azimibaha1

I recently bought a '03 E55 with 40k miles. When I first start driving the car (cold), the 1st to 2nd shift is very jerky and I hear a droning sound coming from the rear. After the car warms up, this is nearly gone and the car shifts smoothly.

I just had the transmission service done, hoping it would help, but its still the same.

Any ideas on what to check for or has anyone experienced anything similar?

Thank you.

sufyaanahmed

My first gear is jerky in the morning as well it's normal. After few minutes its gone. You might want to get that noise checked out though. Good luck

Carterhkrs

jerky in manual shifting from 1st to 2nd as well, all smooth in auto

p30amg08

Mine had a slight hesitation like your describing. Took it to dealer and they did a tcu and ecu update and reset. So far so good problem seems to be gone. Honestly I didn't think an update would do anything and they just wanted my money.... $250 so far money well spent.

viren.89

Just so you know that the engine does need to be warm before you start driving.

I live in an area that sees weather way below 0 and even though I garage my car , if the

car isn't properly warmed up, I sometimes get the same hesitation/jerk

G_Money

Yeah, I usually let my car run for about 5-10 minutes before I take it out when it's chilly.

dbworld4k

It's cold. It's supposed to operate less than ideally when fluids and components aren't even up to temperature yet.

try m3

I have the same jerk from 1st to 2nd and the droning sound. Mine does it regardless if it's warm or cold. The droning sound usually occurs when at a low speed and high gear, but if I downshift or accelerate the sound goes away.

dchl21

whats this droning sound? I never drive the car cold.


It does jerk after turning sometimes from 1-2 but I think its due to my tune.




I think you should start by not driving it cold see if its all good first.

azimibaha1

Thanks everyone. Good to know it's normal and experienced by others. Yes, definitely gets better after warming up. I'm learning that this, like a few others things, are just part of the E55's personality and (haha) character.

O-55

I will be performing a few maintenance items on my car soon. One of which is to replace the torque converter clutch solenoid for the bucking issue I am experiencing. I'll report back with the outcome of the swap.

FinanceMike

Please let me know the outcome of this. When the transmission is cold and in C mode, I feel the converter locking up in 2nd gear around 15mph. I believe it is due to the fluid. It feels like a shift into 3rd. The rpms drop a couple hundred.

viren.89

I have felt the exact same thing. I thought it was the LSD locking with abrupt

speed increase but it's the transmission. I, called to make an appointment with dealership for

fluid change and they told me it only needs it once at 60K (kilometres) and

that's it.

Also, TBH I have never felt the jerk when the car is warm. The foreman has also told me that make sure you warm

your car before you drive. So now I warm it for at least 3-5 mins before driving.

Ken311

for me, the tranny flush didn't help. still looking for a solution. i think its in the tune

grimm

In speaking to an MB tech friend of mine, he mentioned this to me as one of the likely scenarios for the 1-2 jerk. Please keep us posted. Thanks!

O-55

Hey guys,

I was able to begin breaking down the car yesterday. What I found could be promising, but I cannot say it will fix my issue just yet.

From a maintenance perspective, my car has 96k miles and has had its transmission fluid flushed three times (40k, 80k, and recently when I replaced the TC). The pics below should give everyone a good idea of what their conductor plates and valve bodies look like if proper maintenance has been performed.

The following pics were taken before I cleaned the conductor plate. You'll notice the gunk that has built up on the plate and valve body.











The pics below are of all the solenoids. There is a pic the old and new TCC solenoid side by side. The old TCCS is covered in the same wear and tear build up as the valve body and conductor plate. I swiped my finger on it to give you an idea of how much was on it. This was the only solenoid that had build up on it. The other five were virtually clean.







The pics below are of a cleaned conductor plate. I noticed burned connector points after cleaning the conductor plate; they were consistent in all of the solenoid slots.









I am going to install a new conductor plate since I am not comfortable with installing a conductor plate with burned connector points. I also went ahead and ordered the two solenoid covers since MB decided to save a few cents by not installing them on my car. I'll update this thread when I get everything buttoned up.

p30amg08

good luck man.

update...mine is starting to get back to the jerkyness like before...i have noticed its only happening when temps get to 30F or below and car sits in garage overnight.....

So i guess squeaky brakes and jerky tanny are part of the "character" on AMG's....what a shame...oh well...things we must learn to live with.

FinanceMike

looking forward to the update...

C3Duece

this also plagues most of the c32's out there including mine but wonder if it's an adatptive learning problem too. I notice the easier I am on the throttle the more violent the jerk/buck. If roll into it pretty hard from a dig the next couple times I take off from a stop it shifts buttery smooth like it's brand freakin new.

aeroman

I almost didn't open this thread thinking it was meant for the NSFW section based on the title.

Yacht Master

Why not put the cars tranny in "C" mode so it starts in second gear?
Then come back here and tell us about the 2-3 shift when cold.
FWIW my car shifts 1-2 the same hot or cold, but that SC engagement @ 1800 feels like a very harsh 1-2 shift.

p30amg08

UPDATE- My car has been with the dealer for a few days. It just was not sitting right with me that my tranny is so jerky from 2nd to 1st. the updates they did worked for a few weeks but then again back to the jerk...1st time to the dealer they were unable to "replicate" the jerk and reset software and changed me $250. This time I told them keep the car overnight, and I will come by 7am when they open and sit with the SA and his Manager and "replicate" the prob for them. I went it and, was able to successfully replicate the issue. They agreed that it was not normal. Today I got a call from them saying that it is the Transmission Valve Body, and that it needs to be replaced..$1800 or so he said. Lets see if this fixes the issue. Will keep you guys posted.

O-55, Whats ur update bro? All Good?

pearlpower

I get an embarrassing buckling when going into 2nd, but it is because of my Eurocharged tune. I know a few others have experienced this. It's just impossible to reach them at times so I live with it. Hopefully they take care of yours. Hunting down problems is seldom free at the dealer.

johnnyblaze

Whatever you do, do not Google this topic with google image search...

SilverStrk

/\/\/\ This... I have the same issue, bucking 1st to 2nd.. Euro tuned.. I was told it is because of the torgue limiters, I also know it can be fixed, some others had this issue and Jerry modified their tune... I know I would like to get rid of it, maybe they will chime in...