My son's 97 C230 sometimes when you shift to DRIVE, it does not go into gear. You have to move the automatic shifter back and forth several time before it will catch and go into gear. Any ideas? Any help will be appreciated.......

 

Yes, check the shifter bushing. It's a common thing, and causes the problem you are describing. It's about 100 bucks to have it replaced, but many people just fix it themselves. I am not sure how to do it on your model, but someone will be able to tell you. However you can rest easy because that is probably the problem and it's no biggie.

 

fay3131, thanks for the reply. If someone could give me more info about this part as to installation that would help.....

 

If you search the forum, for "shifter bushing" or "shifter bushing C230" or something similar, I am sure you will find a post on how to do it.

 

See if this helps:

Adjusting



1 Park vehicle on a level surface
2 Put transmission in neutral
3 Fix intermediate shift lever to the gearshift bracket by pushing in the fixing pin
4 Move transmission shift lever with the rod head installed forwards (direction of travel) from the center position
5 Align shift rod (1) and rod head (2).
6 Move the transmission shift lever into the center position and engage, inserting the end of the shift rod in the rod head (2).
7 Tighten threaded pin (3)

NOTE: Do not turn shift rod (1) and rod head or move transmission shift lever out of the center position



8 Check fixing pin for ease of movement and correct the longitudinal setting of the shift rods, if necessary.
9 Remove fixing pin and operate shift several times when the engine is running

NOTE: Check the relative clearance between the shift rods and the shift lever on the bearing bracket under all shift conditions.




[IMG]local://upfiles/10709/8BDFE012F68C4761B32F605A997FA61D.gif[/IMG]

 

fay3131, you were right. I replaced the plastic bushing under the shifter and the car shifts perfect. Just to let you know there was no bushing at all on the shifter. It mush have broken off causing the problem. The part cost $1. Thanks again and arkansascarnut thank you too.

 

you are welcome, I am glad it worked out.

 

Is my shifter problem something different from the one in the original post here? My Mercedes service center said it would be about $1100 for me to replace my shifter. I wonder if it could be the shifter bushing instead of the whole shifter. See paragraph below regarding shifting problem.

I took vehicle to Mercedes dealer. They replaced the mass air flow sensor (or air mass sensor?) which I'm told was related to the illuminated check engine light. My invoice stated that tech performed SDS test and found codes P0171 and P0174 in engine control module.

During the same visit, a stop lamp switch was replaced....related to the problem stated in an earlier post indicating that I could not shift my vehicle out of park after seeing the BAS, ABS, and ESP lights come on. I later learned that my brake lights were not working (and caused the car to lock into park for safety reasons) and, thanks to the responses on this forum, I was able to take the vehicle to the service center with some up front indication of what was wrong. (Thanks!) About 16 months ago, I had a brake lamp switch replaced. Is this something different or the same as the stop lamp switch?

After driving the car home from the service center (about 15 miles) and parking it overnight, I started it the next morning and felt a hard jerk when I shifted it into Reverse. I drove it down the street for 1.5 miles and it would not go into the higher gears. I'm not sure what gear it was stuck in. So, I pulled into a parking lot and attempted to put the car in park and I could only get the car into Neutral or back in Drive. I could not put it in Reverse or Park. I put it in Neutral, put my emergency brake on and turned the car off for about 10 seconds. I then started it back up and it went into gear fine. I drove it back home without any apparent problems. I drove it about 70 miles over two days before I could get another appointment with the dealer and noticed no problems with shifting. When I did get the appointment to see if this problem was carried over from the car being stuck in Park while the brake lights were out, they checked it out and said this is a new problem and that I now need a new shifter. I am concerned that something might have causes this problem while at the dealer because I wasn't having this problem until I brought it home from being repaired for the above-mentioned items.

My right side catalytic converter was relaced at 53,000 miles and my left side catalytic converter needed to be replaced at 85,000 miles. I had bearings replaced at 53,000 miles also.

The shop also mentioned a rear seal leak.

I have been experiencing a rubbing feeling near my front tires that gets more pronounced when I slow the vehicle down. It is noticeable at slower speeds and upon initial acceleration, even without the brakes being on. Mercedes mentioned that new tires are needed and that this is possibly the cause.

I have problems with headlamp lights burning out often and the casings where the bulbs fit show some burn damage.

A few other repairs were also suggested by the service department.

Does this seem to be a lot of problems with a 2001 E320? I purchased it in 2004 with 53,000 miles on it.

Because all of the suggested repairs add up to several thousand dollars, I indicated that I am not able to take care of all of them at once. Some very hefty and necessary medical expenses have been coming out of pocket for periodic medical treatment and that is priority. I just am not able to pay for all of the auto repairs at this time. When I had the air mass sensor and stop lamp switch replaced, I told them that I could not get the rest of the work done at this time. They tried to coerce me into having more done but I said I could only authorize the two repairs. Then I drove it home and had the problem with the shifter.

I told them now that I cannot afford to get the shifter replaced at this time. After more attempted coersion, I told them I could not do it at this time. I also complained that they were now trying to charge me a couple hundred dollars for diagnostic when I was told over the phone that I would NOT be charged for them to look into the shifter problem since I experienced it right after my other repairs. They were adamant about charging me, saying they had to spend time looking into the problem, but I told them I explained to them up front that I could not afford to incur any additional charges at this time. They said they understood and would look at my car at not cost, but then said they had to charge me for diagnostics after I indicated that I could not get the new work done at this time. They told me they would have to see what would happend and that I would then have to wait until the next day to pick up my car because the tech had to "put everything back together". I am now very nervous that this incident will cause them to make some negative adjustments to my shifter so it will worsen to the point of needing to be replaced at an earlier time.

Am I being paranoid that some shops would loosen parts or make some type of adjustments to parts of the vehicle to make further repair necessary so they can make their money? I have heard this in the past and notice that more problems with my vehicle surface after I've left the shop and declined the full scale of certain other repairs. Anyone have any comments on this?

Thanks.