1998 C240 Automatic - Banged selecting Drive and had no reverse
 

Hi All
I have just recently bought a 1998 C240 Estate Automatic after selling my Jag and sadly i am starting to wonder if i made the right move.

Today i selected drive after the lights turned green and had a large bang through the car, it did pull away but not as it normally did, It didnt really slip, more like no real power.
I carried on up the road building up speed and got to another junction, selected neutral, then drive and it all seemed fine. Drove the car for several miles with no repeat of the fault at all.

After a few hours my girlfriend took the car out and all seemed ok at first. She was driving for about half an hour and then stopped to go to the shops.
When she got back to the car she went to select reverse and nothing happened, no reverse drive at all, so she had to push the car backwards. She then selected drive and it banged again as it did before with power loss, again after that it was all ok and i have just driven the car after it sitting there for a while and it seems fine.
If someone out there can help please do, i went through a lot of grief persuading my girlfriend for us to get rid of a perfectly reliable Jag for this Merc and its starting to make me look stupid.

Thanks in advance Rob

guy's if this is an automatic why are you shifting it first of all. ??

Jerry

Yeah its an auto, although i never actually used the word Shifting, so ???? But even in an auto you do have to move the gearstick from time to time ( Shift = To Move ) So i Moved or "Shifted" the gear stick from DRIVE to NEUTRAL to REVERSE

[Today i selected drive after the lights turned green.]

then what are you talking about here . you selscted drive after what lights turned green .

JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU I DO KNOW WHAT AN AUTO IS

Hi MB-Tech...After traffic lights turned green, selected drive ( D ) to go..

Hi FORCED INDUCTION - I was always told not to sit at a traffic light in Drive as you are constantly fighting the drive of the gearbox so you you should always sit in Neutral...Unless we all have our wires crossed.

Basically to clarify, i was sitting at a set of traffic lights which were on RED. When they went to Amber i selected DRIVE ( D ) then there was the bang, On GREEN i let off the brake but the car didnt want to go and felt like it had no power.Once the car got going all seemed ok, Tried the same thing as in selecting Neutral, then Drive and all was ok

When my girlfriend went out later in the day she stopped outside some shops, parked her up, turned her off. Went in the shop, came back out and started her, selected Reverse but nothing was there, she had to push the car backwards to get out of the parking space, Selected Drive and it banged again and pulled away slowly as it did before.

Since then the car has mostly been ok, but has had a loss of power from standstill but has not lost reverse again as yet.

Sorry for any mis-understanding, think we are getting wires crossed, think its a USA - UK thing, after all i think you guys do call a manual a "Stick Shift" and a bonnet a "Hood" lol

Thanks again for your imput
All the best
Rob

Car All Fixed And Working OK
 

All Sorted

Took it to a Auto Gearbox Specialist yesturday who found the problem was the VSS ( Vehicle Speed Sensor ) within the gearbox. Reason it looses reverse gear is the car apparently thinks it could be travelling at 20 mph so will not select reverse.

Don't know what was the reason for the banging into gear but that is all sorted now with the replacement of the VSS.

Costs involved were Part £120.00
Fluid Drain & Re-Fill £60.00 Fully Syn
Filter £10.00
Labour ( Trade Rate ) £120.00

Total £310 - Could of been worse

All the best Rob

the reason it bangs into to gear is because it goes into limp home mode. it is no longer thinking about pulseing gently into gear and being comfortable it is just trying to get you in a gear and get you someplace safe. it is just applying full pressure instead of easing in.