C250TD Auto Estate

[catgate]

Problems again. For some months now, ever so occasionally, setting off in forward or reverse has resulted in what I originally thought was "slipping". I then realised that if it was slipping the engine revs should have risen...but they didn't. It was just as though something was limiting the revs to what they should normally have been for "take off". Simply turning "off" and restarting cured the problem...for another few weeks. Yesterday I came up to a junction on a local B road and when I tried to pull out, onto the road I was joining, it did it again. There was no traffic so I switched off, and then restarted, and away I went. That is until I realised that I was stuck in 2nd/3rd (don't know which) and no amount of easing off the loud pedal would induce it to change up. I stopped, turned off, and restarted and came home with no further trouble.
On arriving home I was telling Management of this new development, and was demonstrating to her what to do....she was due to go to her father's 90th in it today. As I turned the key I turned it just a little too far, into the actual "start" position, and like a good little car it started.....only to turn itself of after a couple of seconds, with a click from under the bonnet. I tried to start it again and it wouldn't, but it gave me the click from under the bonnet, (the click was the fuel stop valve closing again, but again with the ignition turned 'on'.)
I left it for an hour and then went back to it. It behaved impeccably again.
Management is now away in a Ford Wart (Ka), on hire for her trip.
It all seems a very tangled web to me. Has anyone got a little light to shed, please?

 

[catgate]

In furtherance of this tangled tale, and in order to assist anyone thinking of offering helpful opinion, here is the latest development. The day following the above the vehicle started and was driven, without trouble at all, to my local garage, where it was hooked up to a magic Bosch diagnostic black box (well it's green in reality). It showed half a dozen odd faults that seemed to have no relevance (faulty heater plug , bulb out etc.) These were wiped and the vehicle was run arround for a couple of days by the garage people before being returned as "not having put a foot wrong". But nevertheless with puzzlement.
Yesterday I went up to the village (2 miles away) in it, and on two occasions I had to turn of and on because of its failure to change up from 3rd to 4th. To day it was necassary for me to go to Doncaster (30 miles away). So I took it back to my local garage for it to be "diagnosed"....nothing. So I set off. I got there and back but three times on the trip it decided not to change up from 3rd to 4th and I had to stop and restart.
After getting home it was necessary for me to go into our local market town (about 8 miles away). It was reluctant to pull away from a stand still at three road junctions, and would not change up from 3rd/4th on more than a dozen occasions, until at one point it changed up from 2nd to 3rd with a heavy thud. After that point it just would not change up nor down and I had to come back in limp mode.
It is the five speed "electronic" box. The one with W/S rether than E/S.
HELP!!!

 

[996jimbo]

It sounds as if what feels like slipping clutch / reluctance to pull out from juntions is due to being stuck in a high gear (third). This sounds like 'emergency' mode but I would assume that to go in to emergency mode it should register the corresponding fault that sends it there.

I recently had a few odd gearbox problems that turned out to be down to a leak. That didn't cause it to go in to limp-home mode but did cause a few strange gearchanges (some crude changes, some reluctance to change, couple of neutrals). I suppose in the absence of anything else to test, you could have the gearbox oil checked.

Regards,
Jim

 

[catgate]

It sounds as if what feels like slipping clutch / reluctance to pull out from juntions is due to being stuck in a high gear (third).

It's strange, but I thought I had sent you a reply, jimbo, about three quarters of an hour ago. Anywayup....
I do not think this can really be so because the RPM and MPH indicated on the dash suggest otherwise. There is a significant drop in RPM when a change occurs. When it is stuck in "limp mode" it is quite different the RPM and the MPH are more closely tied together.
But thanks for you contribution nevertheless.

 

[spannerman]

When the CLK Auto Box crisis began, and it was behaving erratically it was down to the oil level having dropped considerably.
It might be worth checking that before you look further.

 

[catgate]

When the CLK Auto Box crisis began, and it was behaving erratically it was down to the oil level having dropped considerably.
It might be worth checking that before you look further.

This was checked by my local garage at the onset of this problem. In fact the first thing that was done when this silliness started was that the 'box was drained, and a new filter fitted before refilling with new oil. We debated if this was needed because it was less than eighteen months since this had been done before, as a routine. (I tend to over service rather than under service, in the belief that this is cheaper long term....am I a fool I wonder?). The oil that came out was extremely black stuff.

 

[catgate]

This problem has now been resolved. It only cost slightly over £2.5K for a replacement MB auto 'box and ECU.
This is my last MB. Stuff Chrysler.

 

[996jimbo]

Blimey, that's painful; sorry to hear that.

What was the problem with the box?

 

[catgate]

Blimey, that's painful; sorry to hear that.

What was the problem with the box?

Basically it was sh*g*ed. There were handfuls of bits in the bottom and the oil was "black", despite the oil and filter having been renewed only a couple of weeks before its terminal collapse (in an effort to remedy the fault). Incidentally it had only done about 15k since the oil and filter had been changed previously.
The autogearbox specialist firm who dealt with it said that although they were able to have repaired the mechanical side of it MB does not supply parts and MB insist on supplying exchange 'boxes. In addition to the mechanical side, the ECU, which is built into the 'box, was also up the spout and had been the cause of the malfunctioning that had caused the mechanical damage. Since this is also intimately connected to the engine management set up, further mayhem and buggerment were also involved.
It is now running like it should. In fact I was travelling along the M62, only about an hour ago, having been to visit my sister and her husband, gliding along on cruise control, and I said to my wife, "This is how it should be. It's just like flying on a magic carpet!"
I just hope it lasts as long as my old 190D , because this will be my last MB unless something radically serious occurs with the Chrysler empire.