Erratic Transmission - No Warning Lights

OREddie · 06-15-2019, 01:50 PM

Day 5 of trip across southern Canada in 2017 2401WS. Leaving campground at slow speeds (under 20) and in Drive, transmission started shifting up and down, sometimes almost redlining RPM, then back up with a rather firm shift.

No place to stop so I played with manual shifting with some success. Managed to get 80 miles at mostly highway speeds. When I slowed to enter a parking lot the issued recurred.

No warning lights. Any thoughts?

Ed

rsdata · 06-15-2019, 02:16 PM

OOPS...

should have known these new trannys do not have dipsticks... like my 2014 RAM...
ignore the lines I originally wrote at bottom...

anybody else see all of this tech in new vehicles as a way to get dealer repair operations profitable as so little can be done by the owner anymore?

with engine warm and running and tranny in neutral, check the fluid level. transmission fluid should be a brite red transparent color... the closer to brown it gets means it needs to be changed...

Rich.M · 06-15-2019, 03:35 PM

Surprising that the check engine light or other warnings did not come on. There are so many sensors on various systems in these vehicles. The obvious question is to check the transmission fluid level. The sprinters don’t come with trans dipsticks. You have to own the dipstick and replacement locking tabs ( one use only) for the dipstick port just under the radiator overflow. You can order these on amazon but that won’t help you on the road. Is there any sign of losing trans fluid?. The plastic 13 pin connector at the corner ( don’t remember which corner) above the pan can fail and leak . That’s a cheap fix, solenoids and conductor plates can fail and be replaced. After that it’s hard to know. Head for a Mercedes dealer. At least they can check the fluids on the sealed transmission and maybe pull codes if not a sprinter center. Good luck.

Rich.M · 06-15-2019, 03:44 PM

Here are links to the dipstick I described for those following

https://www.amazon.com/ATLIN-Mercede...SIN=B075SVZB4B

These are the replacement locking tabs, I have used them without problems

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-917-29...YSTAE20NWMTS4W

OREddie · 06-15-2019, 03:50 PM

Shame on me. I didn't know how to check transmission fluid and don't have replacement parts. MB serviced 2800 miles ago.

We managed to get to Lethbridge, Alberta and parked safely. When I restarted I could get into reverse and neutral but engine shut down as soon as I went in to Drive, kinda like a stall with a manual transmission.

We're resigned to staying here at least until Monday. Could be worse tho.

Thanks for the ideas.

OREddie · 06-15-2019, 03:51 PM

Thanks. I'll order them tonight.

Rich.M · 06-15-2019, 06:27 PM

My suggestion was for erratic shifting but if your stuck then call Mercedes roadside assistance. Your are probably still under warranty with a 2017 . I think they pay for towing to an authorized Sprinter service if it is a warranty problem causing you to get stuck. Good luck, sorry about your disrupted travel plans.

chroniekon · 06-15-2019, 09:00 PM

I noticed a small leak (just a few drops) on a crossmember towards the front of the transmission a few months ago when I was under there changing the engine oil. I took it to the dealer and they found a bad oil cooler fitting. They said it was only the second one they had seen, both on motorhomes. All repaired under warranty.
Have you tried crawling around underneath to see if anything obvious is amiss? An electrical connector knocked loose, maybe some scuffed wires, some damage from some flying debris, a vacuum hose pulled loose. If it's low on oil, I would think there would be a noticeable mess under there.

lwalkplumb · 06-16-2019, 05:16 AM

This sounds a lot like a Wheel sencor problem. You should have warning lights on dash. Mine acted same way and then straighten itself out for a while. I’ve replaced 3 on my 2025 Solera. Good luck hope it’s a simple fix.

OREddie · 06-16-2019, 03:28 PM

Thanks all. Tow truck driver took a close look and didn’t see anything amiss while he was disconnecting the drive shaft. MB paid for 140 mile tow to Calgary.

My son, an MB tech in the Bay Area, talked to his Sprinter crew - they suspect a faulty transmission valve body. He also suggested removing engine battery negative terminal the reattaching after 10 minutes to reset computer. We were already under tow by then tho.

We’ll hopefully know sometime tomorrow.

OREddie · 06-18-2019, 03:09 PM

Turned out to be torque converter failure that pretty much destroyed the transmission. First word was replacement would be shipped immediately but not arrive until next week.

This is a trip to Wisconsin for my wife’s family reunion which she’s been planning since last August and will have over 100 attending. When she heard the news she pretty much broke down into tears in front of the parts guy and service advisor because we’re still 2200 miles away and only other option was to fly her from Calgary to Milwaukee while I waited here.

Benz staff were very moved and immediately went to work; found a replacement at another dealer that was willing to give it up. We may be back on the road by tomorrow PM but by Thursday for sure.

Never have and never will underestimate the power of a woman’s tears.

Rich.M · 06-18-2019, 05:11 PM

Great dealer service but shocking to have a transmission fail so early. How many miles on your rv? Did they have any comments or insights to the cause ?

JLeising · 06-18-2019, 07:18 PM

Had a similar failure - torque converter failing to properly lock up, destroyed transmission - somewhat different symptoms:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post2026496

Mine was at about 93K miles.

FYI, I now believe more frequent transmission fluid changes than the dealer says may be necessary on these Sprinters.

OREddie · 06-24-2019, 06:08 PM

Sorry, been away from WiFi. Made it to Mackinac Island today.

Our RoVer had 11,120 miles since new when fail occurred. Tech didn’t offer an opinion as to the why of the failure. Consider we were in southern Canada, population 4.5 million in Alberta, and the largest city we had been through at that point was Calgary, population 1.35 million, where the new transmission was installed. Tech, about 29 years old, said he has replaced 8 in the past 24 months.

We’ve owned a Sprinter based RV since Winnebago first made the first, the View, in 2005. We’ve never had a Sprinter problem save one turbo resonator fail on the ‘05, an easy self repair. This was the first and only catastrophic component failure we’ve ever had. Got 900 miles on the replacement transmission with no hitches.

Thanks again to all for offering ideas and suggestions.

You may also like: