How Is This Possible?
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
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230SLK
How Is This Possible?
I own a 1998 320 SLK and love it. Never a problem until now. Here's what happened.
Driving down the Fla. Tpk. doing 75 mph. Suddenly the car vibrates, grindes and shakes as if I'm riding over gravel. I believe I have a flat and immediatly pull over. I check to see which tire is flat and notice a small amount of liguid eminating from the passanger side of engine. Engine is off and I open the hood to look for leak. Notice nothing. Try to start engine with hood up and the battery makes a loud POP, a piece of plastic from the battery casing hits the upraised hood and I realize that the liguid is the battery acid. The battery has blown up. Car is dead and will not start. Also, transmission will not hold in park. After towing to MB dealership, dealer tells me transmission is cooked, SBS system is cooked and battery has blown.
Here's my question.
How can a blown battery fry the transmission? Why wasn't the alternator damaged or for that matter anything else. Why was there no indication on my dash? No bells or whistles, no warning?
Dealership tells me this is a freak incident, however, batteries have been known to explode occasionally. Chances of this happining again is like getting hit by lightning.
This doesn't help to build my confidence level. The damage will cost me $6000. I'll get a new warranty on the tranny (2 &1/2 yrs) and one year on everything else. This helps a little but I want to know how a blown battery destroys a tranny.
Can anyone tell me?
Thanks for your help.
Driving down the Fla. Tpk. doing 75 mph. Suddenly the car vibrates, grindes and shakes as if I'm riding over gravel. I believe I have a flat and immediatly pull over. I check to see which tire is flat and notice a small amount of liguid eminating from the passanger side of engine. Engine is off and I open the hood to look for leak. Notice nothing. Try to start engine with hood up and the battery makes a loud POP, a piece of plastic from the battery casing hits the upraised hood and I realize that the liguid is the battery acid. The battery has blown up. Car is dead and will not start. Also, transmission will not hold in park. After towing to MB dealership, dealer tells me transmission is cooked, SBS system is cooked and battery has blown.
Here's my question.
How can a blown battery fry the transmission? Why wasn't the alternator damaged or for that matter anything else. Why was there no indication on my dash? No bells or whistles, no warning?
Dealership tells me this is a freak incident, however, batteries have been known to explode occasionally. Chances of this happining again is like getting hit by lightning.
This doesn't help to build my confidence level. The damage will cost me $6000. I'll get a new warranty on the tranny (2 &1/2 yrs) and one year on everything else. This helps a little but I want to know how a blown battery destroys a tranny.
Can anyone tell me?
Thanks for your help.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 867
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From: New Jersey
2008 C300 Sport
This is just a guess. Would the hydraulics of the transmission require battery power to actually shift the gears? If your battery was blown, you may have been driving in the wrong gear for the speed you were travelling; thereby damaging the transmission. As I said, just a guess.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 332
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From: LI, NY
02 W163, 84 W123, 03 E39, 98 E39
Bummer of a Problem
MB Transmissions before 1998 were not electronicly controlled. On an 84 300D I lost my alternator and used up my battery on a long highway trip, yet the transmission worked perfectly as it was mecanical/hydraulic/vacuum operated/controlled. It sounds like you had a major electrical "problem" that fryed selected electronics. If the battery cauysed this or was a victim of the electrical problem, I can't tell you. I believe there is a main fuse between the battery and your electrical system. I don't know why this didn't protect your car/transmission and vica-versa.
If I were you, I would talk to the Service Manager and ask to have a MB Factory Rep come in to examine your car as it sounds like your dealer is not sure what happened and is trying to grasp- at-straws to explain your situation. Your Service Manager/Advisor probably will resist, but I would insist on it before spending $6K on a repair. You never know. If the factory rep gets involved, he/she may find something or may be awair of a TSB (tecnical Service Bulliten)/Recall that explains your situation an maby you will get some assistance crom MB Corporate.
Good Luck! Let us know how it works out.
If I were you, I would talk to the Service Manager and ask to have a MB Factory Rep come in to examine your car as it sounds like your dealer is not sure what happened and is trying to grasp- at-straws to explain your situation. Your Service Manager/Advisor probably will resist, but I would insist on it before spending $6K on a repair. You never know. If the factory rep gets involved, he/she may find something or may be awair of a TSB (tecnical Service Bulliten)/Recall that explains your situation an maby you will get some assistance crom MB Corporate.
Good Luck! Let us know how it works out.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
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230SLK
Good answer. Thanks. I'll see what I can do. These mechanics have a lot of pride and are really reluctant to ask for help. I did get the service manager to state that they never changed a tranny on an SLK. I can understand this. MB makes a hell of a machine. Definitly a freaky thing.
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 392
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From: Belgium
Re: Bummer of a Problem
Originally posted by sph17
MB Transmissions before 1998 were not electronicly controlled...
MB Transmissions before 1998 were not electronicly controlled...
And without the electric/electronic controlling system the transmission can only shift to 2nd gear and reverse (only hydraulic). If it is in another gear and something happens it stays in that gear.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Belgium
Originally posted by quietflight
no the tranny fluid is pumped by the torque converter...
no the tranny fluid is pumped by the torque converter...
The transmission oil pump has nothing to do with the torque converter.
Almost a Member!
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 40
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Almost a Member!
Joined: May 2003
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From: Lake Worth, Florida
1999 C230 Kompressor Sport
The devices that require power from a car's electrical system don't get power from the battery, they get it from the alternator. The battery is for starting the engine, then the alternator supplies electricity to the car's electrical system, including keeping a charge on the battery. All I can figure is that the battery, still a part of the electric system when the car is running, although not technically required to be there once it's running, sent a big jolt of juice into the system when it exploded, thereby damaging some of the components such as the electrically operated transmission, etc.
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hidefdave,
your vehicle is run by the battery. the alternator charges the battery and the voltage regulator regulates voltage to the battery. on our cars and really any new computer controlled car, you CANNOT remove the battery from the system without frying the internal voltage regulator in the alt and probably a few other things.
your vehicle is run by the battery. the alternator charges the battery and the voltage regulator regulates voltage to the battery. on our cars and really any new computer controlled car, you CANNOT remove the battery from the system without frying the internal voltage regulator in the alt and probably a few other things.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
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230SLK
Slk hasn't got a breaker between the battery and the electrical system. Dealer called to say car was ready. I'll pick it up on Monday and let you all know exactly what they replaced and how it's running. I'm hoping for the best. Meanwhile, Insurance Co. picked up the tab for this and will replace anything that goes bad if it was left out. Great news. They would only pay for 1/2 the battery cost, however. Strange....but OK with me. Thanks for all the advice.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 591
Likes: 3
From: Mid-Atlantic USA
W203 & W204 3.0L 4matics & MR2 Supercharger
You might want to report the EXPLODING Batt. to the NTSB, they keep track of things like this and I believe there was a problem with EXPLODING Batts. in the C-Class.
Also;
NP
Also;
1998 SLK
Transmission Driver-adaptive electronic 5-speed automatic. Driver-selectable winter mode starts vehicle moving in 2nd gear or a second Reverse gear to help improve take-off on slick surfaces
Transmission Driver-adaptive electronic 5-speed automatic. Driver-selectable winter mode starts vehicle moving in 2nd gear or a second Reverse gear to help improve take-off on slick surfaces
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 591
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From: Mid-Atlantic USA
W203 & W204 3.0L 4matics & MR2 Supercharger
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...ll.af19f5.html
NP
Washington - Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling 65,000 cars after owners complained of exploding batteries. General Motors is recalling 546,000 sport utility vehicles because the brake and hazard lights can fail.
Mercedes-Benz is asking owners of all 1998 and some 1999 C Class models to bring them to dealers so they can check the battery fluid. If the fluid is too low, it can expose electric plates and ignite gases inside.
"We're not necessarily going to be replacing them, in fact in most cases we won't be," Mercedes-Benz spokesman Fred Heiler said. "There is nothing wrong with the battery if it is maintained correctly."
At least five owners have reported their battery exploded. One person was injured by spraying acid and battery fragments. Mercedes-Benz dealers will put warning labels in the owner's manual and engine compartment saying the battery should be checked during every tune up.
Mercedes-Benz is asking owners of all 1998 and some 1999 C Class models to bring them to dealers so they can check the battery fluid. If the fluid is too low, it can expose electric plates and ignite gases inside.
"We're not necessarily going to be replacing them, in fact in most cases we won't be," Mercedes-Benz spokesman Fred Heiler said. "There is nothing wrong with the battery if it is maintained correctly."
At least five owners have reported their battery exploded. One person was injured by spraying acid and battery fragments. Mercedes-Benz dealers will put warning labels in the owner's manual and engine compartment saying the battery should be checked during every tune up.
Thread Starter
Newbie
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230SLK
OK, here's the final deal. Picked up the car today. Rides perfectly. They showed me the cause of the tranny failure which was the nut from the output yoke that came loose on the output shaft transmission. The battery, unfortunatly, blew immedialtly after the tranny failed and caused the SRS computer system to fry as well. They reprogramed everything, replaced the transmission with the latest model which no longer has this particular nut attached (pre-1998), replaced the torque converter, tranny fluid, tranny control module,etc. Everything working fine. 2 & 1/2 years on the tranny, 1 year on everything else. What more can I ask?
Thread Starter
Newbie
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230SLK
Apparently is was determined that I ran over some debris on the highway and that it caused the tranny to fail. A nick on one of the alignment tie bars indicated that this is what probably happened. Hence, insurance covered everything.
