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Guessing I'm going to have to get my cheque book ready soon... :(
'03 W211 E55. Have had a transmission issue starting to emerge for a little while now and this weekend while on a 500 mile road trip, it was beginning to annoy the **** out of me.
Happens in the rev range between about 1500-2000rpm, a vibration and a drone like noise. happens at low speed and also at highway cruising speeds. once revs go over 2000rpm, it disappears. happens in all gears too. From what i have read, this sounds similar to the symptoms of glycol contamination? I asked my mechanic to check for contamination at my last service but they ran out of time to do it as they'd only squeezed me in at the last minute due to a cancellation.
Thinking i will try giving the transmission a flush and replacing the fluid and see if this helps at all? Expecting the worst, but hoping for the best...
Do you still have the old Valeo radiator? They were known to have these issues, I would recommend having a dedicated trans cooler setup.
I hope that doing a flush rectifies the issue.
Scan for codes. Sometimes you will have stored transmission codes that don't CEL. Might give you an idea what to expect. If there was contamination for long enough then rebuild is required. I haven't seen a cheque book for years haha.
Scan for codes. Sometimes you will have stored transmission codes that don't CEL. Might give you an idea what to expect. If there was contamination for long enough then rebuild is required. I haven't seen a cheque book for years haha.
Thanks. I think it's been happening for about 5000km but i reckon it was a bit more noticeable on this trip *sigh* my own fault for not getting onto it earlier...
nah not yet. been back at work on 24h call out since i got home so not got to it yet. have emailed my mate at the workshop i usually go to for info on what tranny fluid and filter to source and then will probably take it down to a local shop here (my mechanic is 3 hours drive away).
there's some useful info in this thread too that popped up in the last few days.
Why don't you loosen the drain plug on the pan to let some fluid out. This way you can see if you indeed have anti freeze in there or not before you make the trek to the shop.
Why don't you loosen the drain plug on the pan to let some fluid out. This way you can see if you indeed have anti freeze in there or not before you make the trek to the shop.
mostly because i am a numpty on the spanners, but also because i am lazy
might have a look over the weekend if it is not too difficult to do. what colour does the contaminated fluid go?
I find a rigid plastic hose and syringe an easy way to collect a transmission fluid sample or drain small amounts to get the volume just right. Easy to go through the fill tube from the top.
My tranny just give up last week and now in the shop to get a used one installed.
According to my shop, they found a 70K miles tranny... include the rear main seal $2500 and some cables. ( I don't even know what cable he was talking about)
Well.... after having my car for 11 years first big expense. Few mechanic told me the 55K too much torque and 120K miles is about time...
My tranny just give up last week and now in the shop to get a used one installed.
According to my shop, they found a 70K miles tranny... include the rear main seal $2500 and some cables. ( I don't even know what cable he was talking about)
Well.... after having my car for 11 years first big expense. Few mechanic told me the 55K too much torque and 120K miles is about time...
Your transmission gave up at 120K miles? That seems a little premature to me. I didn't understand "Few mechanic." Did you mean "New mechanic" or something else?
So I have sold my car now, but just before Xmas I finally got the transmission looked at after living with the issue since posting the OP in this thread.
Turns out it was a $40 plastic part causing my grief! A bush (I forget the actual name) that the wiring loom runs through into the transmission had a faulty seal and had allowed fluid to leak to a point that the transmission would flare under load in top gear and fourth gear. Replaced the part, flushed the transmission, new filter and new fluid and it was good as new! i started a 5000km road trip the following day and the car was a dream to drive. can't believe i put up with it for so long...
I asked the mechanic why i didn't have fluid drips on my garage floor and he said that the leak would have been that slow that any drips would have been soaked up in the dirt on the undertray.
anyway, thought i would provide some closure for this thread.
here is a picture showing the offending part. (may or may not be the same type of transmission, but the part is the same)
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
