C200 Auto G/B snatches W202

[PChinnery]

Hi
I have just replaced the head gasket on my C200 after it failed while on holiday.
After this work was completed the auto gearbox has started to snatched into gear on change up. It is still reasonable smooth when changing down, the problems also appears worse when the car is accelerated slowly. If I boot the car from a standinging start the change is reasonable. Before the head gasket replacement the gear change worked fine.
When the car failed it was pulled on to a low loader with a winch, could this have damaged the G/B or torque convertor.
I have owned the car from 80K miles and don't think the G/B or fluid drive oil have ever been changed. The car has now covered 109K miles (and towed a caravan for the last three years).
Do you think and oil change would cure this?
Any other ideas?

Regards

Paul

 

[GregE240]

Hello Paul,

In a word, yes, I think it will help.

I had the gearbox oil changed in my E240 back at 98K as the gearbox was getting a bit "clonky" (sorry for the crude description!). The transmission oil that came out was like treacle, was quite shocked when I saw it.

Ever since then (now on 147K) the box has been as good as gold.

Cost was just over £100 from an independant specialist. MB dealers now are quite happy to do this for you.

HTH,
Greg

 

[PChinnery]

The problem is fixed

I called my local independant MB garage and had a chat with them, they suggest I check all the vacuum connections from the inlet manifold to the gearbox and a list of other things that could have gone wrong during the head gasket change.
With the car over a pit I noticed a very small piece of vacuum tube had pulled out of the connection on the near side of the G/B. With great difficulty I refitted the tube and all is now as it should be. The G/B is as slick as before.
Thanks to Bucklow Hill independant MB garage at Knutsford Cheshire for the help.