Loss of drive on cold start

[taffysvan]

Hi all,
I have a 2001 M class 270 cdi with 84 k on the clock, 12 mths MOT and a full service history.
I have had the car for a week and granted it has been extremely cold during that time.
However I have a problem that on start up from stone cold there is no / very little forward drive when you engage D.
I have tried engaging 1 but even that doesnt give me hardly any forward movement. Once the engine has warmed slightly all drive is fully restored and the car drives fine.
Could this be a problem caused by thickened gear oil in the cold weather??
I've done about 200 trouble free miles in it so far and just this one problem on very cold start up. Do I have to let the engine warm up first before driving off??
I know that sounds stupid but I dont do that in my other Merc a 220 cdi coupe although it too has sluggish pull away when the engine is cold.
All advice gratefully received. Thanks guys (and gals)

 

[Adam230K]

Hi all,
I have a 2001 M class 270 cdi with 84 k on the clock, 12 mths MOT and a full service history.
I have had the car for a week and granted it has been extremely cold during that time.
However I have a problem that on start up from stone cold there is no / very little forward drive when you engage D.
I have tried engaging 1 but even that doesnt give me hardly any forward movement. Once the engine has warmed slightly all drive is fully restored and the car drives fine.
Could this be a problem caused by thickened gear oil in the cold weather??
I've done about 200 trouble free miles in it so far and just this one problem on very cold start up. Do I have to let the engine warm up first before driving off??
I know that sounds stupid but I dont do that in my other Merc a 220 cdi coupe although it too has sluggish pull away when the engine is cold.
All advice gratefully received. Thanks guys (and gals)

Diesels take alot longer to warm up than petrols, regardless of fuel type i drive all my cars really gently until they are warm.

But are you saying even if you floor it when its cold it will ignore you and not pull any harder? does it stutter or make any noises at all or is it just a lack of power?

 

[taffysvan]

The engine sounds fine. You can floor it and there is no drive pull. Almost as if the clutch had gone in a manual car or you were trying to pull away in the wrong gear. Then when it warms up the drive engages perfectly normally and all gear changes are fine.
No smoke,noises, stuttering or anything else. Thanks so far.

 

[BTB 500]

This sounds a little like what my Vito (V6 CDI, auto gearbox) does very occasionally ... although it tends to be when reversing from cold. It's like trying to pull away with the brakes on:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/engine/62747-strange-issue-reversing-when-cold.html

 

[taffysvan]

Hi Bill,
yes its a little like the brakes are on..but they're not. Its more like you have no gearbox!
Very strange, slightly alarming and then absolutely fine.

 

[BlackC55]

Chect the ATF level first. You probably have a leak from the gearbox

 

[taffysvan]

Thanks BlackC55, will do. Do I need to check it several times to see if there is a leak??
If there is a leak is that a major job?
Shame you're not nearer..thanks for your help.

 

[wemorgan]

Shame you're not nearer.

There's another garage near you that many forum members use, 124Works.

 

[taffysvan]

I dont have any warning lights showing on the fluid levels..hope thats a good sign!

 

[mattc]

I dont have any warning lights showing on the fluid levels..hope thats a good sign!

But if the level is only a little bit off (both high and low) it can still affect transmission apparently - thats why Olly (Blackc55) is suggesting you get it checked.

 

[taffysvan]

If there was a leak..would it show on the snow under the car?

 

[taffysvan]

BIG THANK YOU to all of you, especially Will for recommending 124 Works. I called Ian who offered to check level free of charge. He then did so, found no oil in the gearbox, re-filled it, did a full diagnostic check, replaced the air filter, topped up the antifreeze had a good look round it, under it and over it and charged me less than £40. What a hugely refreshing change to find an honest genuine guy willing to help a person with no knowledge at all!
He definitely has my future business now and has reassured me that I have bought a decent car. Top bloke and I'm very grateful to you all for your suggestions and help. Hopefully you wont hear from me too often!!:bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana:

 

[Ian B Walker]

Thank you for your kind words. Checked the ATF to find that it was shy of 2 ltrs. Checked under the car looking for leaks. Non found. I can only assume that whoever did the last oil change filled the gearbox up while it was cold and not running. Checked with a dip stick and yes up to the mark. So ok as far as they were concerned. Gearbox's should have a minimum of 4 ltrs in before starting the engine, drive 5 miles and then check and top up till the required amount is in there. I have to stress that while topping up, the gearbox must be in park or neutral and the engine left running.

 

[taffysvan]

I'm back...

Hello all,
I'm sorry to say but I'm back on the forum
I think there might be a problem with the drive/gearbox and I will have to take the car back to the dealer I bought it from but before I do I would like an idea of what might be wrong with it.
Since Ian refilled the ATF it has been on 2 outings, 1 short and 1 long (136 miles) and has driven absolutely fine. Today, however was different. It was the return leg of the 136 miler. This is what happened.

• On start very slow forward drive again but not as bad as before. Then ok.
• Onto motorway and box changes up into 3rd but wont go any higher.
• Stays stuck in 3rd.
• Cant manually change into 4 or 3 from D.
• I put the car in neutral and then back into D and then it changed up into top.
• Drove ok but cruise wouldnt work.
• After 5 miles stopped at services, switched off ignition, restarted and then all gear changes, manual shift and cruise all working perfectly.

The other 136 miles were perfect and there were 2 further stops (only for coffee!) on the way.

I'm wondering if the 200ish miles driven with very little ATF in the box have done some damage or whether its something else.

I guess you could call it an intermittent drive problem. I've owned the car for a week!
Thanks all. Please try not to give me bad news!

 

[big john]

so lets get this right then mr taffysvan you said no atf fluid in the box yes then you said ian walker filled it up for you for under £40.00 as i know the box holds 7 ltrs at £12.00 a ltr hmm something not adding up here is it and air filter thats £14.00 none merc price whos leg you pulling here

 

[jonnyboy]

Sounds like limp mode? It surely can't be mechanical if it was temporarily "solved" by switching off and on ?

 

[taffysvan]

I dont do leg pulling Big John, especially not about cars. As you can see from post above he put 2 litres in and if the air filter was non merc part so be it, I wouldnt know if it was or wasnt. I know it came on a van from the local motorfactors cos I waited for it to be delivered. I believe he was just being a nice man and helping a novice person out which was genuinely a pleasant surprise for me being somewhat more used to rip off Britain.
Maybe I'll just call him tomorrow and ask him about the continued problem with the car which is more concerning to me than how much I was charged by the garage.
Oh..and its Mrs Taffysvan by the way..

 

[taffysvan]

Limp mode??
Please dont make me ask JonnyBoy as I fear it would be embarassing!

 

[taffysvan]

Ok have read some other posts on limp mode..sounds scary!

 

[taffysvan]

there seems to be a lot of things limp mode could be.. some other stuff that might be relevant after looking at other posts

I was doing 70 mph while stuck in 3rd (could have been 4th but revs seemed too high) and it was about 4000 revs.
High level brake light isnt working,other brake lights are..
Throttle pedal feels wobbly
No dash warning lights on