Shifter Coffee Spill .. not really .. shifter bushing
07-07-2012, 05:17 PM
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ML350 2010 AWD
Shifter Coffee Spill .. not really .. shifter bushing
Hello all,
I have had an experience with my 1998 E320, and since I read about it here in this forum, I decided to share my experience, in case it happens to someone else.
Background:
Few weeks ago, I was on my way from Cape Code, MA to Albany, NY. It is about 230 miles, and it was 100+ F degrees in Cape Cod. I got a cup of coffee and put it in the cup holder before I left. Before hitting the rode, over a sharp turn, the coffee cup fell and all of its coffee (it was still half full), spilled all over the center console and the shifter. I stopped immediately and cleaned the area with paper towels. But some of the coffee leaked into the shifter. I cleaned everything as I could and hoped that nothing would happen, and hit the road. The car was still running when I stopped and was cleaning the coffee spill.
I stopped three times on the road, and every time I stopped, I switched off the car, and started after 10-15 minutes, without any incident. It was a smooth ride home.
The day after I arrived home, the car would not start! I thought "oh, well" the coffee spill. when I would turn the key, all lights would come on, but the car wouldn't crank.
So I let the car sit for another day. I tried it the day after, and after again with no luck. It was then 2 days after my arrival.
The Coffee Spill
I read all about coffee spill in this forum and everywhere else, that once the coffee spills you have to clean it, and if it spills into the shifter, the car goes into limb mode, don't drive it, etc.
I came into conclusion that it is the coffee spill, and the shifter is out. I was ready to have the car towed to the dealer. I went back to the car, and tried it again, and OMG, it turned on! What?! The shifter was fine, I took it for a short ride, and everything was fine.
Fix!
The day after, in the morning when I switched the car to take it to work, it wouldn't start again! .... but it did the day before!
Confused, disappointed, I hit the shifter (the shifter was in P, I hit it a little toward right, and it bounced back to P), and ... it turned on!!!!
Long story short, I realized that when it won't start on, if I turn the key all the way bak to off, and hit the shifter, it will turn on!
So I drove it for almost two weeks with this trick. Whenever it won't turn on, I would hit the shifter to the right.
Real Problem
Last day I took it for service to the dealer, and told them "if it doesn't turn on, this is how you would turn it on... take a look at it, and see what's wrong with it". And it turned out, that it was the shifter bushing that was worn out, and the shifter wouldn't recognize that the gear is in P, so it wouldn't let the car start on.
Conclusion
I thought same problem may happen to someone else, and so let's put it here for future reference.
Drive safe and enjoy your E320-1998.
I have had an experience with my 1998 E320, and since I read about it here in this forum, I decided to share my experience, in case it happens to someone else.
Background:
Few weeks ago, I was on my way from Cape Code, MA to Albany, NY. It is about 230 miles, and it was 100+ F degrees in Cape Cod. I got a cup of coffee and put it in the cup holder before I left. Before hitting the rode, over a sharp turn, the coffee cup fell and all of its coffee (it was still half full), spilled all over the center console and the shifter. I stopped immediately and cleaned the area with paper towels. But some of the coffee leaked into the shifter. I cleaned everything as I could and hoped that nothing would happen, and hit the road. The car was still running when I stopped and was cleaning the coffee spill.
I stopped three times on the road, and every time I stopped, I switched off the car, and started after 10-15 minutes, without any incident. It was a smooth ride home.
The day after I arrived home, the car would not start! I thought "oh, well" the coffee spill. when I would turn the key, all lights would come on, but the car wouldn't crank.
So I let the car sit for another day. I tried it the day after, and after again with no luck. It was then 2 days after my arrival.
The Coffee Spill
I read all about coffee spill in this forum and everywhere else, that once the coffee spills you have to clean it, and if it spills into the shifter, the car goes into limb mode, don't drive it, etc.
I came into conclusion that it is the coffee spill, and the shifter is out. I was ready to have the car towed to the dealer. I went back to the car, and tried it again, and OMG, it turned on! What?! The shifter was fine, I took it for a short ride, and everything was fine.
Fix!
The day after, in the morning when I switched the car to take it to work, it wouldn't start again! .... but it did the day before!
Confused, disappointed, I hit the shifter (the shifter was in P, I hit it a little toward right, and it bounced back to P), and ... it turned on!!!!
Long story short, I realized that when it won't start on, if I turn the key all the way bak to off, and hit the shifter, it will turn on!
So I drove it for almost two weeks with this trick. Whenever it won't turn on, I would hit the shifter to the right.
Real Problem
Last day I took it for service to the dealer, and told them "if it doesn't turn on, this is how you would turn it on... take a look at it, and see what's wrong with it". And it turned out, that it was the shifter bushing that was worn out, and the shifter wouldn't recognize that the gear is in P, so it wouldn't let the car start on.
Conclusion
I thought same problem may happen to someone else, and so let's put it here for future reference.
Drive safe and enjoy your E320-1998.
