On the first drive of day, after starting, with my food on brake I feel a strong kick. This is new in the last week or so.

Is this an early sign of a problem?

Thank you,

Sixcarbs

 

Don't keep doing that else it will delaminate old clutch material and beat up TCC bearings... $$$$$


> How about :
-- wait 2mn for Rpm to settle down near idle.
-- Then shift into Drive!
Even I am doing that procedure in the morning.

At rest the stack of plates in clutch packs are jammed together. By shifting at idle with lower ATF pressure forces are very limited. Clutches get separated more gently.

Fresh clean MB ATF never hurts by providing good viscosity. Tranny has no real filtration. It has magnets plus strainers. When old fluid produces a lot of contaminants valve screens endup plugged with reduced control pressure.

If your idle stays high up too long, concentrate on engine issues... OBDII scan.

 

Thank you. I thought I was waiting for an idle drop, but I will focus on it more from now on and even let it idle a couple of minutes beyond. Maybe I have been in a rush lately?? I did have the transmission fluid changed in November after I bought the car and they ended up replacing the transmission ECU.

I really appreciate your wealth of knowledge and willingness to share. It is invaluable!

 

Thank you for your kind words
You've done necessary ATF service + new TCU.

Nothing good results from ignoring poor shifts.

How many miles on what engine type ?

If you don't have a scanner... get a $150 Launch cReader Elite for MB to read whole chassis fault report.

 

why did they change the fluid and the TCU? What problem was it experiencing? Is this the same problem? Was the shop that did the work experienced on your model of transmission?

 

CLK 320, M112. I am around 165,000 KM, got the car with 159,000 KM in October. Mainly drive around city, Since my trip meter reset after buying the car in Germany I think my average speed shows 19 KM/H.

I was careful this morning, let it warm up longer, and things seemed better. I just heard a quiet click.

And then....

The car must have heard me talking about it. I was making a left turn onto a major boulevard after a downhill side street in heavy traffic. As I made the left I lost power. It popped into neutral. I don't recall if the gear shift actually moved, but I moved it back (Maybe I moved it forward too first). I had power again, and was getting on the highway. But then my RPM's would not drop. I was on a highway bridge in heavy flow with the revs between 3,000 and 3,500. The car would not upshift! I moved the lever sideways left and right but nothing changed.

I got off and pulled into a parking lot. I did not want to troubleshoot and end up worse than having a single gear. I pressed the C/S button moving it to "S." I shut the car off and re-started it and began driving in "S" mode and the car seemed to be shifting normally. Like I said I was not in a troubleshooting mood so I just drove home and made an appointment with my service shop Tuesday morning.

Back to the wife's B200. (sigh....)

 

There were no specific problems.

I had just bought the car (159,000 KM) so I thought changing the transmission fluid was a good idea. The car had sat outside on a used car lot ion Germany for a year. I also told them to change some plug in the transmission known for oil leaks.

The shop reported oil leaking into the TCU and said it should be replaced and I said ok.

 

That is not good news:
Tranny is not shifting... limp mode.

You've just had fresh service and a whole new TCU with new connector - It should shift without any second thoughts.

Feel free to scan the FAULT CODES for us before shop clears them. Danke.


+++ This may be "referred faults" by non co-operating module. Fault report would help get clues.

 

Well, I just got the call and they told me the transmission checked out fine. My shop here is clearly not looking to milk me here.

I gave them a list of 9 items below. Now, many might see me as an easy mark to change the battery and the spark plugs. After he said the transmission was fine he added your spark plugs and battery are good, no need to change them. Total bill: $70. (Yes, seventy)

=================================================

1. Transmission issue? After a left turn on Knez Milosa the car slipped into neutral. I got it back in gear and continued onto Gazelle bridge/highway. The car would not upshift and stayed at 3000 to 3500 RPM the whole time on the highway. I stopped the car, switched from “C” to “S” and shut the car off and re-started. I drove home from New Belgrade to Dedinje in “S” and it seemed to shift fine.

Was that “Limp mode?” Is there a history of codes that can be printed before they are cleared? I remember we changed the TCU back in November.

2. Driver’s side door lock needs to be physically higher. Because it is set so low it does not open sometimes and requires key.



3. Amplifier in glovebox bolt.



4. Suspension noise- The car makes many sounds, especially in the morning. Please re-evaluate suspension bushings, ball joints, tie rods, engine mounts, and anything else that could be squeaking or knocking.



5. Spark plugs- How much to change all 12 with Bosch or NGK plugs?



6. Battery- How much to change to a quality 100 Amp-H battery?



7. Calibrate Climate Control knob calibration



8. Document any codes before clearing. Two catalytic converters were removed.



9. Electronics shop could not fix rear defroster. Everything they tested was fine. Where to go now? Do I need a new window or can it be “re-taped?”

 

So shop turned you around without repair... yet your car limp-modes.
Connect a good MB scanner under the dashboard to read while set of chassis faults.

These MB cars are built to be really VOLTAGE SENSITIVE - Don't waste days to conclude battery charge was low: use a good float battery charger.

Goofy tranny is a significant disruption even for a Mercedes.

 

Will get it to a scanner. Will probably take it to dealer here just for that.

Regarding the battery, I had just noticed mine was born with the 100 Amp and figured it couldn’t hurt.

I do not have an outlet where I park.

You are my Rabbi here and I will do my best to follow your guidance.

Thank you again

 

Once you take action in these directions things will get better else nothing will change.

Dealer can replace new batteries every month ... only you can maintain it well charged up.

Get a good scanner connected to retrieve live faults. This will guide good repairs.