Transmission slipping when engine cold...
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: obviousville
2012 E350 BlueTEC
I'm having a similar issue, but I don't believe mine has anything to do with a cold engine because I see it randomly over the course of my daily commute.
I have over 4,000 miles on my BlueTec and the problem started 3 weeks ago when I was driving home from a 300 mile trip. I was within 30 miles of home when the car suddenly lost power and could no long maintain freeway speeds. I got to the shoulder as quickly as possible and was able to limp off the freeway. the car could still drive but was then only able to go about 30 MPH and would jerk very hard when downshifting to 1st gear. I waited a while and tried again, but eventually had the car towed to the dealer. Since it was Sunday there was nobody to drive the car immediately. By the time they checked it Tuesday it was "working fine". They kept it over a week to run tests but there were no codes and Germany said everything was normal. But now that I have been driving the car for a couple weeks I notice the shifting is not perfect anymore. I get the slipping effect you mentioned usually from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th. Sometimes the shift is slightly rough and gives a slight jerk when engaging. I'm quite annoyed, but they already spent a week looking at the car and didn't find anything wrong. I'd love to drive another E350 to see how it feels to know if I'm just overly sensitive now that I've had a major problem with the car. But I think I shouldn't notice the shifting in a $50K car; it should be smooth. Am I wrong?
I have over 4,000 miles on my BlueTec and the problem started 3 weeks ago when I was driving home from a 300 mile trip. I was within 30 miles of home when the car suddenly lost power and could no long maintain freeway speeds. I got to the shoulder as quickly as possible and was able to limp off the freeway. the car could still drive but was then only able to go about 30 MPH and would jerk very hard when downshifting to 1st gear. I waited a while and tried again, but eventually had the car towed to the dealer. Since it was Sunday there was nobody to drive the car immediately. By the time they checked it Tuesday it was "working fine". They kept it over a week to run tests but there were no codes and Germany said everything was normal. But now that I have been driving the car for a couple weeks I notice the shifting is not perfect anymore. I get the slipping effect you mentioned usually from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th. Sometimes the shift is slightly rough and gives a slight jerk when engaging. I'm quite annoyed, but they already spent a week looking at the car and didn't find anything wrong. I'd love to drive another E350 to see how it feels to know if I'm just overly sensitive now that I've had a major problem with the car. But I think I shouldn't notice the shifting in a $50K car; it should be smooth. Am I wrong?
Not sure why this is happening as it wasn't at first, but now the car has a little over 1000 miles and I've noticed that when I drive the car after it's been sitting over night or all day, the first few miles of driving before the engine warms up, the transmission slips when it shifts. You can both hear it and also see it on the tach...it'll shift, then tach needle will jump a 200-300 RPMs and then fall back down. This is while driving the car very normally, no hard acceleration. After driving a 3-4 miles and the engine warms up to operating temperature, the shifts are normal.
Has anyone else ran into this or heard of this before? I think I need to make an appointment at the dealer.
BTW it's a 2012 E350 Bluetec.
Has anyone else ran into this or heard of this before? I think I need to make an appointment at the dealer.
BTW it's a 2012 E350 Bluetec.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
e350 BT
Bringing back an old topic. I'm a new owner of a w212 Bluetec and also experiencing this problem.
Was there any resolution to the transmission slipping?
I've brought it to the dealer once already and they reset the ECU and added fluid.
Was there any resolution to the transmission slipping?
I've brought it to the dealer once already and they reset the ECU and added fluid.
Junior Member
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Israel
Ml350 w164 2009 and w204 c200 cdi 2008
Ihave the same problem from fear 3-4 in cold engine someone find how to fix it?
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 11,921
Likes: 6,769
From: Silicon Valley
W212 MY'14 M276-3.5NA @75kMi
Normally TCM learns adaptations for all the transmission shifts. Under perfect conditions this works well however many things can affect shift quality ( ATF, Temps, Intake Pressure, lean misfires... and yes: olenoid voltage!).
Sloppy shifts are sort of the tip of the iceberg.
The one thing you can do easily besides timely maintenance is to take it easy so you don't waste your clutch packs, burn ATF fluid and send sludge throughout your tranny.
Anything else wonky that could affect your car in connection with tranny??
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Jun 2, 2021 at 06:07 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 17
Likes: 4
w204 C200 CGI stage 1
Not sure why this is happening as it wasn't at first, but now the car has a little over 1000 miles and I've noticed that when I drive the car after it's been sitting over night or all day, the first few miles of driving before the engine warms up, the transmission slips when it shifts. You can both hear it and also see it on the tach...it'll shift, then tach needle will jump a 200-300 RPMs and then fall back down. This is while driving the car very normally, no hard acceleration. After driving a 3-4 miles and the engine warms up to operating temperature, the shifts are normal.
Has anyone else ran into this or heard of this before? I think I need to make an appointment at the dealer.
BTW it's a 2012 E350 Bluetec.
Has anyone else ran into this or heard of this before? I think I need to make an appointment at the dealer.
BTW it's a 2012 E350 Bluetec.
Banned
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 107
Likes: 12
lexus
My 12 E350 Bluetec is currently at the dealer getting the software update. *crossing fingers*
Last edited by DeanMassy; Mar 26, 2024 at 11:16 AM.
