Parts supplies

[ManofKent]

My apologies as I am sure this is covered elsewhere but references to good parts suppliers seem to be embedded in other topics.

Anyway, I need to buy some bits for my auto box, the contactor plate (presumably sometimes called the electrical plate) and solenoids.
Can anyone suggest a good on line UK parts supplier please.

Many thanks

John

 

[amazighman]

What car u got?

 

[ManofKent]

E 220 cdi 2004.

 

[jaymanek]

Mercedes dealer. Why do you want solenoids? They don't typically go wrong...

 

[amazighman]

Find Mercedes-Benz Newcastle on ebay. They are good

 

[zipdip]

Well have you had the codes read,are you going to fit it yourself,I take it from the year of the car it is a 5 speed box,have you looked at the connector that plugs into the box ,it is a common problem with that box,most of the electro plate problems are with the 7 speed box the 722.9 ,I would buy the plate from mercedes it will be slightly more expensive I think unlike the 7 speed box a new plate can be fitted and not be coded to the car.

 

[ManofKent]

Thanks amazighman. I will give them a try.

My car is an automatic. It has that annoying jolt at about 7 mph when cold, and a slight "hunting" feel when I go up the first hill about 500 yards from home. This hunting feel is sorted by putting my foot down harder. These symptoms continue for about 2 .5 miles, after which the car is fine.
Counting the gear changes I think the jolt is before the car gets into second, and I conclude is the TC lockup misbehaving.
I researched this on the net, especially on this site. It could be all kinds on things of course, but the contactor plate, transmission wiring link or solenoid are all suspects. The same symptoms are often reported for this gearbox.
The gear oil is not in great condition, but not smelling burned and is not that nasty black colour, which hopefully rules out more mechanical things.
So I am planning to change the gearbox oil new filter etc. While I have the sump off I will change the contactor plate - I mainly think the speed sensors will be the culprit- and have a look at the solenoid.
The TC solenoid is different from the others in that it is much lower powered, and some postings i have read describe it as a PWM solenoid. If that is correct then it will be capable of being partially on as well, so lots to go wrong here.

Work is planned for next week. I will post an update on how I get on.
JOHN

 

[merc85]

There is also a Pressure regulator valve in the Valve body too which has been updated

This is a Great vid

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I too had the Jolt btw 2nd 3rd in comfort mode and Sport mode, so much it knocked your head from the head rest,

 

[ManofKent]

Thanks. I wondered about the pressure valve. Very helpful.
What was it that solved your jolt problem?

 

[merc85]

Thanks. I wondered about the pressure valve. Very helpful.
What was it that solved your jolt problem?

I had all the above stripped out as shown in the vid cleaned and put back together with shift solenoid 2nd- 3rd-4th.
Conductor plate and plug and gearbox fluid n filter and flush and gearbox reset which cured my issue.

This cured the HARD jolt which i only ever got from cold as soon as the box warmed up within 3 miles it was perfect.

I've since recently noticed it's not jolting/banging like before just a little harsh 1st thing from cold 2-3 but if i shift manually using my paddles its smooth as you like, whether this is a new issue or not im unsure im even thinking its a software issue and have considered getting the gearbox mapped.

It's that suttle it doesn't really worry me like i said if i shift in "sport" and or using the paddles its 99% better so i've left it. I've never noticed the RPM bounce though like in the vid.

As you have said keep us updated on events

 

[ManofKent]

Thanks for your reply. Very useful.

I guess in sport mode the Tcc lockup will be a bit later which may explain the issue.

In the video he did not comment on whether to check or change the TCC locking solenoid.
As I research it looks more likely this solenoid is intended to partially open or close and is probably managed by Pulse Width Modulation - I have come across this in speed control of DC motors. I speculate that if the coils in the solenoid get weaker it will open more than it should causing the bump when the cold oil is harder.
Does anyone think this is at all plausible?

I suppose I could just stick a 12v plate heater under the sump to get the oil warmer more quickly...

 

[merc85]

Possibly i did have the solenoids checked and they only changed the ones that they thought were out of spec. I suppose i should have had them all replaced but tbh i was on a budget at that time.

 

[BlackC55]

Its very unlikely that its the electro plate that is at fault here. I expect it will be the TC lock up clutch valve sticking. Solenoids are also very very reliable on the whole.

 

[ManofKent]

Here is an update.
Zipdip suggested having the codes read, so I contacted the excellent Steve at Avantgard in Clevedon.
He said that there would probably not be any useful codes, but it was most likely the TC solenoid. We agreed a sensible price for him to do this work , he even said they keep a stock of these solenoids as it is a frequent repair requirement!.
Anyway, that's when disaster struck. When they inspected the filter it was full of debris suggesting a bigger problem. They did some more tests and confirmed the dreaded coolant contamination. He gave me a good price for a replacement box, recon TC and radiator.
I realised though that the car was probably still under warranty (6 weeks in), so I phoned the dealer - not with any great hope as it only cost £3K to start with.

However, to my great delight the dealer was brilliant. They collected the car on a lorry, and over about 4 weeks had the gearbox and TC refurbished, put a new radiator in and even changed the power steering pump and pipes for good measure (probably on advice from Steve).

The only downside us that the gearbox specialist company did not know to change the solenoid - grr so I will do that when it is warm and dry. Meanwhile a tube of Dr Tranny should help protect the TC. It is less bouncy when cold, and the rev counter is stable when driving, not fluttering like it was. I have just done a 400 miles run - very comfortable with nice gear changes.

I guess the dealer probably spent all his profit and then some kn the car. They even offered me a loan car for the duration, but I was quite enjoying the break from running around.

The dealer was Andy Hall Specialist Cars in Weston super Mare. Highly recommended by me!

Thanks for reading this

John

 

[zipdip]

What a great result,well done and well done Andy Hall cars for a great response to a major problem with a car they sold.