Question about E and S switch on W140
 

The can is 600SEL 1992. After I changed the whole transmission with a used one from Japan I noticed that the E and S switch is now functioning. What happens is that when I switch it down (E is visible S is hidden) the car runs in standard and when I switch it up (S is visible E is hidden) the car runs in economy. My question: Is that the normal behavior or they are reversed?

they are reversed but if you know about it just leave it alone.

That's great, now which wires do you think are reserved to correct the problem?

if you dig out the switch it should be obvious.

Just out of curiosity, which switch selection (E or S) is supposed to engage 1st gear? In my '94 SL500, I am just starting repair of a 1st gear issue and want to ensure my installed E/S Switch is working as designed.

If its anything like the W210 selector it will push down on a plastic pin that compresses a sprung contact to make or break.

I'd leave well alone.

i think that the "S" switch engages 1st gear.

No, mine is simply a slide switch. Thankfully, no mechanical mumbo-jumbo or mid-90's MB engineering. Sliding the E/S Switch just moves a simple slide switch.

No offense David, but I hope to read other opinions as well. Somehow I remember it as "E"very gear (1st gear start) and "S"lippery roads (2nd gear start). Dumb, I admit but I'm hoping to get confirmation. The E/S is not intuitive.

E stands for Economy
S stands for Standard

On 4-gear automatic transmissions, the transmission WILL ALWAYS start in second gear regardless of E or S selected. Five-speed auto transmission will always start on first.

The ONLY difference the transmission program will do is that on "E" (Economy) the next higher gear will be selected sooner at a much lower RPM than on "S". If you do press hard the gas pedal, the program will ignore the "E" setting and perform accordingly to load and speed requirements.

Most techs and mechanics at the dealer have always recommed me personally to leave the switch at "S". The fuel comsuption difference is minimun between settings.

Well if its a slide switch I'd imagine it would be simple enough to pull it to bits and turn it around.

On my 210, S is for Standard and it starts in 1st gear. W (E or Economy on yours I believe) is Winter, and starts in 2nd. Shifts points are lower in W also.

On five-speed auto transmission with S/W selections, you are certainly right: S is for Standard and W is for Winter.

At S all five-speeds will start at first gear from standing still.

At W the story differs a little:

On 4-cylinder models and some low displacement 6 cylinder models, it will start at second gear.

On high displacement 6 cyliinder models, all V8s and the V 12, it will start on third gear.