Mercedes Service Identifying Automatic Transmission Issue

If you’re a proud owner of a Mercedes-Benz you want to ensure your car remains in the best shape, leaving you to experience the sheer enjoyment of driving it. Automatic gearbox issues can put a kink in your driving pleasure, leaving you frustrated. To put all frustrations aside and help you achieve peace of mind, you need to follow your Mercedes service program and keep up to speed with how to identify automatic gearbox problems.

Common Automatic Transmission Problems on a Mercedes-Benz

Automatic gearboxes allow you to experience the ultimate driving pleasure, but just like manual transmission gearboxes, they require regular maintenance and sometimes repairs. The most common problems resulting from automatic gearboxes are:

• Clutch Packs: Clutch packs surround your automatic gearbox and contain clutch disks. The material used to encase the clutch disks prevents friction and low transmission fluid or heat can negatively affect the material, leading to quicker wear and tear.
• Solenoid Problems: Controlled by the onboard computer, Solenoids are responsible for moving valves within the valve body. Heat (caused by vehicle performance) can melt solenoid wires, causing serious vehicle damage.
• Low Fluid Levels and Leaks: A specific lubricant is used in the automatic gearbox to ensure it operates efficiently; any leakage or low fluid levels may adversely affect the fluidity of the lubricant. It is important to check fluid levels on your Mercedes-Benz regularly.
• Torque converters consist of an impeller, needle bearings, stator and turbine. Metal to metal contact happens when the needle bearings fail causing metal fragmentation and damaging your gearbox.

Mercedes cars fitted with 7G-Tronic automatic transmission (gearbox code -722.9) can experience a particularly common issue where the transmission change is quite rough causing a difficult gear change. This is due to the transmission holding on to one gear for too long before forcibly changing to the next gear. The TCM conductor is normally the root cause and this is an indication that the plate has broken down internally, which would result in:

• Difficulty for the control module to interpret the rotational speed from the input shaft.
• The slippage of the torque converter being unable to be determined, resulting in torque clutch lock up.
• A rocky gear change or inability to change the gear.

How To Identify If Your Mercedes Has A Transmission Problem

Below are a few guidelines to assist in diagnosing whether your Mercedes may have an automatic transmission problem:

1. Low Fluid Levels: if your gears are slipping, moving involuntarily or overheating; this may be due to low automatic transmission fluid. Use a transmission dipstick to check your fluid levels and if needed, just top up the fluid.
2. Transmission fluid color: A somewhat pink transmission fluid indicates a healthy transmission fluid. Brown, black or burn-smelling fluid indicates you need to replace your fluid as soon as possible.
3. Transmission Slipping: There could be a few reasons why this is happening, more likely burnt clutch disks, defective solenoids or inefficient fluid. It’s best not to drive until you have your car assessed.
4. Leaks: Faulty gaskets, transmission lines or loose pans are some of the places you are more likely to find leaks easily. This is normally caused by a gap in your transmission system and should be fixed immediately.
5. Overheating: If your car is overheating it’s normally as a result of inefficient fluid or tainted transmission fluid. Overheating causes certain parts of your transmission to malfunction and affects overall life span of the parts.

Driving your Mercedes should be hassle free and pure joy. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms of automatic gearbox transmission problems, schedule an appointment with us to have your one of our technicians diagnose the problem. Foreign Affairs Motorsport is South Florida’s Premier German Auto Repair, Performance & Race Facility.