I need to find answers for my problem, my transmission shift and runs fine in city traffic but once on the highway I smell a burning odor from the car. Oh yeah one thing I forgot to tell you. This only happens when I'm at 60mph then I step on the gas hard, I feel the tranmission down shift to 4 or 3 gear and at this piont the car is at 100mph. I always smell an odor when the car travels past 100mph. I know I should not be driving at this speed but on the S500 it is very easy to do when you are not looking at the speedometer. 100 in a Tercel is dangerous but in a Mercedes it feel normal. OK, so when I gas the car hard (more like flooring the car) past 100mph I smell the burning clutch smell.

Is there anyway to repair without replacing a trancsmission? Is it just my tranmission fluid needs changing. I have only driven the car like this a few time just to see how fast It would go. The minute I smell the burning I stop. I do not have this problem in my E420 which has 10K less than my S500. Other then high speed driving, I do not smell anything from the car. What should I do to take good care of my car.

I don't really have the answer to your questions but it would help if you would post the car milage and transmission service history, fluid changes.
Paul
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98 E300

I have 90K on 97 S500 don't know the history of the car since it was a used purchase. The car has no hard shifting problem, runs smooth, transmission just smells at 100mph when forced to do it. Have not changed fluids since 2004 when first bought it. Only put 6K a year, driving weekends mostly. E420 is the daily commuter. I just hope the smell is from the fluids overheating and not anything mechanical. I never drive over 100mph, but in this car or any V8 Mercedes, it is very easy to make such mistake.

Have you checked the fluid level? and was it overfilled?

fluids ok, I'm talking about a burning smell when driven hard. Like burnt clutch smell.. I was told automatics have friction plates, I just hope these parts are OK and not damaged.

Hi,
Did you check to see if you have fluid leaks at the bottom after you came back from your 100mph drive ??? I overfilled my transmission in my 400e two years back and I had a similar porblem. The fluid would leak only at high speeds from the pan and when it hit the exhaust pipes I got the burnt smell. I pulled over and looked underneath and only then I realised what was going on. I siphoned off some fluid and then no more smell.

smk_texas
98 S420 51K