W211 AMG Discuss the W211 AMG's such as the E55 and the E63

Thoughts on TCU Options?

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Old 04-15-2021, 09:58 AM
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2006 E55 AMG Kombi
Thoughts on TCU Options?

Hello all. My 06 E55 Kombi (150,000 KM)has been misbehaving from a transmission standpoint for a while now. The main complaints I have are a feeling like the transmission is slipping (particularly in second gear), constant tendency to be in too high of a gear for the situation, and a refusal to freewheel when going downhill with my foot off the gas Sneaky reset does improve things for a little while , but the issues always come back.

I took it to a specialist who performed a thorough check on the transmission, and they say that all wear indications are well within tolerances. In fact, they say is shows barely more wear than a new transmission. The only unusual thing noted was that the transmission fluid was not factory (it's redline I put in myself trying to work through these issues). They think the issues are with the electronics.

So, my question would be what are the most respected TCU options out there? I live in Germany for reference, but can ship easily from the states in most cases as I have an APO box. The car is never track driven or drag raced, and I have no interest in that. Just fast back roads and autobahn blasts. I just want the transmission to shift quickly and smoothly, and not try to maintain an engine speed of under 1,000 RPM even in sport mode. If it could actually listen when I call for a shift, that would be great as well.

Thoughts or suggestions on things I should look into?
Old 04-15-2021, 07:41 PM
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New conductor plate and TCC solenoid would be a good start IMO. Stock tcu or the zerocrat tunes that provide agility mode are the only real options for tcu tune. Other brands tcu tunes don't do much diff than stock..

Old 04-16-2021, 02:55 AM
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Originally Posted by PieRat
New conductor plate and TCC solenoid would be a good start IMO. Stock tcu or the zerocrat tunes that provide agility mode are the only real options for tcu tune. Other brands tcu tunes don't do much diff than stock..
Forgot to mention, conductor plate, throughplug, and TCC solenoid were replaced last year. Made no difference whatsoever.
Old 04-16-2021, 01:48 PM
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Look here: https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...-shatters.html
Old 04-16-2021, 07:32 PM
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MKultra. /thread
Old 04-17-2021, 02:58 AM
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Originally Posted by ryanhere
The mention of hard shifts etc has me a bit worried about this option. Seems maybe a little more extreme than would be ideal for me. It's not really about raw shift speed as much as it is about being in the correct gear for the situation for me.
Old 04-18-2021, 12:52 AM
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Pull the TCU out and see if it's full of fluid. Fluid inside the TCU may be an issue. As far as the firm shifting (MkUltra) it's hardly noticeable in C mode and if you are driving normal in S mode not an appreciable difference. .
Old 04-18-2021, 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Fountain35
Pull the TCU out and see if it's full of fluid. Fluid inside the TCU may be an issue. As far as the firm shifting (MkUltra) it's hardly noticeable in C mode and if you are driving normal in S mode not an appreciable difference. .
So your saying the (MKUltra) tcu tune dont do much for you? It seems tho out of all the people that commeneted on other posts that they are amazed so im not sure whats going on with yours.
Old 04-18-2021, 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by ta72
So your saying the (MKUltra) tcu tune dont do much for you? It seems tho out of all the people that commeneted on other posts that they are amazed so im not sure whats going on with yours.
@Fountain35 isn't saying the MKUltra doesn't do much, but rather, that in the C mode (Comfort mode) the shift firmness is not much more than the stock C mode. That is one of the features of the of that TCU tune. C is near stock in firmness (and also more consistent with each shift), S is firmer, A is much firmer and M shifts almost as soon as the paddle is pushed and consistently shifts up and down the same way. Those shifts are also very firm. The point being the OP stated he did not necessarily want a trans shifting firm all the time. The MKUltra can accommodate that desire.
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Old 04-18-2021, 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by machild
@Fountain35 isn't saying the MKUltra doesn't do much, but rather, that in the C mode (Comfort mode) the shift firmness is not much more than the stock C mode. That is one of the features of the of that TCU tune. C is near stock in firmness (and also more consistent with each shift), S is firmer, A is much firmer and M shifts almost as soon as the paddle is pushed and consistently shifts up and down the same way. Those shifts are also very firm. The point being the OP stated he did not necessarily want a trans shifting firm all the time. The MKUltra can accommodate that desire.
Got it! I just wanted to make sure before i take out my 150% SGA valvbody and go with this tcu.
Old 04-19-2021, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Fountain35
Pull the TCU out and see if it's full of fluid. Fluid inside the TCU may be an issue. As far as the firm shifting (MkUltra) it's hardly noticeable in C mode and if you are driving normal in S mode not an appreciable difference. .
You also should check the TCU for fluid. The fluid wicks its way up through the wiring harness from the transmission into the TCU under the passenger side foot well.
Old 04-19-2021, 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted by machild
@Fountain35 isn't saying the MKUltra doesn't do much, but rather, that in the C mode (Comfort mode) the shift firmness is not much more than the stock C mode. That is one of the features of the of that TCU tune. C is near stock in firmness (and also more consistent with each shift), S is firmer, A is much firmer and M shifts almost as soon as the paddle is pushed and consistently shifts up and down the same way. Those shifts are also very firm. The point being the OP stated he did not necessarily want a trans shifting firm all the time. The MKUltra can accommodate that desire.
Read my synopsis on the MKUltra TCU under the thread link posted.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ml#post8317036

Last edited by Fountain35; 04-19-2021 at 10:29 PM.
Old 04-20-2021, 10:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Fountain35
You also should check the TCU for fluid. The fluid wicks its way up through the wiring harness from the transmission into the TCU under the passenger side foot well.
TCU has been checked for this by both the dealer an an independent transmission specialist, but I will double check. When I swapped out the conductor plate,TCC solenoid, and connector last year, there was just a tiny bit of fluid on the outside of the connector. It didn't seem to have made it past around 2 inches up the cables.
Old 04-21-2021, 05:42 AM
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Originally Posted by feeshta
The mention of hard shifts etc has me a bit worried about this option. Seems maybe a little more extreme than would be ideal for me. It's not really about raw shift speed as much as it is about being in the correct gear for the situation for me.
I run it mostly in S mode and the firmness is quite comfortable. It was very firm when I installed it but I didn't get the adaptations reset so it took a while. The correct gear for the situation is still going to be an issue but it is more aggressive in downshifting. Unfortunately the shift logic is never going to be the same as a PDK in sport +. It is still a great upgrade for sure.
Old 04-21-2021, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by tw2
I run it mostly in S mode and the firmness is quite comfortable. It was very firm when I installed it but I didn't get the adaptations reset so it took a while. The correct gear for the situation is still going to be an issue but it is more aggressive in downshifting. Unfortunately the shift logic is never going to be the same as a PDK in sport +. It is still a great upgrade for sure.
It's sounding like a more attractive option than it originally did. I just wish I could get the thing to never drop below around 1200-1300 rpm in sport mode. That doesn't seem all that unreasonable. Doesn't need to make me forget about PDK, just needs to not behave like a moron.
Old 04-21-2021, 10:29 AM
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PDK?
Old 04-21-2021, 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by tlambert
PDK?
PDK is Porsche's automated manual. Known as the best "automatic" transmission out there. It was referenced in the previous post.
Old 04-21-2021, 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by feeshta
PDK is Porsche's automated manual. Known as the best "automatic" transmission out there. It was referenced in the previous post.
Ah thanks. I saw the PDK but didn’t see what it stood for.
Old 04-21-2021, 12:52 PM
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I tried this TCU in my S55 AMG M113K, and found it problematic. Shifts were way too harsh, especially at 4,500+RPM, and the RPMs would not drop right away when letting off the pedal.
Part-throttle late shifts were common. It seemed to hover around 2K RPM and stay there. It would eventually shift but the timing was late. I sent an email to the seller and was told
that I bought Version 1 (back in 11/20), and that Version 2 was "much improved". I was not interested in paying for "upgraded software", a few months after the purchase, so I put the
stock TCU back in. I did test it for over 1,000 miles.

There are posts about installing Sonnax valve body kits in these transmissions but the reports are very mixed. e.g., One well-known 722.6 builder says these kits make no difference.
There may be a valve body issue with my transmission, as it has an intermittent 3-4 shift flare.

Old 04-22-2021, 12:40 AM
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Originally Posted by tlambert
Ah thanks. I saw the PDK but didn’t see what it stood for.
PDK is an acronym for Porsche Doppel Kupplungs getriebe (strictly, Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe), which translates to Porsche double-clutch transmission.
Say that 5 times fast!
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Old 04-22-2021, 12:44 AM
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Another vote for Zerocat101's MKUltra TCU for 722.6! I have V1 in my CLS55 and love it! Firm quick shifts that kick in Agility mode or just nice positive shifts in S mode or smooth calmer shifts in C mode and pure fun in M mode. Leaps and bounds better than stock.
Old 04-22-2021, 08:23 PM
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I actually had this problem with mine. it ended up being my wife spilled a drink into the center console and the shifter was bad causing all sorts of problems with shifting to early for the given gear and slamming into gear. I replaced just about everything other than the transmission before I tried the shifter... It fixed the issue for me.
Old 04-23-2021, 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by gjunon
I actually had this problem with mine. it ended up being my wife spilled a drink into the center console and the shifter was bad causing all sorts of problems with shifting to early for the given gear and slamming into gear. I replaced just about everything other than the transmission before I tried the shifter... It fixed the issue for me.
I'm having a little trouble understanding how this could be the case. Are there electronics in the shifter assembly? I thought it was a mechanical selector with the only provision for electronics being for manual mode gear up and down? I don't believe anything got spilled in that location since the problem surfaced, which was several months after I purchased the car. Certainly not while I was in the car, but my folks did borrow it for about a week. They don't usually eat in the car though.
Old 04-23-2021, 11:30 AM
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Originally Posted by feeshta
I'm having a little trouble understanding how this could be the case. Are there electronics in the shifter assembly? I thought it was a mechanical selector with the only provision for electronics being for manual mode gear up and down? I don't believe anything got spilled in that location since the problem surfaced, which was several months after I purchased the car. Certainly not while I was in the car, but my folks did borrow it for about a week. They don't usually eat in the car though.
Yes, the selector is electronic and can malfunction like any other control module.

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