Should I be concerned

[liammoo]

Hello folks.
I am new to Mercedes ownership having recently purchased a 1995 E200 automatic. I've driven it for a short while now and am very happy about my purchase.
Having read some posts on here and also having a read of the Haynes manual I bought (I know it doesn't cover the later E200 but it provides some useful information) I have a slight concern about the level of oil in my auto box. The only externally visible reason I have for this concern is that the oil pressure guage on the dash constantly reads "3". When I turn on the ignition it moves up to "3" and never moves lower until the car is turned off again. Apart from that the box changes up/down fine. The only gear change issue is that the first change from 2nd to 3rd when starting off takes longer than expected i.e. revs have to be quite high - over 4k rpm.

Anyhow, question is, do I have an oil pressure problem? Is the auto box over-filled? Or is my guage faulty?

Many thanks in advance for any replies.
Liam

PS. I did try to check the dip stick last night but I realised later that I hadn't followed the Haynes instructions i.e. engine running, gearbox in "P".

 

[DougCLK320]

Do you mean it moves to "3" when the ignition is turned on - BEFORE you start the engine?
If so, it doesn't sound like it'll be a faulty gauge, more likely the sensor on the engine is at fault - and luckily (I believe) this is an inexpensive item to change.

 

[stumpy]

The oil gauge refers to engine not gearbox oil. If the needle is glued to 3 even with just ignition on then it is likely to be the oil px sender. Check the engine oil using the dipstick. For the gearbox get the car nice and warm and then into P and check level with engine running. As for the changes - when cold the changes are delayed to aid Cat warm up and cut emissions. Does it do it when warm too?

 

[liammoo]

Many thanks chaps for the replies and I am much relieved (and somewhat embarassed) to know that the guage is for engine oil and not gearbox. I have been checking the engine oil with the dipstick and all is well there.
Also interesting to note that the changes are delayed when the engine is warming up. That could explain the other issue. Frankly I'm not too bothered about it.
I was just very worried that some long term damage could be caused to the gearbox if overfilled with oil. I'll do the correct check on it tomorrow.