cneedham810

My 2000 e-320 has been having some tranny issues lately. Usualy happens in the morning when I first start it up and drive, the gears don't seem to be shifting correctly. The car seems to jerk back while changing gears. As soon as I get moving and drive it for a few minutes its fine. The other issue it does is if I get on an onramp to a highway and really step on the gas the transmission sometimes gets stuck in first gear. When I try to downshift to stop it from revving at 5000rpm it won't let me it just stays in D. I have to pull over and shut the car off everytime. The local transmission shop says they don't see anything wrong with it. No Check engine errors on the dash or anything, this has been happening for a month now. Any clues?

Musikmann

I think that transmission shop is missing something. Do you know if the ATF and fliter have ever been changed? I think that alone might help your symptoms.

Another idea is to have someone like AutoZone hook you up to their OBD2, and post anything they find on here; someone will be able to interpret them. The car might have some error codes stored that have not triggered your check engine light.

tirona

cneedham810, in the morning it shifts slower because it needs a few moments to warm up, i usually wait a minute or 2 in the morning before leaving. is it cold in your garage? do you have it in w or s mode?
if you think your transmission is acting up, like musikmann said then do an tranny fluid + filter/gasket change, also wouldn't hurt to go to autozone, check if there is any codes and reset it. maybe you have some speed sensor acting up.

OldNate

That looks normal to me.. In the morning, the car needs to warm up. If it is not completely warmed up, then the shifting will be a little bit more harsh.

And as for it not shifting when going onto the freeway. I assume you floored it, kicked down all the way to the bottom. When you do that, the car's rpms will redline in order for max torque. The rpms will continue to 6100 before the car shifts. Notice that if you do not floor it completely, it will shift around 3000 rpms.

but wait, why do you pull over? Am I understanding this right?

Musikmann

Tirona is correct about the 1st shift in the morning. The way I understand it, the car stays in 1st gear longer to warm up the catalytic converters. After the car is warm, that should not happen again so I still think you have something wrong going on.

As Nate said and as far as the highway onramp acceleration is concerned, the only way it should reach 5000 RPM in D is if you have it in "kickdown" mode and then it should not shift until within the redline zone. Further, if you start out in D and downshift (push to left) it should first go to 4, then to 3 if you push it again, and so on. If you upshift from D it has no where higher to go.

VIP ONE

We have the same problem also when i used to have my W210. All I did was just had my tranny fluid flushed...and after that...it shifts smooth again.

tirona

i would never flush the atf, just change fluid/filter/pan gasket.

Musikmann

I agree with Tirona again. There always a possibility that you will dislodge some sediment in the transmission with a power flush, but some people have had that done successfully. I asked about that at my dealer and they use 16 total quarts of ATF when they do that so for me at least, it would be very expensive. I had what they call a "transmission service" which involved only draining the fluid in the pan (~4 quarts out of the total 8.5), replacing the filter, pan gasket, and lock pin. That came to about $200.

If it is possible to do a complete gravity drain on your car, that is what I would recommend. In addition to what I had done, that would involve draining the torque converter but some MBs do not have a TC drain plug.

loubapache

The 2000 model may not have the torque converter plug to drain the fluid. I also think your transmission works normally. If you let up the gas a bit, it will up-shifts earlier. W mode will also up-shifts earlier. How many miles do you have on it? You may consider a fluid/filter/gasket change.

I just changed the transmission fluid/filter/gasket on my 1997 E320 with 80k miles this morning. The fluid was very dark in color (like lightly used motor oil) but it was very clean on the bottom of the pan. I do not know the original color of this fluid because I heard it was not red but MB changed it to red later on. There was only a very very thin film of sediments which does not even cover the whole pan, just in a few spots. I fitted a MB pan magnet in the pan before I installed it.

Based on what I saw, I think it is safe to say that the fluid should easily last 100k miles.

I used the newer MB fluid (3353) which is designed for the 7 speed transmission but can also be used on the 722.6 5 speed. This is pinkish red in color and actually costs less than the original fluid for the 5 speed. It is an improved and better fluid than the original. MB apparently has a large stock of the old fluid so they use that by default. However, if cars have slight shifting problem, then they would use the newer fluid because it improves shifting. This was according to a very reputable MB Tech who is a moderator on another MB forum.

My transmission was shifting smoothly before the change. However it does occasionally have a slight slip when down-shifting from 3 to 2. After the fluid change, I think it shifts even smoother and I have not experienced the slip in my test drive. Mine does have the torque converter plug so I drained it,. It takes 7.3 liters to bring the fluid to the correct level. Since the MB fluid is sold in liters, it is easier to quote in liters.

cneedham810

Nate, the car would not shift into second gear. I would be driving down the highway in first gear so the only way to fix this is to pull over and shut the car off then back on and start over again.
That problem is now gone, hopefully for good. Brought the car to my mechanic for wheel bearings and he said hed change the fluid/filter for me. Since that I have had no issues. Transmission shifts smoothly and When I floor it on an onramp it shifts perfect. Looks like the problem is over. Thanks for the help everyone.

Musikmann

Bo,

When I had mine serviced, I asked about installing a pan magnet but the service manager said they would not install anything that wasn't original. Then the service writer (who had just come over from Jaguar) said he "thought the drain plug was magnetized".

What is the deal do you think? I asked for the magnet based on several people's opinion on these MB forums. Needless to say, unless my drain plug is magnetized, I don't have one.

loubapache

The drain plug is not magnetized.

Late models have the magnets and these are basically the same transmissions as the earlier ones.

The size of the MB magnet fits right into one of the square (shallow) cavity near the drain plug.

Musikmann

I guess I should have asked the tech who removed the drain pan then if there was one there. Thanks.

John Major

Speaking of trannies, I just had to have mine rebuilt after the whole thing failed! I thought these cars were supposed to be superior to others as far as mechanical issues went. I don't understand. At least it was cheap, just $2k I'm spending. Will be getting it tonight. Will give you guys an update on how it drives. Any advice on my driving habit's on a newly rebuilt tranny?

waynesi

Dude, I had the very same complaint. Fortunately, I have a good friend who works for MB, and he suggested two things for me to do. I did both and the problem of the herky-jerky shifting sensation is gone.
1. Change the cam shaft magnet
2. tighten up the throttle cable

Like i said, I did both and the problem is GONE!


Hope this fixes your problem too.

Wayne

cneedham810

i thought my problem was solved, apparently its not seeing it happened again. Waynesi can you tell me how much that cost you to fix?

scottster77

ohhh i thought this was a Transvestite issue topic.... DAMN!!!

my bad

ProV1

waynesi

Hey C,

The cam magnet was like $80.00 and tightening the throttle cable wasnt as easy as it sounds, you have to reach under the manifold to get a hand on the linkage. it is on the drivers side between the brake lines and the motor... The magnet is the gold disk on the very front/top of the engine under the black plastic cover with the mercedes logo, and isnt hard to replace at all... three allen bolts and a plug is all.

let me know if this helps you,
Good luck,
Wayne

floridagc

I just completed a 30,000 mile service (actually 34,000) because I had close to that problem. Here is what mine does, in the morning or after the car has completly cooled, the trans after starting it up shifts like my race cars with a shift kit. It will shift like this until the motor is at operating temp. I took it in to the MB Dealer and they serviced the trans, by way of new fluid, filter and a servo while the pan was down. They gave it back and said they could not figure out why it shifts so hard. Now I read this board and it scares me because the dealer should have known about the two above referenced problems.
Does anyone have anything to add or help, sorry about hijacking the thread but it applies to my car somewhat

flgc