Hi, Everyone!
I've got an '04 Crossfire Coupe w/ auto trans that I am told needs a replacement TCM (Transmission Control Module), but Chrysler no longer supplies them.
It seems that tranny fluid leaks into the module and a new seal only comes with the TCM itself.
Does anyone know where I can find one? Or know how to re-seal it to prevent the leak?
Also, supposedly, a new TCM needs to be "programmed" as the dealer apparently can't do that.
Any help or advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Jim

 

Have you tried the search feature at the L/H top of the page?

 

Is this for a NA or SRT6? I have a spare TCM available for the SRT6. They can also be reprogrammed by folks like Eurocharged to fit the NA and SRT6 with their tuning software.

 

Thanks for the reply, nickwe21

I'm not sure what an NA is, but it's not an SRT6, just a base coupe. And it may not even be a problem with the TCM... I'm getting a lot of conflicting information and becoming convinced that dealership mechanics don't really know much about these cars! :-D They told me there was noting they could do to fix it. but whatever *was* wrong has apparently fixed itself... Maybe it just likes cold weather better!?

You're guess is as good as (or better than) mine!

 

Luther have you researched the trans leak on this forum? You have a common problem and a rather simple solution. click this link for info and a TCM from any Crossfire limited avaiable on ebay will work on your car without programimg it. Just switch your old TCM for the one you buy from ebay. click here for info : transmision leak

 

DO NOT...and I repeat DO NOT take your car to Chrysler dealerships anymore lol. They simply don't know how to diagnose and work on our cars. If you need to go to a repair shop, find one that works on German/European vehicles. They will be able to help.
Now as far as your issue, search the forum for "Transmission Electrical Collector leak". This is quite a common issue on M112/M113 Mercedes vehicles from that era.
It's essentially a little connector that leaks and allows for transmission fluids to work it's way through the electrical wiring harness and into the passenger footwell, which is where your vehicle's TCM is located. You can move away the carpet and the metal plate under the glove box in the back of the footwell (passenger side) and have a look yourself to determine how had it is.
That electrical connector and it's leaking O-ring needs to be accessed from below the vehicle and the actual part is less than $20.
Might be a good idea to service the transmission though if that hasn't been done anytime recently.

 

And, never use a dealership. If you need repair, find a good import shop that repairs Mercedes and tell them you have a 2003 Mercedes SLK320, which is what you have mechanically.

 

But let's start from the beginning...
what symptoms did you have that lead you to take your car in to get looked at/repaired?

Also, is there transmission fluid on the ground in your garage after you park your car?

You can pull back the carpet under the passenger footwell, remove the foam plate and then undo the 3/4 screws that hold that metal plate in place. Once you pull out the metal plate you will see exactly how bad the oil seeping into your TCM is. The TCM is the black module that is attached to the metal backing plate.
Is there a lot of transmission oil surrounding it? Just a little bit won't hurt the TCM but if it's saturated that's a different story.

 

Hey, zip439!
This is why I said on this thread somewhere that I got conflicting information. I have never seen anything like a leak, from the tranny or elsewhere... that's just what a Mercedes dealership told me. But they also told me they couldn't fix it because they couldn't get a TCM or program it if they could get one. I suspect they just read something and jumped to a conclusion. They didn't really impress me with their expertise. ;-) The ONLY problem was it would turn over but not start. They did get it to start, but wouldn't share any useful information about how they accomplished that. And SINCE then, it's started every time. So I don't know where to go from here. But thanks for the video, I watched it and I'll look into that, too!

 

Hey, nickwe21!
I appreciate the advice! I knew no Chrysler dealer would touch it, so I went to a Mercedes dealer... and got some double-talk. I think they read the forum here and learned that was a common problem... and stopped there! ;-)
The closest "foreign" mechanic is more than a 2-hour trip away for me, and they mostly work on old British cars. There seems to be no one around here to take it to, and I can no longer do much work myself. But when the weather improves, I'll see if I can find a leak... but I've seen no evidence of that. And the only immediate issue was that it wouldn't start... but now it is. Or at least, has been again. Who knows, going forward?

 

I hear you, ZERACER!
I hate having to go to a dealer, but at the moment I don't have much choice. Not that it accomplished a whole lot anyway. :-D

 

Hi, nickwe21!
The only symptom I had is the car wouldn't start. The only decent mechanic is laid up for 6 or 8 weeks, and I couldn't work on it .. so it went to the Mercedes dealer. Normally it would be packed away for the winter, but I needed a car. To answer your other question: No, I've never seen a leak under it. Which is why the "explanation" I was getting didn't sound right... but they were supposed to be the experts, so I tried to find another TCM and consulted the forum here.
But your suggestion of checking under the carpet is great! I can do that as soon as the weather abates, or if it does it again! Thanks a lot!

 

Not starting should not be trans. related. Most common cause is the RCM. How many miles on it? A new RCM is under $200.00 and takes 10 minutes to replace (plug and play).

 

So Zeracer is correct. These cars for the most part are bullet proof without having to do major repair work but there are a few small known culprits.
One of the is the Relay control module (RCM) that sits below the black plastic box under the hood, passenger side. It houses a bunch of connectors and if you replace the whole thing you just unplug them and plug them into the new relay and slide it back into the box. Super esay.
These relays if they never have been replaced will almost always fail at some point. Now, they can also be repaired if you know how to use a soldering iron. There are instructions on the forum how to do that and we also have a member here who repairs these relays for a very small fee. You'd send it to him, he touch up the 3 cold joints in the top left corner of the board and he sends it back.
If you have never replaced the relay, most likely this is your cause and it will sometimes work again for a while but then yon get stranded or car shuts off mid-drive. So I would just get this fixed even if just a preventative measuremeasure.
The way this sounds I would think you do not need a TCM. However, in most higher mileage cars that connector we mentioned yesterday, does leak and should be replaced and preferably in combination with a full transmission service if it hasn't been done recently (I do mine every 40K-50K miles).
Hope that helps. Read up on RCM as that is most likely your issue.

 

Hey, ZERACER

"Not starting should not be trans. related."

That's what I thought, too. Did I mention the double-talk I got? By the time they were done with "interlocks" and "control systems", I thought we were talking about a moon rocket, not a car. ;-) Anyway, it just topped 41K on the odometer. Obviously not a DD, just a fun car. All it's ever got was tires, a battery and oil changes. I expected they would have some kind of service checklist to go through, and turned them loose on it. And all I got was "The TCM is bad but no longer available". And this was at a Mercedes dealer! They really don't want to work on it. :-D

I'm taking your suggestion to heart on the RCM. I wasn't planning on driving it over the winter, but it is what it is... I really appreciate the input!

 

Thanks, nickwe21!
I forgot to even mention mileage (roughly 41K) and I expected by now it would need some attention. I think you and ZERACER are on to something. It makes a lot more sense than what I've been told, anyway. I'll see if I can find someone recommended to service the trans... it won't be the Mercedes dealer!

I wish I didn't have to drive it and risk being stranded. First winter it's ever been exposed to slush and salt. But not much choice at the moment. Thanks again!

 

Im surprised no one caught this - I don't see how fluid from the transmission is going to leak into the TCM, since the TCM is behind the panel under the passenger's feet, it's not down on the transmission.

Who ever told you this must NOT be allowed to work on the car, EVER.



EDIT: I read the rest of your posts, got it, it's not a transmission problem anyway....................................

 

Hey, pizzaguy!
"Who ever told you this must NOT be allowed to work on the car, EVER."
I think we've all reached a consensus on that... although it's still not clear if anyone ever actually "worked on" the car. :-D

 

So I am going to respectfully disagree. Tranny oil behind the passenger floorboard where the TCM sits is actually a quite common issue with M112/M113 engines. The transmission fluid essentially travels up the wiring harness, which soaks up the fluid. The culprit is a connector, under the car (see the above video) that start leaking fluid as the O-ring has become brittle.
I recently got a TCU tune and went to change out my TCU and notices tranny fluid on the TCU and also around it.

Here are a couple of threads from MBworld explaining just that.

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-...dule-help.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...-over-tcu.html

My car only has 25,000 miles on it but my guess is with age most of those plugs start leaking if they are never replaced (they should be replaced with every transmission service). Most of us might never notice it unless it becomes so bad as to leak fluid on the garage floor and/or fluid pushes into the TCU module and will cause all sorts of issues with shifting/limp mode etc.
If you want to find out, remove the carpet in the passenger side, pull back the foam and unscrew the three screws that hold in the metal backing plate to see what it looks like behind there.

All that being said, that problem would not lead to OP's problem with the but he might still have that leak if the connector has never been replaced so I would tackle that as well.

 

I have attached you tube video on TCM leak. This is from a E320 but same connector and conductor plate as the Crossfire. The Crossfire TCM is in a different location.
Probably not the problem you're having. I would go and talk to the mechanic personally to see how he diagnosed it was the TCM. Did he lift carpet to inspect TCM or see fluid leaking from the wiring harness at transmission connector.
Find out if the car started on its own or if he did something (parts replaced?) to get it started.