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1999 R170 transmission code reader

3K views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  Dave2302 
#1 ·
My 1999 230 is stuck in limp mode.

I read a lot of posts that just dead-end on the topic.
Some of the more informative reads (but not fully convincing) I found:


https://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210-e-class/2933082-snap-mt2500-38-pin-connector.html
Talks about using a snap on brick MT2500 to clear transmission codes on W210

https://www.slkworld.com/slk-r170-general-discussion/135257-obd-early-r170-cheap.html
@PaulXLE You never said that it actually worked with the transmission codes - can you verify?

https://www.slkworld.com/slk-r172-general-discussion/392201-best-diagnostic-tool.html
"Autel Maxidiag Elite MD802 all system + DS model +engine+transmission+ABS+airbag" but I need to spend another ~$100 for the 16 to 38 pin adapter

https://www.slkworld.com/slk-r170-g...ble-read-all-systems-home-made-connector.html
Sounds promising...

I'm hoping to get some input from others before I spend money. Thank you all for your help.
 
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#2 ·
Hi,

Snap On and higher end Autels will access Auto Trans, definitely, I have both !!

If you are thinking of buying though get SDS at £399, that will do a lot more than the generics which cost 2x ++++ it's price.

If you sell the Car you'll get your money back and some for SDS.

SDS will pay for itself over and over again during MB ownership, works on all MB's, saves time saves expensive guesswork, saves paying a Dealer or Indie for (often inaccurate) Diagnostics :wink:

Also has workshop manuals on it (WIS), and parts catalogue (EPC) and can re code modules, guides you to the fault from clicking on code, (guided diagnostics), and much much much more.

No I don't sell 'em, yes I do believe you cannot be without it without guessing and playing "Parts Darts", especially relevant to more recent MB models but still applies to non "run of the mill" faults on R170's and we all get those from time to time ;)

HTH, Cheers Dave
 
#4 ·
Hi,

Yes WIS EPC disc set is so cheap every owner should get it very useful ;)

What we in the motor trade call "Parts Darts" is when (Garages and Owners alike ), think it may be this it may be that, so they are just chucking Parts at it until it's fixed, or not if our local Garages are anything to go by :wink:

The number of un fixed Cars I end up with that have literally had £ hundreds, sometimes £1000's chucked at them, remain un fixed, and then they come here and I find a broken wire, or a Vac Solenoid dud etc etc etc.

I swear by PROPER Diagnosis before buying parts, but that is because I am old skool and do not mind buying equipment for the Workshop ;)

Cheers Dave
 
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#6 ·
Hi,

Absolute belter !! :tu:

£399 for SDS and a decent operator would have fixed that first go :grin:

Cheers Dave
 
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#8 ·
Hi,

I would go for the 1st one with 2014 s/w or as you are in USA the 3rd one but with the MY of your Cars you need to ask either seller if you can buy the extra leads ........... (Round 38 Pin plug etc).

The second one comes with all leads, but I have lots of bad experience of Chineesy sellers, and I don't like that idea of having to set the date back !!

Yeah, before anyone says it, I know they are all made in China, but fact is the USA or UK stores that sell them do sell the better quality ones, and also you have help at the end of the phone if needs be :wink:

HTH, Cheers Dave
 
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#11 ·
Hi,

Yes that does look to be a good deal, trouble is in my considerable experience of buying from Ali Express, it is a bit of a lottery, especially if like me you are a software numpty, I am great with Hardware, and using s/w, but for example, I even have to get a mate to do the Keygen's via TV for me lol

That said I have bought stuff that is fine, and we all know things can go wrong, that's not an issue if seller rectifies it in a timely manner !!

My problem has always been that when it does go Tango Uniform, suddenly contact with the seller seems to be very sporadic, with a lot of messing about !!

Conversely, prior to purchase the Emails etc are responded to straight away and no messing ................ Once paid for communications can become almost non existent.

Good advice............... Always use a Credit Card if going this route, at least you can invoke a charge back if it all goes "Pete Tong" :grin:

Personally these days I prefer to use a seller in the same Country now, and verify their phone number by calling just prior to purchasing, it may cost a bit more, but IMHO you get what you pay for, and paying more is often well worth it in the long run :wink:

HTH, Cheers Dave
 
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#12 ·
All my hardware is from aliexpres. There is NO technical help and the seller's customers skills are 0, but you have aliexpress protection if anything is wrong they will refund your money.
Well on ebay the technical support is 0 as well so not a difference only the price.
 
#13 ·
Hi,

Lets be fair i860 , you are somewhat an expert on these systems, so you could sort any issues out regarding software etc.

I'm not disagreeing with you, I am looking at it from the perspective of someone who may know nothing of these systems and software in general :wink:

Happysaturday is (AFAIK) looking for a system that he can plug into his Car and go :wink:

Yes, me having a fair bit of SDS experience now, for my latest SDS Kit I built my own Dell, bought HDD with 2017 Win 7 64 bit from another guy, and yes I used Ali Express for a C4 Mux and Leads, I know how to set those up, but I still had to get the HDD seller guy to do the Keygens.

When I need a newer Software version I will likely contact yourself.

However being an independent Workshop, right now my newest SDS is 2017, and I will not be seeing 2017 MY's for at least another 2 to 3 years.

The tech support from the guys I buy from on EBay is spot on ................

UK Seller, and at the end of the phone pretty much 24 / 7 ....................

I have bought around 9 different Marques of Dealer Level Kit off the guys I use, I had problems with the JLR and the Peugeot / Citroen, and on both occasions he sorted them out within a few hours via Team Viewer.

Anyways it's really Happysaturday's dosh and his choice :wink:

@Happysaturday , I've never used Vediamo but the way I understand it is this :-

You will only really need Vediamo for late model cars that require On Line SCN Coding, the Vediamo is designed to not need MB Server Access, but the trouble is whilst the Machine may have Vediamo itself, it does not have the Database of Coding Files needed, and these are hard to get hold of ....................

Unless @i860 can help us all with this, I expect he can explain it better than me as I'm certainly no expert on how SDS Software is compiled, (I just use the machines in the Workshop), and regarding Software and Installs etc I only know what I have found out along the way :smile:

HTH, Cheers Dave
 
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#14 ·
The database is in xentry.
Vediamo Development and Engineering Software is for MB
Last time when i need it to update my comand in my w204, online scn failed and i had to use vediamo to flash the file, but after that, i had to do online scn coding. Sometimes you need to have both account and vediamo...
 
#16 ·
Hi,

I don't own that particular Autel, but I do own the Maxisys Elite, which costs north of £1500 these days, it's a good Generic to have in a Workshop but that, my Delphi and my Snap On will only access around 80% on MB's .......................

This is why if you are serious about your Car you really do need Dealer Level Kit, and being a professional I have to have many different Dealer machines for all popular stuff on the roads up here.

I am fairly certain that something that costs less than a £400 SDS will not do Version Coding, Guided Testing, have WIS EPC Starfinder etc etc which is all necessary things when working on MB's of this era.

I know from working on my own R170 and other MB's old and new that there are many jobs that require Version Coding, plus a few cool extras you can add without actual hardware changes.
Version Coding is not the same as SCN Coding.

I have Vediamo on my 2017 machine but have never needed to use it. I also have used Developer on the 2014 machine, I use that a lot. Both my SDS are un locked by the way, some jobs need passwords for certain tasks, mine do not !!

SCN Coding is only required for later Cars, for example 7 speed Transmission Valve Blocks are a common failure item that requires SCN.

Anyway, I'm about done here, I have a beast of a Kia Sportage at the moment that has lived right by the sea way to long and I'm systematically ending up changing just about every Braking Component on the vehicle, since it blew a brake pipe in Inverness and it's stupid owner has been driving it around for weeks on one circuit :surprise:

So far it's had 2 front to rear pipes, wouldn't bleed, then a master cylinder, then it bled ok but very poor brakes, today rotten front discs replaced together with pads plus both semi seized front calipers, just come back of road test, brakes working now but no servo assistance, looks like it needs either a Servo or Vac Pump now ................ ho hum the joys, you really do not want to see his bill :biglaugh:

Cheers Dave
 
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#18 ·
Hi @Happysaturday ,

Is there signs of oil inside your TCU ??

If so have you already changed the Connector plug / bung / pilot bush on the Transmission Casing ? That is what fails and causes Oil to wick up the Harness and get into the TCU :wink:

When this happens washing it out with Contact Cleaner and blow drying it with Airline often sorts them out :smile:

However there can be loads and loads of other codes that can cause Transmission Hard Limp (will not reset upon Ignition Off cycle) or Soft Limp (this will reset with Ignition Off cycle).

HTH, Cheers Dave
 
#19 ·
I have checked the fluid level with the Mb dip stick and a IR thermometer. I also replaced the plug at the transmission. The TCU appears dry, and my “hard limp” mode remains on. But even if replacing the adapter would have fixed it I’d need to reset the code, right? I’ll know a lot more once SDS arrives ?
 
#20 ·
Hi again,

OK, well as you have a hard limp that will definitely need reading and resetting, let us know what the code(s) is / are, Number and description please, then we can advise further.

Once you have made a note of them, (or printed) them reset and go for a drive, then whatever comes back will be a genuine fault, as opposed to an old code left by someone who couldn't be bothered to clear it after a repair.) It may or may not take a few miles of driving before it comes back again, depending exactly what is wrong.

SDS does give you a history of old codes "Event Log", but I'm trying not to confuse you too much right now :wink:

BTW you will be looking for Faults with capital letter F as opposed to small letter f and if you click on these codes SDS will walk you through steps of things to check starting with the most likely :wink:

Just one thing, you probably know this, but you absolutely MUST have the Engine Idling with Selector in Park whilst checking the Trans Oil level, otherwise it will not have enough oil in it ;)

Keep us posted, HTH,

Cheers Dave
 
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#21 ·
Just my opinion but we have two levels here:
- the professional whose rice bowl depends on not only being accurate but also being fast. Here the dealer or factory equivalent devices are needed and despite being expensive, pay for themselves in short order. The professional also needs to be able to handle anything that comes in the door.

- the amateur for which this is a hobby and not income producing. I have other cars (two Buicks, a Pontiac, a Jeep, and a Cad besides the two Mercs and each has a garage space. The Autel Diaglink works for the Jeep, Cad, and Mercs (Benz, Chrysler, and GM modules. Have other tools for the ALDL cars. If it takes a couple of weeks or a month to fix something, it is not an issue. My tools are mainly Craftsman, Pencraft, or HF. I have few battery operated tools but have air and lotsa outlets in the back garage. Also have a scissors lift since most of the time when I need to raise a car, wheels need to come off.

Then we have the people who are better off taking to a professional. Part of the issue is that when I was growing up, most men and some women could fix their car. Not true today. OTOH we have much more sophisticated tools (back then just needed a book of matches to set the points) now.

So chose which you want/need to be and the appropriate tool set devolves from that. Just be aware that the Snap-On habit can get very expensive fast.
 
#22 ·
Hi,

I agree with most of what you are saying, especially for a very amatuer DIY Guy, but for some of the jobs guys are tackling on here SDS and decent tools are a necessity and do not have to be expensive ..................

Me personally, I have spent a fortune with Snap On over the many years, but my tools pay for themselves and some, and tbh I don't see what Snap On has to do with SDS in this context.

How can a DIY owner, (Mr X), for a simple example, change Modules etc without being able to Version Code them ?

For example a PSE Pump ................

You can buy a good used PSE with exactly the same part number, but due to model differences you must at least check, and if necessary alter that Version Coding to suit your Car, doing the job any other way will be a lottery, either it is correct or not, if not correct you could end up chasing down a fault which is simply caused by a wrong coding.

So if Mr X cannot at least check this, he is simply not doing the job correctly.

If Mr X's cheaper Diagnostic only sees 80% of codes, (which is the maximum they ever do, cheaper ones can be as little as a handful of Engine Codes), then Mr X will be saying "I don't understand it there is no codes", when in fact there are !!

I moderate another MB Forum, and I see all this day in and day out, guys becoming very frustrated because they have spent sometimes thousands on parts through bad diagnosis. Then it is all the Cars fault, etc etc etc :wink:

I am not going to type pages and pages on this subject, been there done that etc. Everyone should by now know my views, do it right, use the correct tools and equipment, unless you actually enjoy wasting money on parts you don't need, or botching a repair and doing it again in short order, same goes for cheap parts ............... There is no such thing as a free lunch :wink:

Anyone who owns SDS and can use it will tell you that it has saved them a fortune in not buying un necessary parts, or visiting a Dealer for a Diagnosis at £100 +++ per hour.

And if you sell your MB, then you will easily sell the SDS probably for more than you paid, as a fully working machine is a much better prospect to a buyer than an Alibaba and the forty thieves lottery machine :wink:

NOW, having preached my viewpoint, at the end of the day it is entirely up to the owner of the Car how he chooses to spend his money, and what he considers is correct, not me, I am just a mere mortal like everyone else :smile:

I'm just trying to lead many a thirsty horse to the water ;)

Cheers Dave
 
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