tranny Problem? or just cold starting.

[cameron_1292]

hey everyone i just bought my c230 in october. its a 97 with 145000. the lady took it to the dealership every year for its scheduled service. this is the first c class ive ever owned let alone driven. i have driven my dads 90 300e. anyways the problem is if i dont let the car heat up to half of the temp gauge (80 i believe) it shifts very hard until the car drives for awile and warms up. and this morning on my way to work shifting from 1st to 2nd it jerked very hard. hard enough for me to be worried and post this lol. realy the only way to get smooth shifting gears when its below the half way mark on the temp gauge is if i shift it myself using the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th etc gears and not let the automatic trans shift itself..anyone have any ideas on this problem or if our cars just need to warm up for a long time before driving. thanks in advance.

[Sulaco]

sounds exactly like a vacuum problem. I believe teh 97's still had the vacuum controlled transmission. It's related to the vacuum modulator mounted on the transmission. how mechanically inclined are you?

[cameron_1292]

sounds exactly like a vacuum problem. I believe teh 97's still had the vacuum controlled transmission. It's related to the vacuum modulator mounted on the transmission. how mechanically inclined are you?

Decent lol but I've never heard of the vacuum controled transmissions lol but I'm just nervouse its the whole transmission

[horgantrevor]

if its an auto

check oil level when warm and put the car in to d then p a few times to get the oil moving

i bet it needs changing or is low

you can get this fault if its to high also

just a thought i would check its free just need a dip stick get one off ebay

[cameron_1292]

if its an auto

check oil level when warm and put the car in to d then p a few times to get the oil moving

i bet it needs changing or is low

you can get this fault if its to high also

just a thought i would check its free just need a dip stick get one off ebay

Well I probably could use an oil change I'm at about 3000 miles but Idk I've never had that problem with any other cars even way over due for an oil change and I have an oil dipstick? I don't have a tranny fluid one.

[nelius]

i usually have the same problem but with mine all i do is just let the car warm up until the rps go below 1000 and it doesnt jerk anymore. i was also kinda worried that the tranny might suddenly just give out. id like to know what the issue is

[cameron_1292]

i usually have the same problem but with mine all i do is just let the car warm up until the rps go below 1000 and it doesnt jerk anymore. i was also kinda worried that the tranny might suddenly just give out. id like to know what the issue is

yea i know what you mean. the car runs flawless otherwise its just annoying lol. also i love my car so im probably over thinking things and maybe its not that bad of a fix. i just want everythig to be ok

[cameron_1292]

also does anyone know of a good aftermarket warranty company? im interested in getting one

[Sulaco]

All my cars came with transmission dipsticks already in them--including my 99 c43. Am I missing something here about cars coming with no dipstick? Besides, if its a 97 the fluid check should be easy. Get the car to 80 degrees and on a flat surface. Crucial that its an even surface. Unfold the locking lever on the dipstick and yank it. Wipe clean with a lint free cloth, reinsert per the norm. If its above 80 on the dipstick, you need to fix that asap. The number one killer of these trannies is overfill! If it looks blackish or brownish, do a flush asap.

[cameron_1292]

All my cars came with transmission dipsticks already in them--including my 99 c43. Am I missing something here about cars coming with no dipstick? Besides, if its a 97 the fluid check should be easy. Get the car to 80 degrees and on a flat surface. Crucial that its an even surface. Unfold the locking lever on the dipstick and yank it. Wipe clean with a lint free cloth, reinsert per the norm. If its above 80 on the dipstick, you need to fix that asap. The number one killer of these trannies is overfill! If it looks blackish or brownish, do a flush asap.

saw you were in nashville im in tn too in the johnson city area lol but i honestly have no clue where my tranny dipstick is i cant find it at all. my dad cant either and hes had 4 benz..but if u say there is one then i believe you lol where is yours maybe i can look and try to find it

[Sulaco]

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/attachments/w202-c-class/256740d1251599540-how-change-transmission-fluid-filter-diff-img_39191.jpg

Green circle if that link works

[Sulaco]

And for some reason 202 owners on this board from tn are rare. I think I have the only c43 in all of middle tn!

[cameron_1292]

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/attachments/w202-c-class/256740d1251599540-how-change-transmission-fluid-filter-diff-img_39191.jpg

Green circle if that link works

yea lol i actually just found it then got the email that you posted this lol its a cap though i need to buy a dipstick so i guess thats the next thing lol im just trying to diagnose this without going to a dealer because the obvious reason on money lol also the closest dealers are over an hour away. but if the woman i bought if from brought it for its service every year you would think the mercedes mechanics would make sure its not over the limit

[cameron_1292]

this is my first benz but they run in the family lol my dad had a 72 se and a 93 300e and my mom had a 87 300 lol so i of course grew up with them but i love the 202 body and even when i get my next ill get a 202 its my favorite. i would love a c43..or a 36 but ive never found them even on websites for sale lol..i looked for 2 years for a great condition 202 and finally found mine actually 5 minutes from my house a lady was selling it cuz she bought a brand new e350 lol but your right i never see ANY 202s for sale in tn wether it be on craigslist or any other website because i still look even though i have one lol you never know when a good deal might come up lol i actually just found a 98 c230 all black with 146k for the same price i payed for mine so im kinda mad lol

[Sulaco]

Yeah, if you want the best deal on a car, you're gonna have to travel. Back in 99 I bought my beloved 94 c280 from a guy in atlanta. If you look nationwide on autotrader.com, ebay, or crazedlist.org, you'll find a c36/43, but you'll have to make a trip to gp buy it. And you'd be amazed how cheap you can snag one! Won't beat an e46 m3 unless you do some mods, but that's not why I bought one. It was my dream car since I first laid eyes on it in a magazine when I was 16 and I vowed to own one.

Sure, lots of newer nicer faster cars. But the w202 is the most beautiful Benz ever made, in my eyes. Though I just might wait 5 years and buy a used c63. Those things are insane.

[cameron_1292]

Yeah, if you want the best deal on a car, you're gonna have to travel. Back in 99 I bought my beloved 94 c280 from a guy in atlanta. If you look nationwide on autotrader.com, ebay, or crazedlist.org, you'll find a c36/43, but you'll have to make a trip to gp buy it. And you'd be amazed how cheap you can snag one! Won't beat an e46 m3 unless you do some mods, but that's not why I bought one. It was my dream car since I first laid eyes on it in a magazine when I was 16 and I vowed to own one.

Sure, lots of newer nicer faster cars. But the w202 is the most beautiful Benz ever made, in my eyes. Though I just might wait 5 years and buy a used c63. Those things are insane.

they are my favorite also.i could have gotten the newer body with the rounded lights(like my girlfriend prefers lol) but thats not what i like lol. but your right it wont beat an e46 but thats also newer. i think it would beat an e36..but it also has a heavier engine then both of those models.also its nicer inside the car. ive never been too impressed with bmw interiors. i mean look at mine i have a c230 wich they call the "lowest end" model mercedes makes and to be honest its nicer then any car ive driven and ive driven my girlfriends new honda accord ive driven bmws and i love my car beautiful grey leather dark wood quite as can be when you drive but when you need the power you get it and with the added k&n intake i have you get that sound too at high rpms. and yea i love the c63 they have so much power.

[cameron_1292]

Well after the weekend it seems to be fine still shifting kind of hard sometimes but not as hard as the other day so I guess we' ll see next month when I bring it to the dealer to get the yearly service anyways

[timmyj51]

There's no "problem" with this delayed shift. From what I've heard the MB trannies for these models were specifically
built with the delayed shift to warm up the cat when starting cold. It happened with all the MBs I've owned (190E, C220, C230). When I had my C220
I found a way to get around the delay by first putting the car, if I remember, into 2nd gear, and after it shifted up one gear I manually shifted to D. By doing it this way the tranny shifted right
up to 4th gear without any delay.
Have never tried this, however, with my C230 which is a five, not a four, speed.

[cameron_1292]

There's no "problem" with this delayed shift. From what I've heard the MB trannies for these models were specifically
built with the delayed shift to warm up the cat when starting cold. It happened with all the MBs I've owned (190E, C220, C230). When I had my C220
I found a way to get around the delay by first putting the car, if I remember, into 2nd gear, and after it shifted up one gear I manually shifted to D. By doing it this way the tranny shifted right
up to 4th gear without any delay.
Have never tried this, however, with my C230 which is a five, not a four, speed.

thanks for the info its been driving fine latley so hopefully your right lol

[Sulaco]

in my ripe old age of 29, I've become much more caring and patient with my old MB's. I used to just crank, gas, go. These days I never leave the driveway without giving the car at least 2-4 minutes to warm up. My old engines have 250k miles on them and could use the extra care, I suppose. And transmission life span is definitely boosted by always making sure the tranny is warm prior to driving.

[cameron_1292]

in my ripe old age of 29, I've become much more caring and patient with my old MB's. I used to just crank, gas, go. These days I never leave the driveway without giving the car at least 2-4 minutes to warm up. My old engines have 250k miles on them and could use the extra care, I suppose. And transmission life span is definitely boosted by always making sure the tranny is warm prior to driving.
I do the same lol I've learned from my dads Mercedes you always need to take care of the engine lol I wait 5 to 10 evwrytime lol

[W202FTW]

I remember when I had a 190E 2.6 and experienced a jerky transmission (on start up), which was attributed to low transmission fluid, two worn out rubber transmission lines and worn out copper O-rings. I hope this helps.