Stuck in 7th Gear
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GLK350 2010 Sold C63 AMG 2012 Sedan Sold GLK250 2013
Stuck in 7th Gear
Hey Guys,
I have a 2013 GLK250. I was on the highway yesterday going to work. It was -10C (not sure if related). I was on cruise control doing about 115km/h (70 freedom units?). As i was driving the RPM surged and cruise control disengaged. Nothing happened beyond that. I thought maybe i hit some ice. On the way home it was -3C. Same thing. the RPM surged. I kept driving with no concerns. As i was exiting the highway i found that the transmission was tuck in 7th gear. I tried to gear it down in manual but i an only get it to 6th gear. I had to pull over and restart the car. Everything worked normal after that.
I did some high level searching and it is suggested that turbo intercooler pipe crack. is that a thing? Any ideas? The transmission was serviced when i did the bluetec recall so i don't think its a trans issue.
I have a 2013 GLK250. I was on the highway yesterday going to work. It was -10C (not sure if related). I was on cruise control doing about 115km/h (70 freedom units?). As i was driving the RPM surged and cruise control disengaged. Nothing happened beyond that. I thought maybe i hit some ice. On the way home it was -3C. Same thing. the RPM surged. I kept driving with no concerns. As i was exiting the highway i found that the transmission was tuck in 7th gear. I tried to gear it down in manual but i an only get it to 6th gear. I had to pull over and restart the car. Everything worked normal after that.
I did some high level searching and it is suggested that turbo intercooler pipe crack. is that a thing? Any ideas? The transmission was serviced when i did the bluetec recall so i don't think its a trans issue.
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2021 GLB250 FWD, 2023 GLA250 FWD, 2013 C250, 2015 GLK350, 2005 ML350SE, 2003 E320
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
Have it scanned for codes. Is suspect it's some sort of limp mode related to the overspeed, but the scanner will tell you more. I doubt it has anything to do with the intercooler piping, but that is a common problem with a definite fix.
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2013 glk 350
Does it have the auxiliary battery like the 350? Check the voltage . Maybe disconnect the main battery for a bit ? I don’t know . Look to see if trans is leaking ? Really dumb of MB on The 350 you can not check trans level. No dipstick.
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GLK350 2010 Sold C63 AMG 2012 Sedan Sold GLK250 2013
the reason i suspected the piping because the RPM surged on cruise control for no reason. Once that happened it may have put the TCU out of wake and it got stuck in 7th gear and needed a reset.
The transmission on the 350 and 250 are common as far as i know.
The transmission on the 350 and 250 are common as far as i know.
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GLK350 2010 Sold C63 AMG 2012 Sedan Sold GLK250 2013
I was able to replicate the problem a couple of times now. Seems like its only in cold weather and it only happens in cruise control. The RPM surges as if i dropped from 7th gear to 6th but the dash still shows 7th gear. Kicks me out of cruise control and drives normal like nothing is wrong until i get to the exit. Once i hit the exit it doesn't down shift in auto. I try to down shift in manual and i can only get to 6th gear. I can't say for sure if the car actually shifts to 6th gear, the dash only shows that I'm on 6th. I slow down to a stop and the car struggles to move since its on a high gear. I turn the car off and back on and everything rests and is back to normal.
I feel like maybe this RPM surge (whatever causes it) makes the transmission thinks i'm trying to accelerate while i'm not. The transmission gets confused and gets it stuck. I'll try to figure out why the RPM surges i guess.
I feel like maybe this RPM surge (whatever causes it) makes the transmission thinks i'm trying to accelerate while i'm not. The transmission gets confused and gets it stuck. I'll try to figure out why the RPM surges i guess.
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
It sounds like maybe your torque converter clutch disengaged. Do you have a way to monitor the TCC? If it suddenly disengages, the cruise probably thinks it slipped into neutral and disengages to prevent an engine overspeed. If you can compare engine speed to transmission input shaft speed that will tell you if the clutch lets go. I think there is a parameter called slippage, which covers the same thing.
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GLK350 2010 Sold C63 AMG 2012 Sedan Sold GLK250 2013
So it seems like my intermediate shaft bearing was wobbling and i suspect the vibration was causing the the ABS to kick in and all the confusion was causing the computer to keep the transmission stuck in 7th gear. Yesterday i had the same thing happen (as i described in my initial post) and I also heard a grinding sound. I got home and by the morning most of the oil in my oil pan was on the garage floor. An indi garage quoted 4000 dollars to do oil pan/intermediate bearing/drive shaft. I'm glad i figured out the issue but I'm sad to see the hit to my bank account.
Last edited by ramo80; Feb 6, 2025 at 02:51 PM.
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From: WI
GLK 250
That really stinks, sorry for your troubles. If it helps, consider it a silver lining that it didn't all leak out while you were still doing 70+ freedom units on the highway... And that spinning shaft would've likely done some damage to the underside if it broke loose.
If you don't mind, keep us posted on what the fix entails and how it runs afterward. Can you remember if you heard groaning or vibrating/drone noise at certain speeds prior to failure?
If you don't mind, keep us posted on what the fix entails and how it runs afterward. Can you remember if you heard groaning or vibrating/drone noise at certain speeds prior to failure?
