C180 automatic 1996 - 2nd ONLY!

[dpy]

Hello, I own a 1996 1.8 petrol C180 Automatic, which was going great until about 2 weeks ago - It has gone into "limp mode" I think - its stayin in second gear - but will go to reverse and P etc. The gearbox oil was changed about six months ago in a back street garage but it was fine before and after this. Can anyone shed any light on this problem? I will provide any more info. Thank You in advance!!

 

[Buggerlugs]

Hi,

You need to get it plugged in to a diagnostic machine and get the trouble codes, you won't be able to make any progress until this is done. HTH.

 

[Howard]

Did the back street garage use genuine MB gearbox oil to refill it ?

Get the car to someone with a STAR machine , and have the fault codes read , to know for sure before you start trying to fix it ...

I would imagine the gearbox oil change has probably got something to do with it , especially if it wasn't genuine MB oil used .

 

[grober]

Assuming you have the 4 speed hydraulic box there are no error codes to be read unfortunately. Sounds as if something terminal has happened. There is a fault on these boxes known as the B2 PISTON FAILURE which results in total failure of the forward gears while reverse remains OK. The other possibility is the box was over/under filled with fluid during its last service. The 4 SPEED hydraulic box of that vintage uses Dexron 2 fluid which is pretty standard stuff so I don't expect a fill with the wrong fluid is at fault. First thing to check is the fluid level is correct. There are specific instructions for this which must be followed exactly to get the level correct. The fluid should be clear probably a red or yellow colour. If its dark brown or black and has a burnt smell that's a bad sign. Get the car looked at by a local reputable autotransmission specialist ASAP.

 

[dpy]

thanks but no dipstick in this box??????

Assuming you have the 4 speed hydraulic box there are no error codes to be read unfortunately. Sounds as if something terminal has happened. There is a fault on these boxes known as the B2 PISTON FAILURE which results in total failure of the forward gears while reverse remains OK. The other possibility is the box was over/under filled with fluid during its last service. The 4 SPEED hydraulic box of that vintage uses Dexron 2 fluid which is pretty standard stuff so I don't expect a fill with the wrong fluid is at fault. First thing to check is the fluid level is correct. There are specific instructions for this which must be followed exactly to get the level correct. The fluid should be clear probably a red or yellow colour. If its dark brown or black and has a burnt smell that's a bad sign. Get the car looked at by a local reputable autotransmission specialist ASAP.

Hello, thanks for the reply! I suspected the tranmission oil level but there is no dipstick to check this level?????

 

[grober]

Need to know your engine number and gearbox number its probably either engine+gearbox 111.920+722.421 or 111.921+722.604 If its the first you can buy the dipstick from mercedes part no A1402700683 for £13-56 http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb2.as...GA=722421&CT=GA&cat=09S&SID=27&SGR=180&SGN=08 If its the later 722.603/4 transmission they don't list a part but other forum members have bought one on E bay I believe. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merc...Z350123113982QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools
you may be able to get one in the UK not sure??