W203 Transmission Lever Shifting Problem

[ericycle]

Hi,

The last several days, the following issue happened about 3 times. When parking the car after a drive, upon moving the lever from Drive into Park, the lever would not go past Neutral. It would encounter some kind of barrier, limiting its movement upward into Reverse and beyond it into Parking.

After shifting up and down between the available modes (Drive and Neutral), it would eventually allow to put it into Park.

The car in question is a 2006 w203 C200 CDI.

Thanks for any input or advice.

 

[ericycle]

There is another symptom, I believe is related. Other than the intermittent inability to shift to anything other than between D and N, the safety mechanism which disallows shifting without pressing the brake pedal or shifting with the car off doesn't seem to be working at all. I can shift at any time apparently, regardless of whether the car is running or not, and whether I've pressed the brake pedal or not.

 

[Stratman]

The easiest and cheapest thing is to replace the brake light switch. They're not famed for their reliability and can be the cause of all sorts of problems.

 

[ericycle]

According to this article: Mercedes Benz shifter stuck in park or won’t move, if the brake light itself is working properly, than it's not the brake light switch causing the problem, but then it might be the brake shift interlock solenoid.

The next possibility is a failed brake shift interlock solenoid. This solenoid releases the shifter from park when you step on the brake pedal. You can check the solenoid by stepping on the brake pedal and listening for a click sound as the solenoid activates. If you hear the click each time you apply the brakes, then the solenoid is probably fine.

And indeed, the clicking sound isn't there every time, and the shifter intermittently moves completely freely out of park (without pressing the brake pedal at all).

And as they write in the article, "A lot of mechanics just replace the shifter assembly, which costs about $1,200.00 from the dealership!", my garage offered me the same thing.

The question is, can the brake shift interlock solenoid be purchased and replaced separately?

Thanks a lot for anyone who can help with this issue.

 

[starlight]

According to this article: Mercedes Benz shifter stuck in park or won’t move, if the brake light itself is working properly, than it's not the brake light switch causing the problem, but then it might be the brake shift interlock solenoid.



And indeed, the clicking sound isn't there every time, and the shifter intermittently moves completely freely out of park (without pressing the brake pedal at all).

And as they write in the article, "A lot of mechanics just replace the shifter assembly, which costs about $1,200.00 from the dealership!", my garage offered me the same thing.

The question is, can the brake shift interlock solenoid be purchased and replaced separately?

Thanks a lot for anyone who can help with this issue.

A failure of the brake light switch would, I reckon, only prevent the lever from moving out of Park. I also reckon that article's wrong. My SL500 was stuck in Park, the brake lights were working, but the switch was at fault. The switch does two things. It activates the brake lights (obviously); but it also 'tells' the transmission that the brake pedal has been depressed so that Drive or Reverse (or Neutral) can be selected. Happily, the part is dirt cheap (around £18 from memory) and easy to replace, so it might be worth doing in any event - it will fail at some point.

 

[renault12ts]

According to this article: Mercedes Benz shifter stuck in park or won’t move, if the brake light itself is working properly, than it's not the brake light switch causing the problem, but then it might be the brake shift interlock solenoid.



And indeed, the clicking sound isn't there every time, and the shifter intermittently moves completely freely out of park (without pressing the brake pedal at all).

And as they write in the article, "A lot of mechanics just replace the shifter assembly, which costs about $1,200.00 from the dealership!", my garage offered me the same thing.

The question is, can the brake shift interlock solenoid be purchased and replaced separately?

Thanks a lot for anyone who can help with this issue.

It's not about whether the light works or not...the switch is not just for the light...but for the interlock...so could well be the BLS.

 

[starlight]

It's not about whether the light works or not...the switch is not just for the light...but for the interlock...so could well be the BLS.

Agreed. The article is totally wrong. Definitely worth a shot.

 

[renault12ts]

Agreed. The article is totally wrong. Definitely worth a shot.

Certainly wrong for a 203...not entirely wrong for a 215.

 

[HB]

I had the same issue on my wifes car a couple of months ago. It was the floor mounted shift control which produced a bill for £750.