1999 E300 turbodiesel - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

zakkkk · #1 03-07-2014, 03:44 PM

One time recently my son was driving our 210 turbodiesel sedan and the trans would not upshift.
It stayed in 3rd and would not upshift. He pulled over and turned the car off then restarted and all was fine. My son said it hasn't happened again. I test drove the car this morning and the trans shifted perfectly. ( BTW, I had forgotten how beautifully that cars drives).
The car has 138K miles and has been trouble free except for the sad onset of rust spots in the usual places. I want to keep it forever.
Questions:
1. Does the no upshift symptom point to any specific problem in the trans ? 2. Is there a way I can check the trans fluid level and color? There seems to be no dipstick.
3. Can I change the trans fluid myself or is it a dealer only job? My MB dealer quoted 450 bucks to change the fluid/filter. Last time it was changed was at about 85K miles.
Any insight would be appreciated.
thanks
jz

jay_bob · #2 03-07-2014, 04:11 PM

1) Are you sure it wasn't stuck in 2nd (the dreaded limp home mode)?
(Was the Check Engine light and Check Engine Electronics shown in the display?)
Get an OBDII reader or go to the Auto Parts store and get them to pull codes.

2) As you noticed there is no transmission dipstick, only a cap with a seal. There is a dipstick tool available that can be used to check the fluid level.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/SuperCat/3742/MBZ_3742_TOLTOL_pg11.htm# scroll down to the bottom of the page

3) Pelican Technical Article: Mercedes Benz - Automatic Transmission Fluid Change

tjts1 · #3 03-07-2014, 04:36 PM

Try the shift adaptation procedure.

PDF
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.w203.pl/download.php%3Fid%3D1191%26sid%3De4b3be82f61f8942db48ed7506758c79&sa=U&ei=vzoaU8PfMJXZoATlpICgDg&ved=0CE4QFjAI&sig2=RHKzEX7Nq_c3zdcwt95Siw&usg=AFQjCNHXbN8jYe2p3yKR59w65dJREwTipg

zakkkk · #4 03-07-2014, 05:19 PM

Gentlemen, thanks for the quick and expert replies.
Yes it could have been 2nd gear and limp mode. Which is probably good if not recurring. Prior to the problem the car was garaged for about a month because of the snow storms in NJ and the cars poor handling on ice and snow and the problem happened on it's maiden voyage and not returned again after repeated drives. I was not in the car when the problem occured so it could have been a limp mode was triggered somehow.
No CE lights came on, but I will have the codes read.
Yikes, the trans fluid change looks complicated and above my capabilities.
I could not even understand that shift adaptation procedure.
The article says 80,000 miles between fluid changes. It's been only about 50K miles since last one so I will hold off for a few thousand more miles.
Thank you guys for the info.
I love this active forum and I love MB's. I have owner 14 of them,with 7 being diesels. My 07 ML CDI will soon turn 200K miles and has been the best diesel overall of the bunch.
thanks again.
jz

shertex · #5 03-07-2014, 05:31 PM

I would recommended you change the ATF every 50k miles or so....that seems to be the consensus. Not sure if you can drain the torque converter on your 99....I can on my 98.

Like you, I shied away from changing the ATF and filter myself, even though I do it on my other cars. If you shop around, you should be able to do a lot better than 450, especially if you find a place that lets you provide your own fluid. While you're in there, you might consider replacing the plug adapter, which is prone to leaking.

zakkkk · #6 03-07-2014, 05:25 PM

Forgot to ask about the 33 buck dip stick-
Can I leave it in place in lieu of the orig cap?
In the pix it appears to be very long.
Am I correct in presuming that the trans fluid id added via that dip stick tube?
jz

shertex · #7 03-07-2014, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zakkkk

Forgot to ask about the 33 buck dip stick-
Can I leave it in place in lieu of the orig cap?
In the pix it appears to be very long.
Am I correct in presuming that the trans fluid id added via that dip stick tube?
jz

No....it's a measuring tool, not a dipstick that is left in place. And if you look on Ebay, you can do better than $33....I got mine for $15.99 with free shipping.

You can add fluid via the dipstick tube....that's one way to do it.

TMAllison · #8 03-07-2014, 07:21 PM

The trans fluid is a very straightforward job. 1) get the dip stick tool. 2) get 8 liters specified fluid (the correct fluid is important), pan gasket and a filter. 3) drop pan and drain. 4) Drain TC (some late 99's don't have a TC drain plug). 5) refill with same amount of fluid as drained, start and shift to D & R a few times. Make sure your fluid is on the bottom of the measuring tool. 6) Gently go for a 10 mile drive to get fluid to 80C operating temp (preferably scan pan with an IR thermo). 7) Top off to top of 80C mark on the dip stick. 8) Install NEW lock pin (don't try to reuse the old one, it will vibrate off and allow contaminations in).

The trans shift reset procedure provided above is for a 606.912 rather than 606.962. The 722.6 trans were evolving rapidly during this time. The reset was much easier IIRC. Get in, close driver door, key to position 2, depress and hold throttle AND kickdown button for 20 secs. Release. Key to Pos 0. Don't open door or remove key for 2 mins.

EDBSO · #9 03-07-2014, 09:14 PM

My 99 has the drain plug on the torque converter.

Really the job is a simple Saturday afternoon job, be certain to do the transmission plug at the same time as they commonly fail.

Zulfiqar · #10 03-10-2014, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

No....it's a measuring tool, not a dipstick that is left in place. And if you look on Ebay, you can do better than $33....I got mine for $15.99 with free shipping.

You can add fluid via the dipstick tube....that's one way to do it.

my dipstick cost me approximately 2 dollars or less.

I use plastic pipe from home depot.

I do have the stick though, but the pipe is usually used as it is stashed in the car.

Skid Row Joe · #11 03-08-2014, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zakkkk

One time recently my son was driving our 210 turbodiesel sedan and the trans would not upshift.
It stayed in 3rd and would not upshift. He pulled over and turned the car off then restarted and all was fine. My son said it hasn't happened again. I test drove the car this morning and the trans shifted perfectly. ( BTW, I had forgotten how beautifully that cars drives).
The car has 138K miles and has been trouble free except for the sad onset of rust spots in the usual places. I want to keep it forever.
Questions:
1. Does the no upshift symptom point to any specific problem in the trans ? 2. Is there a way I can check the trans fluid level and color? There seems to be no dipstick.
3. Can I change the trans fluid myself or is it a dealer only job? My MB dealer quoted 450 bucks to change the fluid/filter. Last time it was changed was at about 85K miles.
Any insight would be appreciated.
thanks
jz

Just a hunch here, but from my experience, the car may have been driven in an erratic throttle manner (hot-rodding it) when it stuck in 3rd. The car's transmission does not reset instantly after being confused in the manner I described and witnessed on one occasion - that is by locking-up in one gear or another, and not shifting out of it.

sokoloff · #12 03-08-2014, 12:18 PM

As others have said, the transmission service isn't that hard. Yours is even better because it will have the torque converter drain plug, so you can drain all of the old fluid out easily. The drain plug for the torque converter disappeared in Sept. of 1999 I believe, so all of the '99 models ought to have it. Yours may not have the pan magnet, so you should add that if it hasn't already been added. The magnets appeared in about 2001. Cost is only about five bucks for the magnet.

dtf · #13 03-10-2014, 01:48 PM

Hi Zakkk - my '99 E300Turbo does the same thing on shifting. It has 220,000miles, tons and tons of rust too. I've had the dreaded Spring Perch Failure as well on this car. The shifting problem is just as you describe - no up shift or sometimes it will upshift late and BANG into gear. After that all is well for a few weeks and it happens again. Maybe it is a vacuum problem? dunno...I'
ll drive it until it needs more attention.

Zulfiqar · #14 03-10-2014, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtf

Hi Zakkk - my '99 E300Turbo does the same thing on shifting. It has 220,000miles, tons and tons of rust too. I've had the dreaded Spring Perch Failure as well on this car. The shifting problem is just as you describe - no up shift or sometimes it will upshift late and BANG into gear. After that all is well for a few weeks and it happens again. Maybe it is a vacuum problem? dunno...I'
ll drive it until it needs more attention.

You have a problem of thick ATF or a failing conductor plate. A conductor plate is basically a wiring harness but laid flat - but has 2 speed sensors built in.

The shift solenoids have little screens that sometimes can get dirty but an ATF change helps in these cases as the trans is pretty cleverly designed. All debris etc fall into the pan rather than getting stuck.

tjts1 · #15 03-10-2014, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtf

The shifting problem is just as you describe - no up shift or sometimes it will upshift late and BANG into gear. After that all is well for a few weeks and it happens again. Maybe it is a vacuum problem? dunno...I'
ll drive it until it needs more attention.

My 97 has done this right after a starting the engine. It happened 4 times in ~100 engine starts since I've had the car. It seems to not want to shift out of first gear no matter how lightly i feather the accelerator pedal until it hits 2500rpm then BANG next gear and its fine after that for another week.

Last time I noticed that it wasn't upshifting but BEFORE it banged into next gear I came to a complete stop, shift to P then shifted back to D. Perfectly normal shifting after that without ever banging into the next gear. Give it a try.