I drove my 1997 C36 (115k miles) out to Indianapolis last week to catch the US Grand Prix; what a letdown that race was, but we still had a great time. We made the 650 mile trip in great time, at an average 65 mph that included a half-hour stop for lunch and gas. The car ran great the whole way, and I can't tell you how much fun it was to be like a shark tearing through schools of guppies for hours on end.

Anyway, the transmission began to act up soon after we arrived. The problem began as a lack of shifting - the transmission would work fine for a while, then give a lurch and stay in whatever gear it was at the time. At first, rebooting (turning the car off and then back on again) restored normal operation but the car eventually went into limp mode, locking in second gear.

It was a real pain in the ass, but we did manage to make it through all the local driving over the weekend. I knew there was no way I'd be able to drive the 650 miles home like that, so I took it to the local dealer (World Wide Motors) in Indianapolis for repair. I was very impressed with their customer service, but the diagnosis of a bad conductor plate ($720 total) seems to have missed the mark because it only lasted for about 300 miles into my journey home. Fortunately for me, I was running in fourth gear when it locked up and I did manage to nurse it home, carrying a 70 mph average and making the trip in 9:20 elapsed.

Can anyone offer any advice on what might be causing everyone to think that I got another bad conductor plate? What might be causing these indications? Is it possible that I did get another bad conductor plate? If it's not the conductor plate, what else could it be?

Best Regards,
Rob

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Robert Fini

'12 ML350 BlueTec, 100k
'06 E320CDI (x2)
'05 T1N Sprinter 2500/Pleasure-Way Plateau TS, 70k
'97 C36AMG, 319k (son's)
'94 E320T, 249k
'93 190E Sportline LE, 168k (daughter's)
'84 190E-2.3/5spd (Stage Rally Racer)
'66 230 W110 Sedan (Barn Find, Vintage Racer build in progress)