Hey guys,

Im new to the MB world and popped my cherry about 2 weeks ago by scooping up an 06 E55 from an older dude who had barely touched the car in years.

The car has been in and out of the garage since then as I'm trying to make it bulletproof because the car is going to be my daily driver in one of the hottest countries in the world. Changing mechanical parts is no hassle because i know i probably won’t need to replace the radiator or fuel pump anytime soon. The antiquated wizardry that is the electrical system though…. Thats been annoying to say the least.

I squeezed the throttle to overtake a truck on my way to work this morning, temps were up to baseline, no funny sounds or warning messages and…. Power cut to the throttle. I had to “limp” by cruising on forward momentum to a parking spot that was close by. Turned the car off and on again, it went into reverse, and drove off as if nothing happened.

Yesterday afternoon, same story. Had to park in the safety lane on the highway when i had lost all power to the throttle. It was as if the car was locked into neutral- revs respond normally to throttle input, but the car did not move at all. No funny sounds, engine was freely revving but no power at all to the wheels. After a brief moment of losing my mind and contemplating a new tranny, i turned the car off, put it into reverse, and it was as if nothing had happened.

Also, yesterday on two occasions the “shifting mode” would get stuck out of cycling through the various drive modes: comfort, sport and Manual. Once i turned the car on and off again, all was good and i could switch modes just fine.

Have you guys come across these sorts of issues before? If so, is it a problem with the transmission itself, the tcu, or is the fix as simple as ordering a cheap part? From what I’ve read, this seems like it could be a throttle sensor issue but i’d appreciate experienced input before i order unnecessary parts.

 

Scan the car with a fully capable diagnostic system.
What are the codes?
I guarantee your car has multiple stored and current codes.
Diagnosis first, parts second.
From symptoms, could be transmission, less likely the TCU, possibly electrical bushing on the transmission is leaking fluid into the harness. Could be a CANbus issue involving the TCU. could be a faulty switch cycling the transmission modes
We need diagnostic codes to assist.

 

cheers man! Turned out to be the conductor plate. I think it was turning off and going into “neutral” as to not over-rev as the speeds were past what second gear could handle.

 

Interesting....conductor plates don't normally act like that but good to know !