C220 Transmission normal or not?

[rcltrh]

Just bought a used '96 C220 to use as work car. Runs great, but has a weird transmission response that I was wondering if is normal or not. When you put it in reverse to get out of the driveway, if you let off the gas the car almost acts like you have the brakes on so that you have to keep giving it gas to back on out - will not coast even if you take off fast in reverse. Then same reaction going forward to stop signs if you're going really slow. Most cars will coast when you let off the gas, but this one seems to act like it is using the engine as a brake - similar to downshifting when going down a hill - so that it will not really coast to a stop without keeping on giving it some gas. If I put it up into neutral before coming to a stop sign, you can feel the braking stop and it will actually coast like a normal car, but shifting into neutral also kills the car (is this a normal safety feature or not normal?) When taking off and when driving it shifts out fine, runs great, and gets great mileage. Nothing seems odd when moving down the hiway no matter how fast or slow. When coming to a stop sign if you're moving pretty fast, you don't notice it and it downshifts fine. It's just when you are creeping out of the driveway or approaching a stop sign really slowly that is seems to be braking by itself. This may be normal as I have never had a MB before, but wanted to check with others to see how they are supposed to behave. Thanks!
Thomas
:beard:

[yusuke280]

i own a c220 but im not really sure with your situation..
how much are u stepping in when reversing?

[marksbenz]

I dont think its normal. My 95 C220 feels free backing up the driveway no drag. Do you hear anything when you let go of the gas pedal? Do you feel a drag driving. When you step on the gas pedal does it just rev and takes a second or two to get going? If so you might want to flush and change your tranny oil and filter. Hope its nothing major.

[Sulaco]

Sounds like it's sticking in first gear for longer than normal. And the car dying when you put it in neutral is NOT normal, and is not some safety option. I don't even know what to say about that one. You could be in need of a transmission wiring harness. But that's purely an unsubstantiated guess.

As for the reverse thing, I can't really comment. If you're on flat, level ground and you put it in reverse, does it coast back very slowly on it's own at all? The first few years they made these cars, reverse had just one simple, low gear. Mine has always been the same way, sort of. If I take off in reverse and break more than 5 or 10 mph and release the pedal, the engine torque will kill much of the reverse speed. Eventually they added another gear to reverse (or just a higher gear ratio). But if your car brings itself to a quick, complete stop when you release the pedal in reverse, I'd say something's up.

[rcltrh]

You dont really notice a drag when driving normally (and it gets about 33mpg), just when slowing down for a stop sign when you were only doing about 15mph or less on backstreets in town or in a parking lot. You dont have to give it a lot of gas to make it go either way, but if you let off the gas completely, it will completely stop especially if you are on a slight incline. My driveway is a slight incline but pretty long, and if I let off the gas while moving - even moving pretty fast for a driveway, it stops almost right away. I experience no revving up or delay at all, just lightly touch the gas and it goes - either fwd or reverse whichever way you are going- but let off quickly and it stops by itself just as quickly as if you put on the brakes. Now if you are doing 30 and let off the gas, you dont notice it. I was just thinking it might be the lighter weight or something of the small car, but shifting into neutral even at these low speeds you actually feel the drag go away and it then coasts normally (albeit dead engine). The idle is very low on this car, but it never dies unless you put it into neutral when driving, so I was thinking maybe the low idle might have something to do with it too. Maybe I should have the filter and fluid changed as suggested and see what happens.

[rcltrh]

Maybe the reverse is the low gear engine torque thing since my driveway is at a slight incline. It will creep backwards coming out of the garage which is level, but when it hits the incline it stops unless you give it the gas, then if you let off it comes to a stop pretty quickly again unless you shift it into neutral frem reverse, then it will coast a few feet uphill before stopping - as I would normally expect. It does seem more like an engine braking effect rather than hitting the brakes, so that's probably normal in reverse. Its similar in forward too, just seems weird that it doesn't really coast at slow speeds. I guess maybe I am used to my Tundra Doublecab which weighs so much it will coast 1/4 mile at 10mph on a level street.

[jnenad16]

does the car jerk when you reverse on idle? how low is the RPM when in gear, and when idling?

nenad

[renerodz]

"Most cars will coast when you let off the gas, but this one seems to act like it is using the engine as a brake - similar to downshifting when going down a hill - so that it will not really coast to a stop without keeping on giving it some gas."

Is it fills like it takes longer to shift out of first, second gear while cold? Fills like engine break. If it is this, it may be the normal feature the car has to quickly warm up the cats, Oxigen sensors or something like that.

After all these things warm up to a specific level, then it will shift normally.

Rene

[Sulaco]

Originally posted by rcltrh
just seems weird that it doesn't really coast at slow speeds. I guess maybe I am used to my Tundra Doublecab which weighs so much it will coast 1/4 mile at 10mph on a level street.

I'll have to give you some assurance that my car has pretty much been the same the 7 or 8 years I've had it. The transmission in your car and in mine has only 4 forward gears and 1 reverse and that's it. It's not quite as...complicated(?) as transmissions in most other cars. There's no passing gear(s) or coast-release at all. And if you're creeping along slow enough, yeah, my car will automatically shift down into first where the engie torque won't let it coast much faster than a steady creep, but when I hit the gas, there's no hesitation and it accelerates with loads of power.

But I have to be moving pretty slow for it to shit into first and start limiting it's coasting ability, so I dunno :(

Does anyone know if the transmissions in the 95 220's had that driver-adaptive system? Maybe the transmission's learned to behave the way the previous owner treated it? Long shot?

[rcltrh]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess it's just acting normally except for the dying when going to neutral thing which I will have to check out further. It doesnt jerk, and sounds like it is behaving like Sulacos to a tee. Power right there when you gas it, but little coasting release, and yeah it's when I am creeping along very slowly like when I pull out of the driveway and go about 75 feet to the stop sign at the end of the street so that it really never shifts out of 1st. Now when I do take off from that point on, it seems to shift out of 1st just fine - almost too quickly it seems, but isnt jerky or anything and seems fine. I haven't disconnected the battery or anything to see if it is adaptive (if that would even clear it out?) but since yours seems to do the same I'll just accept it as probably typical.

[Sulaco]

Yeah, personally I would say it's probably typical also, but you and nenad might be on to something with the idle-speed thing. Perhaps it might be idling a little too low also.

Still, a car that old is probably in dire need of a tranny flush. I know mine is in need of one. It hasn't been flushed in 4 or 5 years.

And yes, I believe if your car has driver-adaptive trans., then disconnecting the battery should reset it. But I don't think your car has it...

But I'm often wrong and routinely make poor decisions!

[jnenad16]

if you have the money, do a complete tune up, this includes spark plugs, coil ends, wires, air filter, fuel filter, oil change w/filter, trans flush and fluid change w/filter. this alone should improve the performance of your vehicle a bit, maybe even fix the low idle and a sluggish trans. many times thats all your car needs.

nenad

[fastmayte]

werd ^^^^^ what he said!!!

my car runs like new cuz i did a 80% tuneup when i first bought it.

put the car on a lift and check the rear brakes too, when reversing, the parking brakes grip more than going forward. like slightly. maybe they are too tight? see if the wheels spin freely

[rcltrh]

Almost everything on the list has been done within the past year - the previous owner made me a list of what he had done recently and all the plugs and wires and such were on his list. I still need to change the trans fluid and filter and fuel filter, but everything else on the list was done. I like to have a frame of reference for everything being done whenever I buy a used car that I have little history on, so since I bought it last week I have done a total coolant flush, including the block and heater core and changed the thermostat. I also did an oil filter and oil change, cabin filter replacement, and am putting on new brakes and rotors tomorrow so I'll look at the parking brake tension then. Other than the dying when shifting to neutral the car runs perfect, and I only tried the shifting into neutral twice the other day just to see if it felt different, and the a/c was on, and the car wasn't really warmed up yet either time so maybe that's why it died. I kinda didn't think much about it since I never shift into neutral as regular practice on an automatic, and thought maybe it was a safety feature or something. I'll restest again once I get the brakes on tomorrow and after it has warmed up.

I also need a new tensioner shock since at idle it was rattling some, but temporarily I squeezed in an oversized thermal plastic washer next to it on the top bolt and it's quiet now. For some reason the wiper stops about 4 inches up on the windshield after turning it off, but I just push it on down. I read either on this group or the mbworld one about it probably being out of adjustment but havent looked at that yet since it hasn't rained here in over a month and doesn't look it's going to. But I'll look at that this week sometime too probably.

Other than those couple things, it's really a sweet car, perfect dark blue paint, perfect interior, runs quiet, and has plenty power for a 4 cyl plus great MPG. Looks almost showroom new. I'm thinking about giving it to my daughter in 2 years when she turns 16 as long as it is still in good shape, and in the meantime driving it to work daily for the MPG and to keep miles off my new Tundra. I drive 30 miles one way to work every day and the Tundra DC gets about 10mpg so it's a gas HOG. My monthly fuel bill over the past year has just about equalled my truck payment, so looking forward to better mileage.

This group is great. Much nicer than mbworld where they seem to ignore you. Kinda reminds me of the tundrasolutions forum where everyone is like family and help each other out with problems and suggestions. Thanks for the help! I'm sure I'll be posting again :-)
Thomas

[jnenad16]

the problem could be as simple as low trans fluid.
oh, I forgot to mention, hows the gear fluid level in the differential?

nenad

[rcltrh]

Transmission fluid level is fine, but haven't checked the differential. Will check that tomorrow as well. I'll also check the rpm level and post what it runs at when idling to see if it is low or not. I have had the rotors and brakes off all day today waiting on new rotors to come tomorrow so I haven't started it up today.