Tranny problems......why me??? and why now?? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

DieselBone · #1 05-20-2005, 05:18 PM

Alright, here it goes, my searching has failed to bring up anything useful.....MY wagon has been driving great until about a week ago, I went to pull out at a stop sign and the trans refused to shift into 3rd, let alone 4th! I even got it up to 4500 and no shift. I took it home and left it sit. Came back and it shifted fine until today when I was coming home from work. Damn thing pissed me off, I was lucky the speed limit is only 35 the whole way home. Anyways, the tranny has about 300,000 miles on it, and no real repairs done to it. I checked most things, kickdown switch, vacuum, cable, and fluid. Nothing wrong there. Its been about a year since I changed the fluid and filter. I was thinking maybe dirt got in the valve-body??? I was thinking this because it doesn't happen all the time (no 2-3 shift). A stick conversion looks even better now......where is that 240D parts car???? Any help would be great.

Thanks

After thought...... when the trans works, it shifts great! No flaring at all. A nice firm MB (diesel) shift. However, reverse does take about 2-3 seconds to go into gear.

Brian Carlton · #2 05-20-2005, 06:17 PM

I can answer your question of "Why me" and "Why now".

The reason is that the transmission has 300K on the clock!

IMHO, anything over 200K is on borrowed time. How long do you expect those clutches to last?? Every time the transmission shifts, it wears the clutches slightly.

#3 05-20-2005, 08:51 PM

This doesn't sound like worn clutch failures to me though...it sounds like an intermitent problem with the valving.
I think there are posts on here about putting some stuff in there that helps loosen up the gum in the tranny. Might be worth doing a fluid/filter change while de-gumming.

My 300SD has almost 280k miles on it and its a champ. I don't feel as though I am on borrowed time yet. The solid 2nd gear tire chirp at redline shift always reminds me why I can trust my old benz

Do some searches on tranny shifting problems and you will find the stuff they were talking about...I just cannot remember the name.

EDIT: Just saw that you changed the fluid/filter a year ago..nevermind my fluid changing comment.

Hatterasguy · #4 05-20-2005, 10:17 PM

In my book after 200k all bets are off on a trans. MB makes some of the best ones around and sometimes they pass the 300k mark.

I am expecting to do my trans one day, it slips slightly once in awhile. I am saving my pennies.

Jacob · #5 05-21-2005, 12:53 AM

I recommend that you take your automatic and STICK IT. I really enjoy my ’83 TD with 14k on the manual conversion. - Jacob

tomm9298 · #6 05-21-2005, 07:06 AM

I would try TransX, or Trans X, before investing in a new transmission. Some call it "snake oil" others swear by it. It helped my tranny last year. It's about $7.00 per quart. Of course, this WILL NOT fix a mechanical problem, but the cheapest way to start. Good luck.

leathermang · #7 05-21-2005, 09:44 AM

Trans-X is not a snake oil .... it just dissolves varnish which may have built up in the valve body of an auto transmission...
The actuating bands for an auto transmission are activated by hydraulic pressure... if those tiny holes or the check valves ( often look like BB's ) are restricted in their movements or the holes stoped up then the transmission cannot function like it was designed...
It is a cheap relatively easy first thing to try..

On a related note.... if you check the recommendation from Mercedes on fluid and filter change on our cars.. you may be surprised ....
I think it is about half the recommended mileage as an old American car...
So most people don't come anywhere near having serviced the trans as recommended... so they must be very good units originally to regularly go the distances they do...

Hatterasguy · #8 05-21-2005, 06:07 PM

MB specs 15k miles for "severe" use for my car. If the trans fluid was changed every 15k miles we would see a lot more 300k+ trans!

Brian Carlton · #9 05-21-2005, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

MB specs 15k miles for "severe" use for my car. If the trans fluid was changed every 15k miles we would see a lot more 300k+ trans!

I'm not buying it. The logic then holds that the transmission would last 500K if you changed the oil every 5K.

If you operate the vehicle under heavy acceleration loads, in city driving, for most of it's life, the transmission is not going much over 200K.

If you drive it on the highway where it goes 100 miles in fourth gear (as does the SDL), then the transmission might outlast the engine!

Oil changes, beyond the factory recommendations, won't change the laws of clutch wear.

Hatterasguy · #10 05-21-2005, 06:59 PM

Your right, but if someone did follow what MB recomends and changed the fluid every 15k-25k then their would be many more higher mileage trans around.

If you don't change your trans fluid ever like most people the sludge that builds up will kill a trans sooner.

But you are right the clutch's will last for x number of shifts, once you exceed that number new trans time.

Brian Carlton · #11 05-21-2005, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

If you don't change your trans fluid ever like most people the sludge that builds up will kill a trans sooner.

They obtain a leased vehicle and drive it 30K with no oil changes and turn it back in. You get to buy it as a M/B "Starmarked" vehicle.

You think they even know that the transmission has oil in it??

Hatterasguy · #12 05-21-2005, 07:07 PM

Most probably don't know how to pop the hood, or what a transmission is for that matter!

Brian Carlton · #13 05-21-2005, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Most probably don't know how to pop the hood, or what a transmission is for that matter!

They sure do know where the "gas pedal" is and how to use that!!

I've gotten to the point where I love to see them smashed up on the side of the highway due to crashes caused by insufficient following distance. Usually, five or six of the dumb SOB's are involved.

Johnhef · #14 05-22-2005, 12:40 AM

Up until the 05 MY, all they had to do was bring the car in when the cluster beeped and displayed "service due now!" and the service was covered by warranty. Checking the trans fluid level however, required a shop dipstick, which weren't included with the car. In fact the cars have a cap with a one time use locking tab on it. If its never been touched, the locking tab is black. If someone has been in there, the replacement tabs are red.

Not always a good thing though. I had a 98 ML in recently, it had a trans leak, and the owner brought it in because it was slipping. By the time we got to it, it was so far gone, the fluid was near black, the car wouldn't move and the trans was full of metal bits. The trans locking tab was still the original one as well, it had never been touched. If the car had a dipstick, the problem might have been prevented.

Oil dipsticks were missing on recent models as well. They have reappeared for the 06 model year. GOOD!

DieselBone · #15 05-22-2005, 12:48 AM

trans still does the same thing as before. I'm gonna drain the pan and refill with transX and add any fluid needed to be full. I'll give that a shot first. I'm kinda past the upset stage, I'm just glad it didn't happen while I was at school.
thanks for the replys

ps, with about 300K, I feel lucky it lasted like it did