a190 w168 tiptronic gearbox fail - no 'F' sign

sigurko

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Hello,

My 2000' baby benz is having a weird problem, which I hope the good people of this forum can help me with.

The problem is intermittent.

Usually, when I switch from 'N' to 'D' or to 'R', I feel the gearbox "kick in" and then I can drive away.

Recently, however, when I switch from 'N' to 'D', there is no "kick in" and the car does not go. It feels like it remained in 'N', despite the fact that the monitor shows that I'm in 'D'.
Sometimes it will go but with little to no power, with pressing the accelerator having no affect, having no power to climb the smallest hill or sidewalk.

This does not happen with switching from 'N' to 'R', where I can still feel the gearbox "kick in" every time and able to drive backwards.

The car has 200K kilometers (120K miles) on it. It's a 2000' a190 w168 w/ 5 speed tiptronic gearbox.
The gearbox oil was recently changed.

Thanks in advance for any insights/suggestions,
Matthew.
 

ajlsl600

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suspect forward clutch drum split. try getting it on the star diagnostics. also search w168 auto gearbox problems or w168 no drive . once fixed the problem can , to a great extent be avoided by allowing the car to warm up a bit ,reducing the stress on the clutch drum
 
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ZZZZ

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Hello and welcome Matthew!

Haven't come across this particular problem myself (sold my W168 auto with 107.5k miles in perfect condition a year ago), but sounds like you might need a new gear selector?

May I suggest you get in touch with Des (Forrera) - https://www.facebook.com/aclassForrera - he knows all there's to know about W168 ...

Also a question - when you say
when I switch from 'N' to 'D', there is no "kick in" and the car does not go.

do you mean you keep the gear selector in N, rather than P?
I ask because I hardly ever put my cars in N, and move from P to D in one continuos motion, without pausing.
 
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sigurko

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...search w168 auto gearbox problems or w168 no drive ...

Searching this, I found out that the tranny should work in 5th and reverse even with a complete electric failure on hydraulics only.

Which kinda fits what I am experiencing. Since it does go well in reverse. When it happened, I did not lay on the accelerator, fearing to cause damage. So, to me it would feel that it does not (or barely) go forward - cause it's in 5th gear.

So, I'm now investigating the complete electric failure direction ECU/Gear Selector.
 
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sigurko

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Hello and welcome Matthew!

...sounds like you might need a new gear selector...

May I suggest you get in touch with Des (Forrera)...

...do you mean you keep the gear selector in N, rather than P?...

I'm starting to be convinced that it's something electrical - ether the ECU or the Gear Selector. Trying to narrow it down.

Thanks for the Forrera contact!!! Will reach out ( have a good reason to create that FB account now =) ).

I wrote 'N' cause going from 'D' to 'R' and back (when trying to figure out what happened with my baby) was through 'N', rather than through 'P'. But the end result is the same for 'N'/'P'.
 

ZZZZ

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You don't need a FB account (I don't have one either) - there's an email and phone number there :)
 
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sigurko

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You don't need a FB account (I don't have one either) - there's an email and phone number there :)

Visited 'http://forrera.co.uk/', it says:
"Free Technical Help Available Online Only. Visit Our Facebook Page (Link Below)"

Also, looked through the "Hints, Tips & Video" section.
It describes two common gearbox faults:
1) faulty ECU - says that the gear selector indicator/screen should not be visible
2) faulty Gear Selector - says that 'F' comes up on the gear selector indicator/screen

None of these fit my case =(.
I still have the gear selector indicator/screen visible and showing the correct letter of the selected gear - at all times.

It also says:
"Please do not call us for free technical help.
Alternatively, you can go to our facebook page for free technical help and advice."

Looks like I'm gonna need that FB account after all =)

Lastly, they have a word of advice there, which got me wondering -
"If you’re driving an automatic A class and want your gearbox to last longer, here is a valuable tip, when you start your engine don’t put the selector on D drive off without warming up the engine and let the revs go below 1k rpm, the reason being the transmission fluid is thick when cold resulting in high pressure that eventually damages 1st gear drum."

I haven't been warming up mine - at all. Just start and drive right away. I fear that this "...damages 1st gear drum..." may be the issue at hand.

Will consult them on FB and post back with updates.

Cheers,
Matthew.
 

ZZZZ

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Yes, I have always waited for the revs to drop below 1k rpm, ever since I first read about W168 autobox - only takes a few seconds. It might not be as crucial in a hot climate, although still a good practice, now that you know about it.

You can always email Des directly - the address is under About | Page Info
 

ajlsl600

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it is one of the more common faults , clutch drum. more so on petrol than diesel apparently, there is a modified drum. as in post 2 when you get sorted ,dont go booting off from cold. might still be something else, anyway forrera is yr man ,i have contacted him a few times and found him helpful enough, that and lofty,s home page .its a great place to save if yr keeping yr A class.
 

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