W124 E420 Slipping/Flairing in 2-3 upshift
 

Hi. Sorry if this is redundant, but I tried searching and there are too many search term combinations to use! (Transmission, Trans, Tranny, Rev, Slip, Flair, W124, E300, 300E, E420, 400E, Shift, Upshift, etc., etc.)

My car, a 1994 E420 (no mods) w/ 85,000 miles, will occassionally rev up 1,000 to 1,500 extra RPM druing a 2nd to 3rd shift during easy acceleration. It then grabs and the RPM drop back down to normal. This might not happen for several days, but then it might happen several times in one day or even one trip. It does not appear to be relative to the car/engine being cold or warm as it's happened under both conditions. I have noticed that it has never happened under brisk acceleration. Other shifts can sometimes be more firm then I think they should be, but not so much that I've had anything done but an additional transmission service back at 60,000, which did nothing for the firm shifting.

I checked the transmission fluid per the owners manual and it was full up to the proper mark for an engine at operating temp. I often read that one can find problems by smelling the transmission fluid, but I don't know what smells right or wrong.

What actions can I take to narrow down my problem so I can speak intelligently with the Service Advisor at the Dealership.

The car is still covered under Starmark Warranty.

Thanks,

K1 kit for repair
 

Do a search for "K1 kit". I am sure you will see that most of the symptoms people have had before replacing this are identical to yours. You will find lots of information on a kit that can be installed that will more than likely stop the flairing.

you mentioned that the car is still under starmark. in that case dont bother troubleshooting on your own just to go the dealer get a loaner and relax. let them figure this whole thing out. tell them you have a bad transmission and take it from there on. if one dealer doesnt help the situation go to another one. make use of starmark !
good luck.

2 - 3 Inconsistent Flare
 

I'd give odds that it is the K1.

Will a dealer do a K1 or yank the whole thing and bill DC for a rebuild job? The latter gives the mechanic more opportunity to forget a screw or torque something wrong, etc.

Warranty or no, I wouldn't care to have something "rebuilt" that wasn't broken.

My local dealer's brand new $10mm facility wasn't built by doing the least expensive fix first.

Kevin

Took it to the dealer this week. They couldn't duplicate the transmission problem. The only charged me 1/3 hour labor for their diagnotic effort which included having a tech take my car home overnight in an attempt to duplicate problem. Of course, the transmission slipped once on me on the way home from the dealership!

If they could have confirmed a transmission problem, they would have replaced the whole transmission with an MB rebuilt unit.

They did replace the squeaky HVAC blower motor under Starmark, so that was a good savings!

don't worry about that one dealership. take it to a different one and have them diagnose it. just because it didnt duplicate for that one tech doesnt mean the problem is not there.
you have starmark which will be honored at any dealership.
keep us updated.
good luck.