e320 cdi gearbox issue

[simon winn]

Good evening all,

I am fairly new to this site (I'm on 911uk a fair bit for the 964 and my wife thinks I'm going mad) having just changed our 5 series for a 2001 E320 cdi estate as we needed 7 seats and I didn't want a people carrier. I've just had a B service and the gearbox oil and filter changed along with the seal to the control module as I was getting EPD warning. The car now runs great BUT I have an intermitent problem with the gearbox:sad:.
The car goes into limp mode randomly (during which tip can't be used) and resets itself on restart. I've rewashed the control module with contact cleaner but still problem persists. The only thing I can think is that I think I have a faulty Tipronic switch as if you push left its selects lower gear but if you put the slightest pressure right the car selects drive or up a gear.

Any ideas greatly appreciated? Simon.

 

[Xtractorfan]

As you have upset the ECU I would suggest that you get the car reset on a star diagnostic machine ...BTW did you also clean the connection terminals on the loom..

 

[jibcl500]

Si

excellent car the 964, see attached, do you still have the R5 GT any pics please.

jib

 

[Blobcat]

It could be oil contamination of the electric control module on the gearbox. It is quite a common problem oil leaking into this module. Depending upon who did the B service & ATF change they should have checked this at the same time.

 

[simon winn]

Thanks for the replies. The connections at the gearbox were cleaned out when the seal was replaced. I've spoken to the guy who did it (Merc indie) and he said he'd never known the control module to have been damaged by the oil ingress (it was full of oil). He suggested cleaning the connections again as there may have been a small ammount of oil still lingering causing a dodgy signal and there was a trace which is why I rewashed the board. The car now shows no malfunction on dash display but has gone into limpmode a few times since. I do think the tip switch is faulty but wonder if this might be causing the problem?

Still have the Gordini Turbo (not GTT) but having trouble uploading pic. Will try later. Cheers.

 

[simon winn]

Car has now stated there is an epc problem and is showing 1 malfunction after flooring car. Will take back to indie on Monday. Any ideas?

 

[MB TECH WARRINGTON]

Car has now stated there is an epc problem and is showing 1 malfunction after flooring car. Will take back to indie on Monday. Any ideas?

electronic power control on display when kicking down, goes into limp mode then is ok again,

ive had these symptoms before, fixed the problem, seen it 3 times before and same thing fixed problem each time, but if i told you id have to kill you,

 

[star]

electronic power control on display when kicking down, goes into limp mode then is ok again,

ive had these symptoms before, fixed the problem, seen it 3 times before and same thing fixed problem each time, but if i told you id have to kill you,

Like wise with many problems

 

[BlackC55]

Thirded....

 

[MB TECH WARRINGTON]

Thirded....

would be like burning money, giving all our secrets away, many years of training and experience

that does not mean i wont help someone, but think its pointless me telling everyone everything as would need to interrogate car first to know what it is, i could tell you something to replace as a could be, you replace part still problematic, result= you wasting good money, i can try to point you in the right direction,

but the best advice i can give is find a place where people know the cars, and with my dealer background, i know that lots of dealer techs are useless, every dealer will have good techs, but every dealer will have useless ones.
pot luck which one gets your job,

 

[Wobby]

ive had these symptoms before, fixed the problem, seen it 3 times before and same thing fixed problem each time,

Whats the point? I wont put whats in my mind after reading this and the posts below it, wouldn't want to offend.

 

[simon winn]

What's going on here? I have taken the car to an Indie near me who diagnosed the oil contamination and fixed that to no avial. I can't see the point in telling me you know the fix but won't tell me. Warrington is quite a way from here and star I may come to Reading soon if my Indie fails. Do you know what's wrong with this car?
To be honest I'm starting to lose confidence in MB's product and am seriously considering trading it for something else that's newer. My previous 535d did 100k with no probs and I had a W210 320 V6 that did 220k only needing a MAF and a crank sensor.
Happy fathers day if you have kids.....

 

[Xtractorfan]

The whole point of this forum is to help fellow members who have problems with their cars..many of the people on here have no option but to pay thru the nose for wrong diagnosis,, it is only fair to attempt to give someone else the benefit of ones experience and gleaned knowledge..

 

[MB TECH WARRINGTON]

What's going on here? I have taken the car to an Indie near me who diagnosed the oil contamination and fixed that to no avial. I can't see the point in telling me you know the fix but won't tell me. Warrington is quite a way from here and star I may come to Reading soon if my Indie fails. Do you know what's wrong with this car?
To be honest I'm starting to lose confidence in MB's product and am seriously considering trading it for something else that's newer. My previous 535d did 100k with no probs and I had a W210 320 V6 that did 220k only needing a MAF and a crank sensor.
Happy fathers day if you have kids.....

my previous posts were only light humour

i dont know what is wrong with your car, but if inspected it i could tell you the problem,

i could tell you what i think but without inspecting faults, actual values etc it will be a guess, but i am trying to give you best advice about getting the car done right,
if i give you instruction to replace something it would be guess work as i have not looked at the car, when a car gets to a problem like yours, getting it diagnosed correctly is the only way, i am actually trying to save you money in the long run, the forum is good for tips, but i could give you 5 things to try, each costing time and money with no guarantee to fix,
i know its not the answer you want to hear, but if you have no good independants in your area your only option is to try the dealer,

i wish you luck in getting your car right, pl

 

[MB TECH WARRINGTON]

The whole point of this forum is to help fellow members who have problems with their cars..many of the people on here have no option but to pay thru the nose for wrong diagnosis,, it is only fair to attempt to give someone else the benefit of ones experience and gleaned knowledge..

surely incorrect diagnosis should be refunded,
i know as garage if we diagnosed a problem incorrectly how could we charge for the repair, we would not do it,

i do like to help people but i feel the best help i can now give is to get the car looked at by the dealer as if the dealer replaced parts to no avail they would then be obliged to find the problem free of charge,

i wish the gentleman luck in getting his car right,

 

[OlafMaxwell]

I had this problem too, its well known. Came above 100k. One replacement part solved it. The car was staying stuck in second and would not go over 40mph. I had the same oil contamination issue and it had caused the problem. It was not expensive and can be done quickly if the part is in stock.

Watch the transmission fluid. The book says sealed for life but its now a replace at about 65k!.

 

[MB TECH WARRINGTON]

I had this problem too, its well known. Came above 100k. One replacement part solved it. The car was staying stuck in second and would not go over 40mph. I had the same oil contamination issue and it had caused the problem. It was not expensive and can be done quickly if the part is in stock.

Watch the transmission fluid. The book says sealed for life but its now a replace at about 65k!.

thats 65,000 km about 40,000mls, for the gearbox oil,

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Mileages....the dealer told me the recommended change was 100k kilometers, or abouit 62,500 miles. I hope he was right because its now at 141k and not due a service until November or so. Apart from the previously mentioned issue the transmission has not given any other trouble.

 

[MB TECH WARRINGTON]

Mileages....the dealer told me the recommended change was 100k kilometers, or abouit 62,500 miles. I hope he was right because its now at 141k and not due a service until November or so. Apart from the previously mentioned issue the transmission has not given any other trouble.

change your oil every 40k, religiously, not worth the **** in later mileage,

 

[Blobcat]

change your oil every 40k, religiously, not worth the **** in later mileage,

My owners manual (for the facelift W211) states a one of change at 40K miles, I will be getting that done in the next month.