Nuru

Hmmm, an oil burning animal, huh, that makes me want to try it out even more now - Thanks.

Victorpb62

I have a 2004 e500 Mercedes when I'm in comfort mode at a dead stop when i accelerate the car is not responding in sport mode it is does anyone know what the problem is

Avatar2014

I have the same question as does DustinN. Does anybody know.

dustinN

For DD, I use Sport mode for transmission, I have better respond when I need to accelerate and it starts at 1st gear and holds the gear longer. C starts at 2nd gear. For the suspension, when you are ready to have some action, try S2, it lowers the car another 1/4 inch, the suspension is a lot more firm, at high speed/quick stop/at the ramp... you feel like the car stick to the road and don't have the body rock rolling. To me S1 is just half way between S & S2 :-) I have worst mileage and tires wear for S2.

MBRiposte

Apparently, you can change steering and stay in comfort. Info starts 13 mins. in:
https://mbzmaster.com/boost-mercedes...sive-tutorial/

Excellent collection of videos at MBZ Master.

Numair Aidroos

I Have been switching transmission modes from s/m and C on the go for the past 8 years. But my question is how does manual mode work? As far as I've notices it holds speed shifts longer. Sometimes on the bends I accidently switch to manual mode and gun it. When I realise the wheel spin and tail slip, I know I'm not in sport, but manual mode. Does this over revving damage the ZF transmission?

Numair Aidroos

Does taking fast corners in manual mode and holding gears, like just the 3rd speed level and flooring it burn the transmission?

BOTUS

did u ever notice the buttons on the back of the steering wheel?

the gearboxes fall to bits, it how they designed it, not how you drive - fluid change every 37k miles help a little

Numair Aidroos

In 10 years, I only used the manual mode twice. Other times I switched to it by accident instead of sports from comfort. Will this gear over revving on ocassion cause long term conductor plate or other part damage?

BOTUS

the gearboxes are quite fragile and a few very common issues come to the surface on all other them

conductor plate speed signal sensors die - it just happens, the way you drive can't influence
torque convertor lock up clutch gives up - it just happens, the way you drive can't influence
ISM change selector on the outside of the gearbox gives up - it just happens, the way you drive can't influence - but the more miles / on off cycles the car has, the more likely you trip the designed in software fun !!!
change solenoids clog up and cause the clutches to wear out - this is in-acted by driving style / abuse
not changing the fluid and filter leads to increased wear and possible actuator / O ring damage - this is in-acted by your maint programme
the more gear changes you instigate and the harder you work the car, the more wear and tear the car takes - a choice of how you spend your money / waste the planets resources
if its a V12 and you use the throttle pedal you need a rebuild every 20k miles - this is in-acted by your purchase choice

Numair Aidroos

Thank you botus. So the 7g plus is a fragile box?

BOTUS

I would describe it as one of the worse auto boxes ever created in a rear drive car - of course front drive autos used to be spectacularly worse (but you should expect that)

Numair Aidroos

Thanks again. I put the transmission in Manual mode to realise, it up shifts and down shifts when necessary, if we fail to use the paddle shifter after 3500 rpm for up shifts, and upon braking the w221 down shifts accurately. Frequent servicing and careful maintenance is the only key for this transmission I suppose with a conductor plate as a back-up spare part.

The Thomas J

It depends on the year. by the facelift year of 2010, all of the bugs were ironed out of the W221.

Numair Aidroos

2010, non facelift.

lkchris

What a silly thread!

The original post is written so unclearly as to provide no clue what the author is questioning.

some interpret it to reference the suspension system.

others interpret it to reference the transmission.

the two are NOT connected in any manner and are separately controlled.

on the 4Matic W221 you have two possibilities …

1. You can select soft or firm shock absorber action.

2. You can select economy or performance transmission operation.

You have 4 possible configurations … have fun. Read your owners manual when you have time.

BOTUS

this thread took on a new lease of life this month - 1 March 2022, expecting a non native English speaker to consruct the perfect sentence, with perfect grammar, about a topic they are unsure of, its a stupid way to think

the suspension and gearbox settings ARE connected - the suspension, gear change points and distronic plus cruise, are all interlinked with the three crazy modes - where you have the option to go from very average, worse or more muddled

re-reading the post 1 March, Numair - have you considered when driving like a maniac, the lumbering beast morphs into lunatic mode. Where the car gets very unruly, as you fight electronic interference, its inadequate suspension control, considerable weight and physics trying to kill you - it can mean your steering inputs need to be extremely rapid and then constantly corrected to combat the electronics fighting you - add in the fact your are being thrown around the car like there's a hurricane going on - this can lead to the driver executing an unintended gear change by accidentally operating the buttons on the back of the steering wheel - this often makes things even better.

I have noticed mine refusing to change gear a number of times - and with v8 smooth enough under wild bumpy road driving conditions, you can either be revving its nuts off or even hitting the rev limiter without noticing. Not forgetting if you used full throttle for more than a split second the car starts "helping" by instantly transforming your effective throttle control / power output by dropping you down two ratios below the one you needed. Hence as I point out above, it turns itself in to a lunatic beast. I often felt this complete refusal to change up was just a normal Mercedes glitch - but reflecting on the three times I remember its happened, it was often just after significant steering inputs had been made - So was it driver instigated - or a loss of control as the signals get interference due to the speed the driver moved the wheel ? I've always found it got over itself by using the right wheel button to push it back to D.



.

Numair Aidroos

Thanks again botus. The check engine light was lit on this afternoon, so I went to MB for a quick scan. The front sam communication error was listed. I was advised to leave the sedan until next week or drop it off on Monday morning. No physical inspection was carried. I called an indie, they said they would drop by the next morning. Where may I locate this SAM unit, and what all do I need to get checked in terms of wires, relays, and fuses?
Seems this explains the erratic transmission behaviour and perhaps any future issues.

All I did prior was a high pressure air cleaning of trh engine bay and a full service B.

BOTUS

engine light isn't the front SAM

if its a tractor could be lots of stuff
exhaust back pressure sensor 50 bucks DIY in 5 mins from above 24mm deep socket required (often see as ambient pressure reading off whack even with engine turned off - in live data 5000kpa or something is wrong) dealer has the bits in stock
boost hose popped
turbo actuator stopped moving either gummed up, or a wire fell off the circuit board (usual merc trick), key on bonnet open, start the car blip the throttle the arm should dance about
or a fuse popped stopping turbo actuator - because another designed in failure on swirl flaps has gummed up secondary inlet ports and jammed the swirl flap drive motor (called inlet port shut off motor I forget in Merc world ) you can fix this with a small resistor on the middle 2 pins of the drive motor the car won't know any different
EGR gummed up and given up -stupid money and can be nightmare to get off

Front SAM might have had a bath that's a usual Merc trick too - not such a clever idea on a 221 though !!! ebay if it has BUT get the right part numbers

the FRONT SAM quite likely said software out off date - reflash - thats normal - then it'll say the rear is out of date next time - u can ignore both
as for a list of errors they store everything about everything - usually load of old rubbish / lies

Numair Aidroos

Thanks as usual Botus. You are the best, God willing.
Symptoms are such, car would hesitate to start since all of 2021, it was diagnosed as a bad glow plug sensor, and replaced. In 2022, it starts in 1 fire, but ever since this check engine light, the car drives more powerful and mpg went from 8.8L/100 km to 15.6L/100 km. Apart from that Turbo steel pipe, don't know what it's called has some noise. Told these symptoms to MB, they could not understand. Once yesterday I floored the car, and it hesistated at 2500 to 3000 RPM, it was fluctuating in between and not upshifting. Strange, though my foot was floored on the accelerator. Finally I let go of the accelerator and tapped it again, that sorted it out.
Apart from an air cleaning the engine bay had nothing. Horns we're changed via the fender lining, lots of wires inbetween to get messed, brake oil flushed, new boys changed the air filters (do not know if they accidentally cut some wires in the air element removal or installation).

BOTUS

the control module is a service part - with a later brain to suit later glow plugs

replace 6 plugs and the control box (usually called a relay (its got software so its not really a relay) every 60k miles
ALWAYS have engine very hot before trying to get the plugs out (use "PLUS GAS" as release agent for a few days before trying and ALWAYS use a torque wrench set low to undo then - they love to snap - if they do, don't panic come to your house specialists for not much money out there

never use genuine Merc parts they are made by Beru and you can get the very same thing for 1/3 of the price

They have a VGT turbo rather than a conventional wastegate - the inlet of exhaust gases to the turbo vanes varies (that's the V of variable geometry turbo VTG) this is the little arm reaching to the turbo - if this isn't wobbling as you blip the throttle - it will make little power - it will be very slow and only make boost at high revs, if you go hunting for the boost it'll then make the EML come on and it will go in limp mode. The Exhaust back pressure sensor - always fails at 100k mile 10 year mark - its another another stupid name by Merc - its really the VGT boost pressure sensor - and sends the info so the turbo actuator knows where to place the turbo geometry to increase low end boost or stall the wheel to reduce high rev boost

you need to plug in to decent diagnostics they are VERY basic - its just a tractor after all

Numair Aidroos

Indeed. Thanks again Sir Botus.
But why would the scanner read only short circuit on front sam? And not point to any other listed issue now?

BOTUS

the limp mode can be harder to trigger than you might think - if the light comes son and stays on after a few key on off cycles - then you should be able to see fault codes

inconsistent boost pressure can lead to intermittent EML and strange performance issues - can you hear odd sounds when on off the throttle - wooshes or shrieks ?

Numair Aidroos

Nothing what so ever. Star scan pointed to a short circuit on the Front SAM. No water has been exposed to it in 10 years. Only air washed, high pressure air cleaning. Only thing done was air filter replacement, after which the light came on. Any wires around the filter housing that might be hidden under the filter cases? That is the only place where I haven't checked. Any sensors under the filter cases on left or right side?

BOTUS

some markets get extra garbage for goodness knows what on various part of the emission systems
the w221 should have a DPF and they give all sort of fun when its going wrong / not regenerating correctly
Engine breather was a bad design and that plays up, there was a modified part with red seals (but shouldn't give silly issues)
Fuel filter needs regular changes, some have a sensor in them that costs much more - forget for what - water detection and or heater? (its sits above that useless swirl flap drive motor in the middle of the V