I just bought a 1997 C280 Last week CEL cam on and Tranny wouldnt shift...and here I am trying to find what a " Limp Home mode is / does"

Ive researched all weekend but there isnt a clear explaination on how to reset this without going to a dealer.

the car drives fine but doesnt change gear. I checked for codes;
P0700
P0730

Im having the Tranny flushed/serviced etc but is that going to fix / reset the Tranny Comp.
I read you can reset it by unplugging ( passenger side foot panel) it for a while which will get you back for 10-15 mins of normal driving and then goes back into the mode again...is this true?

what next?

 

anyone?

 

Don't know if my problems with a 97 C230 are similar to yours, but here is my soon-to-beONE YEARproblem. On a couple of times, I felt the transmission slip on acceleration, generally going up an incline and once making a U-turn on level roadway. I also noticed a recognizeable loss of acceleration for longer than six months like maybe a 15% drop from "normal." On the last time it slipped, I decided to take it to Aamco, the purported transmission specialist. Yes, I should have taken it to the dealer, but my last visit to the dealer cost me $500 for four spark change and two coils. I did not know what was wrong with the car then except it felt like running on 2 to 3 cylinders and getting worse daily. The dealer fixed that problem, but I did not have any confidence in the dealer repairing the tranny slippage for less than what Aamco would charge.

Aamco rebuilt the automatic transmission at $3500 and two weeks later the transmission would notshift out of first gear.I also noted the oncesmooth gear shift now shifted like it had an impediment. I hadto use some pressure to shift, and the transmission still would not shift out of first, so back to the shop. Aamcothen says the gear shift assembly needs replacement, but obviously does not admit that possibly their mechanic reinstalled the gear shift incorrectlyor left out something when hefirst worked on the tranny. Anyway, they install a new gear shift at $900 and two weeks later, the tranny again won't shift out of first. It goes baclk to the shop and comes out okay. Two weeks later, back to the shop with the same problem: won't shift out of first, whether cold or hot engine.

This time they consider changing the valve body. Transmission fluidis regulated bythe valve body; it closes and openscertain valves for shifting gear. They replace with a valve body from another Mercedes in the shop and thetranny still did notwork, so they reinstalled the original and the tranny worked again.Couple weeks later, tranny won't shift out of first gear. Back to the shop and this time they replace the valve body. Out of shop and back to the shop in a couple of weeks for the SAME problem. They next brainstorm and replace the internal tranny computer board ($150) with new, believing the board is not sending the correct signals. Weeks later back to the shop with the SAME problem. It's not that the tranny worked for weeks, it's just that I bought a replacement car and let the Mercedes sit for a month before driving again, because I did not want to be stuck in Timbucktoo with only first gear driving. That's about 23mph at 3,000 rpm and many motorists flipping me off!

Brought it back to Aamco about two months ago and they determined the TCM (transmission control module)must be the culrpit.Since day one, the OBD reader indicated a mass fuel sensor error, so since it had nothing to do with the tranny according to Aamco's (limited) knowledge,they ignored it. Aamco sent the TCM out to be rebuilt since a new one was very expensive. The outside tech found a couple burnt components so maybe the TMC is the culprit. Aamco reinstalls the rebuilt TMC and the tranny worked fine.Had the car for two weeks now but cannot get the car to pass the smog test. It passes on emissions but fails on the onboard computer analysis. 7 of the maybe 12 functions indicate "not ready." At least they do not indicate "failed." The smog guy said I have to drive the car for 30 minutes at 55mph and do that several times. He said it takes a while and a lot of driving to get the computer to boot up, per se. Imagine the difficulty of maintaining 55mph for 30 minutes straight, NO fluctuations,on the higway with a max speed of 65 and most motorists at 75-80, not to mention staying in the slow lane and having to adjust for motorists who do not know how to merge onto the highway.

I did that restircted driving for five times but the smog guy retested and said "do it some more."

The OBD reader indicates something wrong with the mass flow fuel system, so that probably meansoxygen sensor/s, and/or mass air flow sensor. That's the original diagnostic P0170 back on day one when Aamco checked the car. I just read on this forum that themass airflow sensor affectsshifting of the transmission. Was this sensor the original problem ofslippage, not shifting out of first, or an additional problem? Aamco, the transmission specialists, obviously does not know.

I would love to hear of someone experiencing the same problems I had and what fix cured the problem. Although the car is running fine for two weeks thus far, I need to get it to pass the smog and hopefully I don't have to spend more $$ to fix the mass flow problem first.

Moral of the story, take your car to the dealer for an analysis first. If you don't like the repair cost, at least you know what is wrong and can check around for a better repair cost; otherwise, go through what I went through andI am still going through. I took the car to Aamcoin April of 2007 and it will be April 2008 shortly! It's also obvious that the OBD readercan not read "mechanical" problems.

**Does anyone know where I can buy a shop/repair manual for the 97 Mercedes c230 other than the dealer? Checked Chilton and Haynes with no luck. They only carry earlier models.

Your help/resource is much appreciated. Please PM me.

 

I just took my 1997 c280 auto trans -to pick up an oilpan gasket,store is only 2 miles away,everything was fine on the way to the store,but on the way back my check engine light went for the first time since I have the car (2years),and I put the car on D as always but gear wont change ,stayed on very first,RPM went all the way high. stopped the car but it did the same thing,now I am parked at work and do not know what to do.
I checked 32 pages of the forum to find a thread similar to this problem,but did not find any .
can someone help me please,I don't even know if I should drive it home (4 miles).
need help

 

Wow, it sounds like Aamco did not know how to diagnose the original problem and decided to use you like an ATM machine to pay them to monkey around with your car. I would take your car to the dealer to have them inspect your transmission and document any problems / error codes, etc. Maybe it was just a component and Aamco didn't need to do the $3,500 rebuild or $900 gear shift. If it was just the TMC that was bad it looks like they took you for an extra $4,400 ride due to their incompetence. In California you can sue for up to $7,500 in small claims court. It looks like you can prove that the rebuild and the gear shift did not solve the problem and it was only after they worked on the TMC that the problem was fixed. For the $50 or so it costs to go to small claims, it seems like a good gamble to recover all or part of the $4,400 spent at Aamco. I stay away from places like Aamco, Midas, etc. Either use the dealer or an independent shop that specializes in your type of car.

 

DEALER KNOWS BEST

 

what ever happened did you resolve the problem? same thing is happening to me any info greatly appreciated ty