Driving in 'W' Mode

[Raja Taimoor]

Hello all!

W140, S500, 1996 (five speed): Driving in 'W' mode feels smoother and lighter than the 'S' mode for a reserved driver like me. The vehicle starts out in 2nd gear and shifts up earlier too.

Could it harm the gear or the engine in any way if always driven in W mode.

Regards

 

[television]

It make no difference at all if you start in W or S. just leave it in the W second gear start mode

 

[coolhans]

W mode

Hi Raja

W and S mode stands for Winter and Standard. The idea being that in W it pulls away in 2nd gear to afford better traction in slippery conditions. I had the same on my W210 E300 TD. It should be fine to leave it in W if you prefer it. It does provide a smoother ride. I don't know how it might effect fuel consumption however but I shouldn't think it makes much difference.

 

[Raja Taimoor]

Completely replaced the ATF and the filter yesterday, and just can't describe the smoothness. W mode would make this even silkier.

Thanks a lot, Malcolm, Robert

 

[Cnics]

Not my Merc, but on my Volvo, in traffic i lock the transmission in W mode and position 3 which (to confuse matters) locks it in 2nd gear, its much smoother as its not always hunting between 1st and 2nd in traffic.

 

[Raja Taimoor]

Very intelligent!

I think merc wont lock in any fixed gear except the first. I you manually put it in second or the third gear, it'll still hunt all the gears below that position.

 

[television]

Not my Merc, but on my Volvo, in traffic i lock the transmission in W mode and position 3 which (to confuse matters) locks it in 2nd gear, its much smoother as its not always hunting between 1st and 2nd in traffic.

Yes the Volvos can have 3 positions, this works in the same way as the MB and when W is selected,, always a second gear start. This only applies to cars with the 722.6 box from mid 96 onwards, and the later 722.9

 

[Raja Taimoor]

Not my Merc, but on my Volvo, in traffic i lock the transmission in W mode and position 3 which (to confuse matters) locks it in 2nd gear, its much smoother as its not always hunting between 1st and 2nd in traffic.

Fool the merc (722.6) to act like a volvo....select the W mode with the selector lever in 2nd gear rather than D. It'll start out, and remain in the second gear. Good for city traffics.

 

[Raja Taimoor]

While starting out, shifting from 2nd to the 3rd gear in 'W' mode gives an unusual jerk, sometimes strong enough to shake the whole car. The car also runs very heavy till the time it shifts into the 3rd and then smooths down. This doesn't happen in 'S' mode or shifting to higher gears or when the car again hunts between the 2nd and the 3rd gears.

This started after i replaced the ATF and filter three days back. The older oil was thin and smelly but didn't have any debris that could point to the deteriorating gear health. I used MB original oil and filter.

Would appreciate guidance before going the the indy.

Regards

 

[rapide]

autobox

Raj. I would put it back into "S" mode and just drive it that way. sometimes the older cars will play up! these early boxes are a bit fragile ( modified year 2000 on) and like to be driven light!, ie; no kick downs / hard full throttle shifting etc, just normal driving. mine is 1997 118K mls. drives perfect I did check the box level yesterday and its spot on yellowy green colour very clean looking so i will leave it alone .never have used " W" mode, it might not like it! as you have found, all the best Rap.

 

[Raja Taimoor]

Thanks Rap.

I did the same and the hiccups now gone, I hope so at least. I drive my car very soft, enjoy smooth cruises rather than kick downs.

Thanks again!