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1998 SLK230 in limp mode

15K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  Dave2302 
#1 ·
I have a R170 stuck in limp mode had the codes pulled
013 Speed Sensor N3 Y3/611
09 Speed Sensor N3 Y3/611

65 Control Module N15 /3
161 Control Module N15 /3.

All the research I have done points to the plate and 13 pin connector, I have searched the forums and it seems to be the solution.

I was wondering where is a good place to get the parts from for a fair price.
I am looking at this one and also was wondering what others have used.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mercedes-722-6-comprehensive-transmission-service-kit

@Mn car guy
@efair
@stu32
@savcom
@Turdo2


Bob
1998 SLK 230
114k automatic
 
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#2 ·
114K and no transmission fluid change? If your dipstick cover is black plastic then the odds are the fluid has not been changed at all. That kit looks fine. It's not worth getting a cheap kit - you'll end up having to do the job again in 20,000 miles or so. The kit you show is not a bad price and providing you can get the car on a ramp - or better still a full car lift - then it's not too difficult a job to do. Also, check the transmission fluid isn't wicking along the cable and interfering with the transmission control unit too. You can check this by looking behind the metal panel in the passenger footwell and making sure the cables to N15 are bone dry. If the fluid has got into the controller you can disconnect it, open it and clean it out. You should be ok, but these have been known to failas a result of fluid ingress. Don't use brake cleaner on the cable, TCU or plug if you do find it is wicking because brake cleaner will soften the insulation on the cables and could dissolve the case of the TCU. Use a proper electrical contact cleaner instead and drain the dirty fluid away thoroughly before re-assembling it.

You should also get a dipstick for the fluid so you know when you've added enough when you refill as overfilling the box will not help you!!

Hope this helps - and you get it all sorted.
 
#5 ·
That kit has all you need - and the dipstick link I sent you is also from the same company. Providing the parts are OEM that should be good enough.

There's a walk-through of what you need to do on PelicanParts. You may need to look up how to change the plate in addition to this..
 
#4 ·
fyi Savcom is in the UK :D
 
#8 ·
not a lot of performance mods for your 230
pulley is probably the only one
 
#11 ·
Hi
I have the same issue with my car. I cleaned the connector a few days ago but it was not right. had the codes checked and cleared at the local garage today and the car was good for a short time. I think the codes have come back. One code I had which you dont mention is P0715. I think its telling my that the conductor plate has reached its end of life.
Im going to find a suitably priced kit to change the plate and change the sensors at the same time.
 
#14 ·
I got the kit and now need to get the car in the air and drop the pan. After I pull the valve body is there a need to disassemble it and clean it thoroughly or just cleanup the solenoids and replace the controller board. I really only want to do this as few times as possible.

Getting excited about getting my baby on the road.

Bob
 
#16 ·
SLK230 repair continues

I broke down and took the car to a local mechanic to have the conductor plate installed.
He called and said fluid was really dirty and that the TCU also should be replaced as the plate didn't fix the issue.
Lucky for me he happen to have a couple TCU units in his shop.
I am hoping this will fix the transmission limp mode issue and I can get to enjoy the car.

Bob
 
#18 ·
I broke down and took the car to a local mechanic to have the conductor plate installed.
He called and said fluid was really dirty and that the TCU also should be replaced as the plate didn't fix the issue.
Lucky for me he happen to have a couple TCU units in his shop.
I am hoping this will fix the transmission limp mode issue and I can get to enjoy the car.

Bob
did he happen to try those other ones to see if they fixed the problem???
 
#17 ·
Then you can attend our next meet in April!
 
#22 ·
Having replaced the conductor plate twice, and tried to clear the codes with a scanner that was supposedly guaranteed to work , the final solution for me was to replace the TCU. Now I am mobile again but have lost all faith in the car and will not venture out to far from home in it
It would be interesting to know if a dealer could of cleared the codes in my original TCU, but they are very far away and I will never know.
 
#23 ·
Reviving this thread because I’m getting the dreaded P0715 error code. My R170 has 87k miles on it and going into limp mode more and more often. I’ve checked the fluid level and even replaced the 13 pin connector and o-rings even though they looked clean. I’m trying to figure out the next step. I was going to do the conductor plate and solenoids next but was wondering if it is worth doing the TCU first as I see them on eBay for not too much money. The gamble there would be whether or not those TCUs are good to go. If so, is the TCU a direct install? Or does the new one have to be reprogrammed? Any way to verify my TCU is functioning properly? Im pretty weak with electronics. Or should I just go straight to the conductor and solenoid replacement? I just recently acquired the SLK so I don’t have the maintenance history although the tranny fluid is red and looks fresh. Which will get changed out anyways if I do the plate.
 
#24 ·
I went ahead and changed the 13 pin connector and conductor plate, then had the mechanic clear the TCU. He tried to sell me another TCU and thanks to this forum I was able to explain that the TCU needs to be reset after the plate is changed.
If the oil has wicked into the TCU then it night need to be changed.
Bob
 
#29 ·
I just wanted to post an update on my transmission code error. I haven’t resolved anything the last few weeks and instead have just gotten more frustrated. I called up iCarsoft and they recommended the iCarsoft MB v1.0. I purchased it and it hooks up to the 16pin connector under the dash which is fine for the OBDII but for reading and clearing the transmission system I needed to use a 16 pin to 38 pin socket for the connector under the hood. I purchased the pin adapter and the tool still will not talk to the TCU. I called iCarsoft back and they said I needed to purchase a special red 16 pin to 38 pin adapter to read the systems. Not sure what’s different between adapters but it wasn’t available on their website so I gave up on the tool. I then purchased an Autel MD802 Maxidiag Elite. According to this MD802 spreadsheet from the website, I should be able to scan the TCU through the 38 pin socket:

download908bak.auteltech.net:8080/Download/Veh/ELITE/Basic/Benz/en_MaxiDiag_B_Benz%20FUNCLIST.pdf

I tried it and again no communication between the tool and TCU. I called them up and they indicated that I needed a tablet style tool like the MD906/908 which are $1000+ scanners. I guess their spreadsheet is incorrect?

Not sure what to do at this point. I guess I can try to return or sell the scanners I purchased and limp my car to a shop to clear the code. I’m just trying to verify that the limp mode occurred from the fluid level not being in spec when some of it spilled out when changing out the 13-pin connector.
 
#30 ·
I have the same year/model with similar mileage, and had the same DTC P0715 with the same shifting issue. Replaced the 13-pin connector and the conductor plate. Experienced the same frustration from being unable to clear the TCU codes.
Finally figured it out and now my car is out of limp mode.

Although my SLK has the standard OBDII port under the dashboard which provides DTC (engine) codes, I found it doesn't let you connect to TCU. (It looks like R171 does, but not R170.) You need to connect to the round 38-pin port in the engine room.
The TCU (or ETC, electronic transmission controller) signal is pin 10 of the 38-pin connector. pin 1 is ground and pin 3 is +12V. You need to connect these 3 wires to your scanner. The actual wiring depends on the scanner.

Mine was LAUNCH Creader vii+ ($129). It has a 15-Pin D-sub connector - pin 8 gets +12V, pin 9 is ground, pin 12 needed to connect the TCU signal. I had to resort to trial-and-errors to learn about pin 12 because the scanner's manual lacks the pin layout.

That 1 wire (and the voltage and ground, of course) did the magic. The scanner retrieved 6 TCU trouble codes, two of them are about the failed speed sensor (my old conductor plate had one of the double button-shaped components cracked, probably that's the speed sensor), and the rest are about lost/intermittent signal between modules (maybe the 13-pin connector issue?).

I just cleared those TCU codes since I had already replaced the 13-pin connector and the conductor plate. And it worked! No more limp mode.

The following post gave me a lot of useful information.
Fully functional Carsoft able to read all systems with home made connector.
 
#32 ·
I had the same issue. My friend owns a local Mercedes dealer here on the island. When he told me to check for tranny fluid inside the cabin I was dumbfounded. sure enough I add tranny fluid on my passenger floor and my transmission control module underneath the glove box was full of tranny fluid. when the seal goes where the wires exit the transmission the wires are wrapped so tightly capillary action will actually suck tranny fluid out of the transmission and into the control box. I ended up changing the seal and the conductor plate anyway and the fluids since I had to open up the training to do the seal, and cleaned out the module and the cable and everything was good to go. Never in my wildest dreams but I think that the tranny fluid would travel up the harness and into the transmission control module.
 
#34 ·
It is a known issue.
.................................... Not just on SLK's but everything that uses 722.6 Trans including Supercharged V8 Jaguars ;)
 
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