Thoughts on TCU Options?
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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?
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?
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CLS55
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..
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2006 E55 AMG Kombi
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05 E55 AMG
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2006 E55 AMG Kombi
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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. .
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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.
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2006 CLS55 AMG, 2005 SLK 350 AMG
@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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From: Virginia
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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.
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@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.
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ml#post8317036
Last edited by Fountain35; Apr 19, 2021 at 10:29 PM.
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2006 E55 AMG Kombi
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.
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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.
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2006 E55 AMG Kombi
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.
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From: SC
2005 E55 AMG
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'03 S55 AMG / '09 E550 4-Matic / '08 E350 4-Matic
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.
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.
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CLS55AMG
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CLS55AMG
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.
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04 E55 AMG
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.
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2006 E55 AMG Kombi
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.
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2006 CLS55 AMG, 2005 SLK 350 AMG
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.
