I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on my query.
The car is a 2001, X reg. MB 320CDI (W210, I think it's called) with 103,000 on the clock.
The problems are these - I will list them separately, as they may be unconnected.
1. for some months, under normal, fairly gentle acceleration, the gearbox has, it seems, changed back down a gear, causing the revs. to blip. Not a major problem as far as I am concerned - something I can live with.
2. A few days ago, when I decided to blow the soot out of the exhaust. I floored the accelerator from a fairly low speed, the revs. went round to the red line, just as though the gearbox had slipped into neutral. As the car slowed,I tried a couple of times to drive on, but there was no drive at all. I stopped the car, fiddled with the gear lever, put it into drive and the car drove away normally and since then has behaved normally - I haven't tried flooring the throttle since then, though.
Any ideas or suggestions, please?
regards drbe
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First thing must be to check fluid level and top-up if necessary-don't know how you do it on these but some one will know;for example the old Ford C3 box was checked and topped up with the engine running and in "D".
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Thanks jc, must admit I hadn't even thought that!
Does anyone know how to check fluid level? It's a 320cdi 5 speed w210 2001 reg.
drbe
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In my E320 Coupé, the dipstick is at the back of the engine bay on the driver's side, and you use the hole to refill or top up. You'll probably find instructions on the correct procedure via a Forum search (or even a Google search), but it should certainly be done with the engine running and you'll probably help by running it through all settings before doing it. I know this only because the only problem I have had with the autoboxes on two MBs was caused by a main dealer failing to refill the box with the correct quantity of ATF, as part of a 36k service that cost me over £600. Guess who no longer services my car.
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And there's more . . .
At lunchtime I saw one of my pub friends, who is recently retired from having run an autobox service company for some years. He reckons that the only way to get an accurate reading of ATF level is to put someone in the car with the handbrake and footbrake on, put the transmission in drive and then read the level. Get the car up to full operating temperature first, of course.
He says that it is for safety reasons that all the handbooks and manuals recommend doing it in park or neutral. He's done it all ways and says that all but the drive-mode method are liable to give false readings. On another thread on this board, someone else mentioned that readings can be highly variable and that the level shown on the dipstick is very sensitive to the true level within the box, the implication being that 1mm variance in the box is going to show as appreciably more than 1mm variance on the dipstick.
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I wouldn't get too stressed over the odd 1mm. The auto trans is not running with a 'dry sump' system. So long as the level is above the 'minimum' mark the fluid pickup will be covered and fluid will be pumped around.
On the MB you make sure that the fluid is hot (15+ mile run) and then leave the engine idling. Cycle the transmission selector through all positions and then leave it in 'P'. Pull out the dip stick and the level should show between the min and max marks. Top up to the max mark, if necessary. Do not overfill. The MB autobox takes Dexron III (or equiv.).
To be honest I think your problem is more serious than low fluid. If the 'box is 'reving between gears' (known as 'flaring') then you have a problem that needs proper diagnosis - sooner rather than later. Autobox problems don't get better by themselves and the longer they are left the more expensive the damage. Slipping = heat generation = costly damage.
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Thank you all for those suggestions. The car is now booked in to a small MB workshop. Fingers crossed of course, I will report back.
drbe
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Your "small MB workshop" may do fine, but have you thought of going to an autobox specialist, such as one of those recommended by HJ on this site? That's what I'd do if the lube level is OK and the problem persists. I guess that autobox specialists wouldn't exist if normal dealerships and workshops could cope with such problems.
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