transmission queries

[turbopete]

having read some ofthe problems people come across with auto boxes prompted me to ask 2 things.

1. how much difference should there be to drive my 1999 e300 turbodiesel when the 'box is in w rather than s on the switch? ive not noticed any!

2. when stationary, engine running (in traffic, at traffic lights etc) whats the recommended position for the gear selector? should it be left in D or is it better for the 'box if its put in N?

also, i know its on here somewhere, i just cant find it yet, can someone give me the spec etc to make an atf dipstick or point me 2 where i can find the info please

 

[television]

On a 210 its a well known thing that the switch fails in the gear shift panel, this means that you have no choice over the gear it starts in. All 722.6 boxes have the W 2nd gear start and S 1st gear start, I forget what mode it fails in

 

[turbopete]

it must fail in w as unless i get reasonably heavy with the right foot it always sets off in 2nd. is it just a new switch to repair? are they expensive?

 

[television]

The are details on the forum somewhere that tells you how to lever out the rocker part of the switch, and re assemble, think that the spring that flips the contact over that breaks

 

[swells]

having read some ofthe problems people come across with auto boxes prompted me to ask 2 things.

1. how much difference should there be to drive my 1999 e300 turbodiesel when the 'box is in w rather than s on the switch? ive not noticed any!

2. when stationary, engine running (in traffic, at traffic lights etc) whats the recommended position for the gear selector? should it be left in D or is it better for the 'box if its put in N?

also, i know its on here somewhere, i just cant find it yet, can someone give me the spec etc to make an atf dipstick or point me 2 where i can find the info please

this is the business end

 

[turbopete]

would i be right to assumethere is no preferred position for transmission when stationary then? Or is it something that no one ever thought about till now?

 

[alindsay81]

i always leave mine in D when stopped with foot on brake, unless im going to get out of the car

 

[delboy777]

I leave mine in D unless im going to have to wait more than a few seconds, in which case i put it in N with handbrake on. NEVER put it into P when stopped at a junction or lights etc because if someone rearends you you can kiss goodbye to the gearbox.

 

[turbopete]

i just wondered if it put less stress on the 'box if it was put into n when at lights etc and therefore would the oil and the transmission last longer by doing this?

 

[turbopete]

The are details on the forum somewhere that tells you how to lever out the rocker part of the switch, and re assemble, think that the spring that flips the contact over that breaks

any idea which section its in? i mean will it be here or in electrical?

 

[television]

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=44971&highlight=switch

Maybe we did not find a fix, its hard to remember every ever posted.

Button will lever out from the top, inside there is just a spring that flips a roller across to the other end the short circuits the contacts. You could lift the ass; and measure across the switch to see if it is making contact or not, If it was me I would add a switch under the dash, there are only two wires I believe.

It would be useful on a diesel to make a livelier start, or you could fix the switch so that it stays in the first gear start mode all of the time

 

[turbopete]

mine needs thehelp out of road junctions. its either steady away in 2nd or i have to give it plenty to get it to switch to 1st, then as soon as it starts to go, the throttle is open quite wide (to get the downshift) and it tries to spin the wheels, then the traction control kicks in and itd be quicker to set off in 3rd probably!

 

[turbopete]

just looked at the thread left in the link in your last post here Malcolm. the switch itself (ie the button part) seems to work fine. its the fact that it never volunteers to use 1st gear thats the problem! i hope its not yet another electrical niggle im going to have to live with till i can find a cheapish indy to do a full car diagnostic! it will have every code available up as ive had the battery off a few times to re charge it!

 

[television]

just looked at the thread left in the link in your last post here Malcolm. the switch itself (ie the button part) seems to work fine. its the fact that it never volunteers to use 1st gear thats the problem! i hope its not yet another electrical niggle im going to have to live with till i can find a cheapish indy to do a full car diagnostic! it will have every code available up as ive had the battery off a few times to re charge it!

It is the switch, or should be, when operating correctly it will start off in first gear and low throttle, just that you will need less revs to start off.

I have known of at least 10 failures of the switch and never the box at fault. If the switch was OK then you would have a first gear start everytime

 

[turbopete]

switch check required then. i will try bypassing it as a temporary measure to see if it sorts it then buy switch if it does. any idea onprice? are they available alone or are they part of a bigger unit? never had an auto till now and done almost nothing with them when i worked in garages either! thats also why i asked if its better in n or d when stationary. im thinking it probably doesnt make much difference from whats been said though!

 

[television]

The switch is all part of the whole lump and does not come on its own, I believe that there are only 2 wires going to it, as a test just take a short piece of twin wire, join them onto the switch connections and joint the other ends together and try the car, separate the wires and try again and you will know. If this solves the problem, then you could just join the two switch wires shorted out and use the first gear start all the time