Urgent help required!

[Moneysaver217]

Dear experts,

I have a problem with my Mercedes E270 cdi Avantgarde Saloon. Automatic 35,000 mileage. The car does not move when I put it into gear. Please help me in this dilemma and expalin to me how the situation arose.

My car suddenly last week stopped in the middle of the road and did not move when I put the gear in Drive or Reverse. All of a sudden! Then when I came out of the car the engine oil was leaking from underneath the car. The red one which costs about £10 per litre! Anyway I asked a mechanic and he said you need to replace the gasket, filter, plugs and fill up the oil again with 8 litres. I did all this and it cost me £250 with parts and labour. (I live in London) When I drove the car from the garage to my home, it drove for 0.25 of a mile and then stopped all of a sudden! So, I called the mechanic and he plugged in his leads with a laptop which has the Mercedes software for checking faults and it said the car was fine and working, no problem. But the car is not moving!!!

The Mercedes Mechanic does not know whats wrong. He said that the engine oil is replaced and the filter and plug and gasket are all replaced so it should be ok. Can the spillage have caused something else to happen and why has the engine oil spilled at only 35,000 mileage?

Also, the most mystifying thing is that when the car has not been driven for 2-3 hours and is cool, it will drive and then when it warms up and is driven for 0.25 miles it does'nt move all of a sudden.

It's mystifying because the mileage on the car is only 35,000 and is brand new. The engine and everthing else is working fine.

Finally, I must also mention that when he plugged in the laptop Mercedes software and put the car in manual gears 1,2,3,4 the software on the laptop was not recognizing the moving of different gears. Very weird yet the software says the car is fine.

Do I have a gearbox problem?
Has the car got a serious fault and what else could it be? I think it is the transmisson or a sensor in the gearbox. But no body knows. Even the so called experts. Maybe someones experienced a similar problem and can put me in the right direction.

Im sorry for the burden, I hope you can help.

 

[nickcc101]

The red oil is automatic transmission fluid not engine oil. Could be the gearbox gasket blown or a pipe from the auto transmission oil cooler leaking.

 

[Moneysaver217]

Mystery?

Yes what I meant is auto transmission fluid. But the gearbox gasket, plugs and filter have all been replaced brand new so why is this still happening. And when you say a pipe from the auto transmission oil cooler leakng where is its locatoion and why has the mechanic not picked it up?

Thanks.

 

[nickcc101]

You have two pipes that go from your gearbox to your oil cooler, one feed and one return and can be seen underneath the car. Please remember that most advice given is either previos experience or guesswork. Without viewing your car no one can be certain what the fault will be. If the Mechanic has not found the fault after viewing and testing your car i suggest you need to find another Mechanic. Some faults can be very difficult to find but i would have thought most oil leaks would be obvious to the most inexperienced Mechanic.

 

[Wellington]

Is this a correct description?
Engine always starts and runs OK
Car will drive for a while and then comes to rest with engine still running but will not move in reverse or forward drive.
Leave for a while and the car will drive for a short distance again and then comes to rest again with no drive but engine still running ok

 

[Moneysaver217]

Help.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. The engine is running fine but the car does not move forward in Drive or Reverse.

 

[Wellington]

I would be looking at water or antifreeze in the transmission damaging the clutch plates and lockup plates in the converter, the debris clogging the pick up filter so stopping the drive, then after standing still the debris falls away and lets you drive a bit further, if this is the case you would need a transmission rebuild and a radiator, I will write a longer explanation if you want.
Water in the oil usually turns the oil a milky or strawberry colour.

 

[Moneysaver217]

Wellington.

Thanks for the reply Wellington. What do you mean by a transmission rebuild and a radiator? And this affects the transmission of the car. Also, my car is relatively new only 35000 miles and this problem has happened. The debris is affecting the transmission of the car? How? How about the two pipes form the oil cooler, could they affect the transmission and do these need replacing and how can you de clutter the debris in the pick up filter? ALso, the mechanic has teh software of mercedes, how comes things like antifreeze and water and the oil cooler problems that have been suggested do not appear on the laptop software?

I thank you for all the support, I will keep you updated on the diagnosis.

 

[Xtractorfan]

How old is the car, UK mercs normally have a 3yr warranty, The initial problem would have been caused by lack of transmission fluid, Its possible that the gearbox may not have enough oil replaced and causing your problem.. the ecu will also need resetting to cancel any faults stored..

 

[Moneysaver217]

Thanks for the reply.

Let me post my update.

The third mechanic opinion says: that the plate has gone in the gearbox due to water leaking through pipes which is linked to radiator therefore, pipes (feed and return) the radiator and the plate need replacing, all of which will cost £2200! (labour and parts)

I have spend £270 on an air mass filter. Damn these germans are expensive to maintain.

the car is a 52 plate so 3 year warranty gone and etractor what is ecu?

Anyway, I still do not know what to do.

 

[rpe2]

I think that we need to take a few steps backward here.

The radiatior/ oil cooler failiure (aka the Valeo issue) can cause drive problems, and lead to a big bill, but...

It would not lead to the box pumping all of it's oil into the road.

Before you go for a full rebuild, I think that it is worth checking that the gearbox is not leaking oil through one of the cooler pipes, or electrical connections.

I really think that you need to involve a MB specialist rather than a generic garage for this one.

 

[rpe2]

Would be nice to know what happened to this one...