99 E320.., 4Matic not working?
 

Just bought a 99 E320 4matic wagon, 83,000 miles.I Was driving on snowy roads last night and noticed when stopped in fairly deep unplowed snow the car wont get going again, when i watched the car from to outside i noticed the front tires wont spin while the back do. I tried with the ESP off and same thing. Is this correct? It seems as though the AWD is working while driving, just wont engage to get unstuck. I own a Audi s6 also, and am impressed with the way the 4matic handles in comparison with it, but this doesnt seem normal. Any thoughts?

Anybody?

Nobody? :D

Any advice would be a guess, scan all modules for fault codes.

All wheel drive is permanent on that car, it doesnt just come on when needed. if you were drving in deep unplowed snow, its possible you actually lifted the car up enough off its wheels where it couldnt get traction. Believe me, I've done it before :D

When a 4-matic vehicle is off the ground (say on a lift) and in drive, the rear wheels will spin while the front do not as this is the path of least resistance. You can actually stop the rear wheels from spinning and the fronts will start.