Just went to the local dealership to discuss the diagnosis of the P1700 code. I was told that the culprit could be the upshift delay valve but they made it sound that it was located on the side of the transmission and very hard to get to, as opposed to the the right rear of the engine area. We also talked about a possible clogged vacuum line or a leak and or a simple adjustment to the control pressure cable.

Now, I don't intend to attempt fixing the problem myself but I do want to be somewhat educated about this. I was not impressed with the attitude of the dealership as one of the mechanics and service advisors didn't seem enchanted with dealing with yet another P1700 code on a w202, and made it sound like it would be extremely labor intensive. With the $94/hour shop labor rate literally hanging over their heads, I had a feeling they were greasing the skids for a big bill. They even mentioned that it could be as much as $1000 because of all the "other things" they need to check.

As many have mentioned in the past, the performance and shifting of the car has not changed. I'm only concerned about this because at some point it will be up for state inspection, and they will not pass it with a "check engine" light on. I'm seeking the expertise of this group as I trust it more than this particular dealership. Any recommendations and advise would be greatly appreciated.

Bertrand

Replacement of the control pressure cable SHOULD be a 2.5-3.0 hour job. The cable lists for $200: you do the math!

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Thanks for the info. Do you think that they would check for a vacuum leak first and an out of adjustment control pressure cable?

Do yopu have the delayed shift feature when engine is cold?????????????

Yes it does have the feature but apparently it doesn't work. Frankly, the engine warms up just fine without it and performance has not been affected. It must be one of those things Mercedes felt the catalytic converters needed to heat up faster.

I wasn't asking if you had the feature . I was asking if the delay was working .
An easy system check is to bridge the in/out vac line at the Switch Over Valve and go down the road to see if you have shift delay. If you do , then the element/actuator part of the system is working but the SOV/ECU activation is not.
If it still does not work, a bad servo element at trans is suspect. See if the line from SOV holds hand vac. Bad element is a common failure part for shift delay system. Some guyjust BB the line and use lower gear until collant temp is warm. [ but that does not solve the CE]

Arthur,

This is good information as I feel we're getting somewhere. Is the SOV located in the engine compartment? Thanks for your help.

Firewall, behind brake booster.