I was driving my 1999 ML430 yesterday in a parking lot and I had stopped to let another car back out. As soon as I started going again, pressing the accelerator pedal gave me almost no power and I heard a crunching noise, so I immediately pulled into a parking space to get out and look to see if I had hit something or something weird was going on with my car. Everything looked fine from the outside, but when I got back in the car and started it again, I could not get any of the gears to engage. I can move the shifter into the gear positions, but when I press the accelerator, the car makes a light movement (like it's trying to engage the gear), but the car doesn't move, and the engine just revs really high. Also, it's making a noticeable whirring noise that I've never hear before when it revs up. I tried engaging all gears and reverse without success, and I even let it sit overnight and came back this morning, but nothing has changed. Does anyone have any ideas about this problem? Did my transmission just take a dump on me??

 

Could be very low transmission fluid, or the transfer case chain broke.

 

Thank you Sulaco! I did not see any transmission fluid (or other fluids) leaking under the car (or at the location where I normally park it). Also, I do not have any check engine lights on either! But after looking into the Transfer Case Chain breaking, that just might be it! I appreciate the suggestion...and I may have to pull off the cover now to take a look.

 

Trans fluid being gone might not leave any signs. It's happened on 2 of my cars with the same transmission. Fluid leaks out in a way where it never appeared to be leaking. But suddenly it wouldn't go into gear and would stick in Neutral. I'd tow it home only to find the transmission dipstick bone dry. Add in Shell ATF134 until it measures accurately on the dipstick and the problem was resolved. These transmissions leak in the strangest ways that are impossible to spot.

 

Actually, it turned out to be the Transmission itself. The car would not engage any gears EXCEPT it would engage Park. After having it towed to the shop, they said the transmission itself is definitely burned out. Sucks to be me...

 

Burned out is pretty general. Did the shop say what failed? Many of these ‘no drive’ conditions are caused by a failure on the conductor plate.