Trans slipping after overheat and a constant squeek!

[Sulaco]

Hello all. Long time.

My beloved 202 is acting up again.

Well, as previously posted I got the head gasket job done and the engine/cooling is all top notch. However, since the overheat there's been a couple new problems.

Most importantly would be a dramatic change in shifting from 3rd to 4th. When the car is cold, it takes quite some time to shift. It will hang between gears for far too long. Usually the first couple of times I need to shift from third to fourth it won't go there until I give it more throttle then it will force itself into 4th gear. But when the engine/trans warm up, all is relatively normal. I'm getting a code. I had it checked at autozone. It's the "manufacture transmission control" or something. Broken/disconnected vacuum line after the head gasket job? Please say yes. I'd even settle for the possibility that water got into the tranny during the whole overheat fiasco. Please don't tell me that overheating also weakened my transmission.

Second. There's a constant squeek on the right side of the car. I can't tell if it's coming from the front or the back but it's CLEARLY audible at speeds below 40mph. Wheel bearing? Brakes? New rotors on front and the pads are roughly 50% gone on the front. Original rotors on back with new pads. New flex discs, new driveshaft support bearing.

And does ANYONE know where I can find a wiper arm? Mine is broken and loose at the point where the arm attaches to the pivot assembly! It works but doesn't hold a very strong contact to the glass and thus leaves streaks (instead of wiping clean.)

[jnenad16]

I would definitely look into vacuum lines, as there are two that go into the trans, and both stem from the back of the engine. they can very easily slip off.
as for the squeak, it could be anything from a sticky brake caliper to a worn wheel bearing. for that you would have to take the wheel off and throughly inspect it.
as for the wiper arm, look around at local junkyards, or try www.pgauto.com

nenad

[Sulaco]

Have I told you lately that I love you?

[jnenad16]

LOL


nenad

[Abuimad]

Originally posted by Sulaco
Have I told you lately that I love you?

LOOL, so what was it

[Sulaco]

Well, my inspections turn up nothing. The shifting is fixed, though.

But the squeek is my main concern. It's gotten more prevalent and louder. While my father drove and I followed about 50ft behind (in my aunt's S450. Nice.), I could roll down the window and still hear the squeek at 60 mph. On a side note, my father insists that it's just the wind making something whistle. Alzheimer's?

Anyways. I've narrowed it down to the rear right wheel. The pads back there are new and the rotor is original but seems fine. Any suggestions as to how I can crack things open and figure out what it is? I'm thinking of just replacing the wheel bearing anyways.

What's that cost in parts and how big of a job is it? I'll be doing the labor myself (keep in mind I'm no n00b. On this car I've done: water pump, head gasket, wiring harness, and all the simple things)

[jnenad16]

if its the rear wheel bearing, you can take the bearing housing off yourself, but you will need to take it to a machine shop or someone else who can press the old bearing out and press the new bearing in.
autohaus arizona should have the parts.

nenad

[Sulaco]

oh damn. Pressing makes me nervous. My typical form of "pressing" involves a torch, a hammer, and a push-pin. Won't exactly cut the mustard for a wheel bearing, heh.

Once again nenad you know EVERYTHING.

Also, at what point should I consider this critical? How long can I limp around like this? I'm in the middle of a very busy (and broke) semester.

Can't borrow my sister's C240, seeing as how for some reason the shifter is stuck in the Drive and Neutral position. Can't put it in Reverse or Park!

Fucking Mercedes Benz. Can't they build a car anymore?

[Proven Guilty]

Originally posted by Sulaco
oh damn. Pressing makes me nervous. My typical form of "pressing" involves a torch, a hammer, and a push-pin. Won't exactly cut the mustard for a wheel bearing, heh.

Once again nenad you know EVERYTHING.

Also, at what point should I consider this critical? How long can I limp around like this? I'm in the middle of a very busy (and broke) semester.

Can't borrow my sister's C240, seeing as how for some reason the shifter is stuck in the Drive and Neutral position. Can't put it in Reverse or Park!

Fucking Mercedes Benz. Can't they build a car anymore?

haha, two birds with one stone perhaps.. a wheel bearing is pretty serious if that's the definate cause. depending on how bad it is, i've had a front wheel bearing seize up while driving through the mountains. think of it as that brake caliper decides to clamp as if trying to stop to avoid an accident - and only one caliper does that.

front wheel bearings are worse, it would be like having a tie rod go out because the car will pull EXTREMELY hard to that side. Since you've got it narrowed to be most likely a rear, it's not as bad, but surely it'll cause much more problems if it were to fail while driving on it.

as far as your sister's car with it not going into park or reverse, my first guess would be she may have ran something over, and damaged the linkage from the gear selector on the trans to the actual shift knob, or it could be something like a nuetral safety switch. these are common failures on just about any car, even my old chevy beretta when i was in high school. in either event, i would do a visual inspection underneath, and see if anything relaed to that effect on her car could be easily repaired if she did run something over (perhaps broken snap ring, and its not even connected anymore)

i'll agree, nenad always comes through.

[Sulaco]

hahahaha, yeah. Sounds like great fun!

And as for the w203, I think it's a sensor problem. I called the dealership to schedule a warranty repair (800 miles left on the warranty!) and they said they'd never heard of this happening, ever. To which I quickly replied, "Never heard of a certain type of sensor failing? How long have you worked on Mercedes cars?"

I love that C240. 4matic, all options except gps. For some strange reason my father decided to lease it. We've had it 2 years and have already gone over the mileage by 15k. When the lease is up, it becomes mine. My lady will drive it while I keep my beloved 202 FOREVER.

[jnenad16]

I just read your initial post throughly. I noticed you mentioned a squeeking NOT whining sound. that probably rules the bearing out. I would take a look at the parking brake, it might be binding with the inside of the rotor(drum part). press the parking brake as hard as you can and then release, repeat several times see if that helps. also inspect the cables both under the car and the adjusting mechanism under the rear seat. lube as necessary.
and yes, I do know everything, NOT! :D

nenad

[Sulaco]

Actually it's upgraded to a constant whine now. And I've isolated it to the rear wheel. I thought of the parking break already and tried some drastic measures to see if it had any effect.

I drove around my neighborhood at around 35 while I could clearly hear the whine/squeek. On straight-stretches of the street I would STOMP on the parking break. The left wheel would do all the slowing (as the car clearly pulled to the left). Squeeked the whole way until I stopped. Thinking it might be the brakes, I then tried several pedal-to-floor stops. Still whined the whole way to a stop. I took the wheel off for a bit and inspected. Everything seemed fine from what I could tell.


Nenad, I think if you and I lived near to each other, we'd spend all day tinkering and turning bolts together.

[strictlyspeakin]

When you put the pads on the rears, did you remember the shims?
Frozen caliper maybe?
Pull the rotor to get at the parking brake.

[Sulaco]

What shims?

Refresh me!

And apparently my parking break works alot more for my left wheel than my right.

Note: I've isolated the noise to the RIGHT rear wheel.

[strictlyspeakin]

If only I haven't had as much to drink as I have tonight....

I had a squeal/whine problem after I did the rears. Bugged me for 2 weeks. I've done plenty of brakes over the years and I just figure out what I missed.

pause for drinking break............................................. ................
.................................................. ....
ok.

I took the wheels off (damn spelling correctly is hard at this point). poked my nose around pulled the pads, inspected the rotor, checked the parking break. I didn't find a thing wrong. asked a buddy to lookover my shoulder. He saw that I forgot metal shims. Thin metal plate (about 1mm) only go on the rears.

Dunce cap for me! ordered & installed them and my squeal was history. What I can't remeber is when squeal/whine happened. Oh OH my friend, too much typing... nother break..............

Getting tougher now. Maybe another more coherent member will pick up.
Anyway, I also had a problem with the floating caliper not floating (frozen). Between the two of them, I'm pretty sure that one of them caused the the noise you describe.

~125 corrected typing errors. I'm going back to my muphy's now. l8r

[Sulaco]

I've checked and yes, I did use the metal shims that came with the new pads when I installed them.

Still squeeking. Loudly.

But if it were the brakes, would the noise STILL HAPPEN if:

traveling at 40mph where the noise is loudest, I hit the brakes 100% and come to a FULL abrupt stop. But the entire time the car is slowing from 40mph to 5mph, the squeek continues. ???


If the brakes are fully engaged in that situation, that would mean that the brakes are NOT the problem?

[jnenad16]

try taking the rotor off and inspecting the parking brake shoes.

nenad

[Sulaco]

When I go through the same scenario but using the parking break instead, I can still hear the squeek until I drop below 5 mph :(

Would that rule out parking brake?

[jnenad16]

I couldn't tell you without seeing the car myself, but squeaking sound most likely points to brakes, otherwise if it was whining sound then you should concentrate on either the wheel bearing or the axle shaft.

nenad