The code isn't on my receipt, but the service advisor said that they were getting the same one I had before, P-1747.

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-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

How did this all play out? Find a good shop? I am interested because I am looking for a shop in The New Orleans area for my mother's 1990 300e. Idle is up and down at stops lights.

Maybe a dirty MAF could be causing the erratic shifting.A new maf(amm)improved my shifting.Try resetting the ECU also.

The C230 has been behaving fine the last ten days or so. It stuck, then slammed into gear the day after the dealer visit, but has been fine since then (!)

The advice I've gotten from two independent shops here, one being the guy I've gone to for more than five years, is just what the dealer said: Until they can reproduce the problem, they can't be *sure* replacing the controller would fix it.

300B: If it's the MAF, wouldn't there be other driveability problems, poor gas mileage, etc.? My mileage is tip-top.

In the meantime, I'm having the shifter bushing(s) replaced to solve a nasty rattling I've been hearing in the cabin on ripple-bump roads. Seems to me I saw a post here that suggested that, just possibly, if the shifter isn't making the right contacts, the transmission could get confused and not know what gear to go into. Maybe that'll help, or even solve, the issue?

Daveuz, I don't know the board rules about posting the names of shops outside the Good Shops section. Have a look there; I've posted the contact info for my regular mechanic. Or you can PM me.

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* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

This problem is easily resolved. Do a search on throttle position sensor; use my ID if you have to. You basically have to clean it with some carb cleaner - lots of it, maybe 1/2 a can. Then you hose it down with some WD40 and the up/down idle will be gone. It worked for me when I first bought my 300E and it had the same problem. Hers (1990) has the same engine setup and everything. Give it a try.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

Just wanted to point out the C230 and 300E have completely different engines, so the fix for the C230 wouldn't apply.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

My driveablilty and MPG's were good and I didn't have a code however my AMM was bad(finally got the dreaded P0170 and P0173).

A new Maf cured a sometimes hesitant and slighty confused 722.6 in my C280.

Thanks for the tip, 300B. Without codes for it, however, is there any way to test to see if the AMM is bad? That's a $300-$400 part, even from here on Fastlane, and I'd like to be sure before spending. Or could I just clean up the wires?

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

Seen it for less,much less.

Could help alot.

I've been doing a little 'net research, and have found Bosch units for as low as $242.99 at All OEM Parts.com. Was Bosch the OEM supplier?

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

Are you driving it in S or W mode? I noticed sloppier, improper shifts in S mode than in W mode so I leave it in W at all times. Smooth as a button and the transmission is getting more torque.

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

Do you have any slop/play whatsoever in your shifter when it's in "D?" Next time it's in gear, try to move it in millimeter increments toward "P" and "3," not actually clicking it into the next position, but seeing if it will move out of the "d" position and NOT pop back where it is suppose to be. Mine was doing this for a while and after the shop spent $1500 of MBUSA's money, they figured out a 3 cent screw holding the linkage to the transmission was causing jerky shifts and slippage.

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former: 83 300D, 97 C230, 93 400E

current: 08 C300 Luxury , 92 500SL

BenzOnline,

I've always used S mode, so the car starts in first gear from a light. With the A/C on, I find it helps the little 4-cylinder's acceleration. The W mode is fine . . . once the transmission is out of that warmup mode where it delays shifts for a minute or so in order to improve emissions. About two years ago I accidentally set it to W, and the car acted so weird I thought the transmission was going out. But once I'm past the warmup period, you're right, it is smoother, and I guess would bypass any problem with shifts from 1 to 2, because the tranny would bypass 1 entirely.

Will_w202,
Yes, there is a small amount of play, enough to rattle on ripply surfaces. The sound seems to vanish when I drive with the selector snicked over to 4: no play. I'm having those bushings replaced today, and will report.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

Bushings are separate from what I had replaced. It was literally a screw or bolt. The bushings may help though......

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former: 83 300D, 97 C230, 93 400E

current: 08 C300 Luxury , 92 500SL

Hey, all,

The C230 has been great and trouble-free for more than two weeks, until yesterday. I got the refusal to shift/slamming into gear symptoms again, and as I parked the car, the CEL came on. However, the car started and drove perfectly this morning -- though with the light still on.

It seems I get this problem *only* when, upon starting the car from cold, the idle is immediately too low. By that I mean, instead of first idling at about 1000 rpm then dropping down to 550 within a few moments, the car starts and almost instantly drops to 600, then 550. Almost invariably, if this happens, the car will refuse to shift correctly and will slam into gear (it feels almost as if somebody is rear-ending me!).

From what I've read here, this sounds like an air mass meter going bad. I know I need to get the codes read again. Qs about the CEL situation:

1) Can a standard scanner, such as Autozone's, pull the right code? Or do I have to go to my independent?

2) Can the codes be read with the CEL off? The light comes and goes, and I've been told that if the light is off, there is no stored code to be read. Is that correct?
.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino