Engine or gearbox issues

[dream19]

Hello all!

My Smart sat idle in my garage for about a year and a half, until i could find a proper electrician to fix my broken SAM unit. After, finally, i 've brought it back home i noticed that the gearbox often fails to automatically up-shift and have to "help" it manually. When it fails to shift, i notice that the engine is revving but seems it needs a few more RPMs to shift. Also when trying to rev it out of gear, it only reaches ~3200 RPM, and the accelerator pedal is "dead" in the upper half. It is true that i don't quite remember how much RPMs i was getting about a year ago before the electrical problems. So, my questions are as follows:

1. How much RPMs do your CDIs get when revved while stationary (and in neutral, of course) ?

2. Is it more likely to be a gearbox issue or engine one? 

I must mention that the engine seems to run as smooth as ever with no black smoke or rough starts. Also the gearbox works perfectly in manual mode.

 

LE: Sorry if/for posting in the wrong subcategory. Only now i've observed it's an area for mdifications

Edited June 6, 2017 by dream19

[tolsen]

Engine is in limp mode to protect itself.  Check for fault codes.

 

[booneylander]

It sounds to me as though you may have a stuck wastegate actuator. The car could be going into "limp" mode because of over-boost due to the stuck actuator, making the car drive normally at lower RPM and seem dead at higher RPM and causing the shifting issues in automatic mode.

[dream19]

I understand.

So i need an OBD reader to find out more. But, if there are some error codes registered, shouldn't the engine warning light be lit in the dashboard?

Edited June 6, 2017 by dream19

[Huronlad]

Over boost does not always throw an engine code.

[dream19]

Thank you or your answers!

I'll do an error code scanning and hopefully have a starting point on what to do next.

[dream19]

So, I bought a cheap-ish OBD2 scanner and did a test. It seems there are no stored error codes, buuuut one of the gauges shows and peaks at 3 psi turbo boost at 3280 RPM (and the same gauge shows 1.87 in/HG VACUUM at idle). The throttle peaks at 3280 RPM.

Any opinions regarding this new data?

Edited June 9, 2017 by dream19
Added 1.87 value explanation

[booneylander]

I still think you should try to confirm that the wastegate has not become stuck from sitting.

[dream19]

Thank you for your answers!

Is there a simple way of checking/fixing that valve without taking it to a garage?

[booneylander]

Yes, you will need to remove the rear bumper cover, and the rear crash bar, so that you can gain access to service the wastegate actuator rod/flap.

[smartman66]

great info and support guys 

[smartman66]

the one thing a smart knows is to corrode while it sits alternators are a real problem to seize while not being used making it look like the engine is seized