that for certain and neither do I. However there are lots of reasons other than quality control that could cause a failure. Some are, wrong fluid used, leak of fluid, abuse, overheating, dirt in the fluid, on and on. Do not be so certain that its quality control. Interesting that it happened after the fluid change?? It did run flawlessly for all those miles with seemingly no problems. Thus I feel that its another issue than quality.

 

UPDATE

I finally got around to fixing this issue and it turned out to be a clogged cat converter! It seems that it must have broken apart, causing a clot in the exhaust, and then sending the computer into "limp home mode". All this while driving down the interstate at 75mph! I'm relieved that it wasn't the transmission after all.

Thanks to all for your assistance.

Eric

 

Now go service that tranny................before its too late !

 

Turns out quality is the issue... except not that of the transmission!

Nonetheless, I'm sure someone can come up with lame excuses for why Mercedes catalytic converts go bad hundreds of thousands of miles before Honda/Toyota converters. (It must be tough to build a "luxury catalyst.")

 

Eric, im a little confused. How did your mechanic explain that a cat converter would cause the wheels to lock up? Loss of power and check engine light, absolutely. Locked rear wheels, no way.

something sounds a bit strange.

 

Sounds like a serious safety issue. Are you sure the rear wheels really locked up? 3-4 seconds at highway speeds would totally flat spot the tires... did you need to replace the rear tires?

 

They offered no explaination. We are assuming that the car went into limp mode, kicked down to 1st gear (which is odd I know). The tires, to me locked up, most likely were not spinning as fast as they should have been being they were now in first gear. The loss of power would be attributed to the limp mode.

I will need to have the transmission serviced though it is showing no signs of damage (as of now). Maybe someone else has a better idea of what happened...?

Eric

 

I'm not going to make excuses, but you need to realize that not everything on an MB is made by MB. There are only a few cat suppliers in the world, and the same cats in MB make it into other brands as well. Also, how are you so sure that your Japanese idols don't have similar long-term issues? Are you a member of their forums as well? I had a Honda motorcycle where the axle retaining bracket failed just after I'd completed a winding mountain run - only luck saved me from a nasty accident. How could your god-like Honda engineers have screwed up so royally on such a simple yet critical piece???

 

I have spent $1,200.00 thus far and my car will not go because it is still in "Limp Mode." How do I get it out of limp mode? My problem and experience was very simular to what happened to HOWSER. 75 MPH I70 and BOOM shut down Check Engine Light Flashing Engine Electrical Problem Scrolling. Pulled codes PO300 PO304 PO305 PO306 which are all misfires on the left side of engine cyl 4 5 & 6 code 300 is for random misfire. this is my 5th Benz I have a 94 C220 great car and a 91 300TE 4Matic (Nicknamed The Tank) this 98 is called; "The Deer Hunter" because 3 years ago we were hit by a hurd of Deer at 70MPH and lived to talk about it because we were in a MB and not a tin can from Asia. Thus the kids want me to save The Deer Hunter, even though they are enjoying riding in the old tank again.

Thus how do I reset limp mode in a 1998 E320 4Matic?

 

Spill anything here?
Federal Register: March 24, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 57)]
[Notices]
[Page 14988]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24mr06-144]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Denial of petition for a defect investigation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the reasons for the denial of a
petition submitted by Ms. Elyse Gerber to NHTSA's Office of Defects
Investigation (ODI), received October 13, 2005, under 49 U.S.C. 30162,
requesting that the agency commence a proceeding to determine the
existence of a defect related to motor vehicle safety with respect to
electrical system shut down on model year (MY) 2000 Mercedes Benz E430
vehicles. After a review of the petition and other information, NHTSA
has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative
resources on the issues raised by the petition does not appear to be
warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition. The petition
is hereinafter identified as DP05-007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steve Chan, Defects Assessment
Division, Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: (202) 366-8537.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By letter dated September 20, 2005, Ms.
Gerber of Belleair Beach, FL, submitted a petition requesting that the
agency investigate electrical system shut down on MY 2000 Mercedes Benz
E430 vehicles. The petitioner alleges that coffee from a cup, placed in
the cup holder, spilled onto the gear shifter and shut down the
vehicle's entire electrical system. The petitioner indicated that the
vehicle jerked and slowed down, but she was able to maneuver the
vehicle off the highway and into a shopping center parking lot.
The concern raised by the petitioner was investigated by the Office
of Defects Investigation (ODI) of NHTSA. The investigation (SQ01-010)
was opened on September 25, 2001 on MY 2000 through 2001 Mercedes Benz
SLK, C, CLK, and E Series vehicles. NHTSA opened the investigation
after receiving three complaints concerning liquid spillage onto the
transmission shifter (center console) area, which reportedly caused the
vehicle to stall or shut down, and a related technical service bulletin
(TSB) issued by Mercedes Benz. The TSB identifies improved ``Touch-
Shifters'' (ESM-Electronic Selector Modules) that were more resistant
to fluid contamination, which were installed on vehicles produced after
March 2001.
Mercedes Benz's letter dated January 24, 2002, sent in response to
a request for information by ODI, identified 164 consumer complaints
and 241 non-duplicate warranty claims concerning liquid spillage onto
the transmission shifter. The response showed that in many cases,
depending on the severity of the spill, fluid spills onto the
transmission shifter/center console of the subject vehicles will have
no effect on drivability. Where a substantial amount of fluid is
spilled, the fluid may penetrate the console and contaminate the ESM
circuitry located under the console. In certain cases, this can result
in a shifter malfunction. Owners reported that they have experienced
that the shifter is stiff or difficult to operate, or that the shifter
could not be shifted out of the ``Park'' position. In the event of a
fluid spill while the vehicle is moving, the damaged ESM will activate
the electronic transmission's ``limp-home'' mode. This mode will
prevent the transmission from shifting past second gear while averting
a stall or shut-down so that the vehicle can still be driven at a lower
speed. Furthermore, Mercedes Benz's response indicated that there are
no electronics related to the power brakes, power steering, or engine
under the center console, and the company was unaware of any
engineering basis for fluid spills in this area having any effect on
those vehicle functions. No related crashes or injuries were identified
during SQ01-010. Based on Mercedes' response and ODI's analysis of the
facts, ODI closed its inquiry in February 2002. ODI concluded that the
facts did not demonstrate a safety-related defect.
ODI has subsequently received nine more complaints alleging fluid
contamination of the transmission shifter since the investigation was
closed, none of which report crashes or injuries. These nine
complainants mainly expressed dissatisfaction with the design of the
cup holder and the cost of replacing the contaminated ESM. Similarly,
in petitioner's case she was able to operate the vehicle to a place
where it could be safety stopped after the liquid spillage. The
petitioner has not provided any evidence of a safety-related defect.
In view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that NHTSA would issue an
order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect as defined
by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in
the petition. Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize
NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety
mission, the petition is denied.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30162(d); delegations of authority at CFR
1.50 and 501.8.

Issued on: March 21, 2006.
Daniel Smith
Associate Administrator for Enforcement.
[FR Doc. E6-4309 Filed 3-23-06; 8:45 am]
Check the above,look in your manual,run the codes again,post them
ohlord
"GOT CODES?"
And with the misfire codes have you checked your cats?

 

I have replaced the cup holder for $52.00 (Part) twice the last replacement was about a year ago.

I will remove the console and inspect today.

I will also inspect the "cats." The wife has confessed to using mid-grade gas during the high price periods instead of premium. When we were slowing down the first thing I ask was what type of fuel did she just fill up with. Ans. mid grade AAArgh.

What I have done:

Cleaned and replaced the EGR system compents.
Replaced Sparks
Replaced Cyl 4 5 & 6 Ignition coils (old ones were melted)
Replaced Ignition wires, all 12
Cleaned all ground points, removed, inspected and cleaned all fuses
Replaced Fuel filter
Replaced Air filter
Replaced Battery
Replaced Brake line vacum hose

I have purchased a used ECU for $500.00 and when I put it in last night the car did nothing. Thus I put the old ECU back in which is in limp mode. Which means the car starts but is mis firing on the drivers side 4, 5, &6.

I am checking the trany and the left cat (driverside) this morning. However I fear that I will have to take to a MB shop to have the ECU cleared of limp mode unless there is a way to do it with out the MB code reader.

 

Could a weak battery cause it go to Limp Mode?

Pete

 

"Also, how are you so sure that your Japanese idols don't have similar long-term issues? "

Well, I had a Mazda 626 Turbo for 21 years. At 220,000 Km I gave it to my brother who drove it for another 20,000 km before selling it. Never had a problem with cat converter. Replaced only rear silencer - it still had original exhaust from manifold to that silencer. Also, turbo never needed repairs, nor any part of the transmission. In 20+ years, the only things needed replacement were front struts and CV joints, steering rack and radiator. My Mercedes (2003 C200K) had the dreaded oil leak from cam timing sensor which the Stealership failed to detect, nor take any responsibility for. I had to replace the wiring harness, sensors, EMC, alternator, and now have transmission switching problems, along with audio system malfunction. Over $8k and counting. All because of a $20 piece of plastic failed. Service centres were well aware of problem but never bothered to check in normal services. "It is out of warranty (only 130,000 Km) - your problem." So, guess what I think of Mercedes engineering and Customer "Service". Oh - I also have a 1997 Mitsubishi wagon with over 200,000 km. Engine and transmission like new, but just replaced the exhaust system - but the cat converter was fine - only the pipes were getting rusty because I now live near the sea. I have also owned Nissan vehicles - no problems there either. So German Engineering Superiority is a myth - Japanese beat it every time these days. (Volkswagen now in the news here over failures in DSG - just caused death of one driver. VW Australia refusing to take responsibility for issue which is subject to safety recalls in other countries. Hmmm. )

 

Weak battery usually refuses to let car start if voltage is even slightly below 12v. Unlikely to suddenly lose power during driving unless alternator is failing.