RonS Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Appreciate any insight into this...... Smart for 2 Problem In the morning the car drove fine for about 20 miles but during a period of being virtually static is a queue of traffic on an inclined slip road it was notice :- Engine temperature had cline to about 80% of range (this has happened before in traffic queue) Car was permanently in 1st gear and drive to wheels seemed to be slipping We drove (in first gear to a suitable parking place and parked up) At this time manual change of the gears wasn’t possible (according to LCD display) and auto was not moving up and down the gears. Switched engine off and after a few minutes started up again and everything was 100% functional. Drove back along major roads in auto with no issues at all (again about 20 miles) when I had to brake due to a car not signalling to turn and again the slipping issue was evident – no drive to the wheels at all. Got pushed into a parking space and called roadside assist. After a period of cooling down, drove the car to a more convenient place , with no problems evident, for vehicle recovery. Did not want to drive the car the short distance (3miles) home due to heavy bank holiday traffic and the risk of failure again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 You need to get the fault codes read but form your description it seems to me that the clutch actuator is sticking. Strip, clean and grease. What model / year of car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 2008 Smart for 2 Cabriolet 998 cc Thanks for your comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 Thanks for this - I'll pass this on to my mechanic for info. Appreciated..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Also get him to check visually for a hole punched through the clutch fork lever where the actuator contacts it. Some have this issue I have read, but never experienced it. I have added a acorn shaped piece to my actuator rod to make sure it never happens to my cars. If it isn't your actuator either being incorrectly positioned, seized p, full of rust etc, it'll be your clutch worn out as it sounds typical of any worn out clutch. We also see gear select motors getting corrosion issues here in the salt belt and also the wiring to the gear select motor gets chaffed through and shorts the signal out and it doesn't select the correct gear position(rotation count number) for each gear resulting in having to have it repaired and then retaught using a STAR system. Not sure if any other computer system is capable of doing this job? i'm more used to the 2005-2006 cdi cars...sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 9 minutes ago, Willys said: Also get him to check visually for a hole punched through the clutch fork lever where the actuator contacts it. Some have this issue I have read, but never experienced it. I have added a acorn shaped piece to my actuator rod to make sure it never happens to my cars. If it isn't your actuator either being incorrectly positioned, seized p, full of rust etc, it'll be your clutch worn out as it sounds typical of any worn out clutch. We also see gear select motors getting corrosion issues here in the salt belt and also the wiring to the gear select motor gets chaffed through and shorts the signal out and it doesn't select the correct gear position(rotation count number) for each gear resulting in having to have it repaired and then retaught using a STAR system. Not sure if any other computer system is capable of doing this job? i'm more used to the 2005-2006 cdi cars...sorry. Thanks - I'm passing all this information on . They are a good , technical workshop but not Smart-specific so I'm sure this will all help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 to correctly readjust or install your actuator you need to use a STAR system, but it can be done by simply firmly, hand tight pressure against the fork lever and it will adjust over time to operate, but they say you should use a STAR that teaches the system where things are electronically instead of over time etc. Finding someone with a good working STAR system is getting difficult I'm finding. As the ones you buy off ebay/amazon have a time span limit on them. For sure programming key fobs but other things I'm not sure about. IF you are handy and do things yourself, then owning your own isn't a bad investment towards your ownership costs of the smart car. It helps solve issues and reteaches things that normal systems can't do. Just something to consider...??? At $1,000 ish it's not really cheap, but i think of it as how many trips to a shop difference so to speak. Here it would only take having 3 key fobs reprogramed by the dealership at $456 each to pay for the STAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 I have found that it is rarely necessary to use Star to do a 451. It has always worked for me by moving it till it touches then push it in three marks on the actuator. The puts it correct and provided nothing else is wrong it will work properly. It can be taught, if necessary, with a delphi DS150. If you have a laptop they cost about £40 or so from ebay or aliexpress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 13 Author Share Posted May 13 Thanks to all for the advice . The garage I usually use for more technical faults referred me to a gearbox specialist (quite a few miles away) so I've arrange for my "normal" garage to check out the actuator on Wednesday as based on this post I'm thinking it's nothing TOO technical. I did the gearbox reset and had the car out for a couple of miles drive for a test with no issues but I'm not confident that's the full solution - so will be happier after these actuator checks / adjustments are done. Cheers, Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 15 Author Share Posted May 15 So I took it to my local garage who checked things out - went through the fault codes and reset some but not were related to the clutch or gear box - test drive with no problem. I'm still wary - does anyone know of a Smart specialist in the North East of England (apart from Main Dealer). Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Depending on what hardware they used to read the fault codes they may not have been able to interrogate the gearbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 How far North and East are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 17 Author Share Posted May 17 South Shields. I've seen this guy advertise which isn't too far away. https://www.davidjameslimited.co.uk/ The car perversely continues to run perfectly (for now) Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 You should browse what is left of the UK forums and look for a mobile smart specialist. Most garages will not touch Smarts and from reading the horror stories of some people I would not touch anyone that is not a specialist. If the car seem OK then I would just use it and let the problem develop, if it does. South Shields is too far for me to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted May 17 Author Share Posted May 17 1 hour ago, Mjolinor said: You should browse what is left of the UK forums and look for a mobile smart specialist. Most garages will not touch Smarts and from reading the horror stories of some people I would not touch anyone that is not a specialist. If the car seem OK then I would just use it and let the problem develop, if it does. South Shields is too far for me to help. Wow - thanks for even considering helping in person. I do think I'll HAVE to wait to see if some "permanent " fault develops and I will look for some possible mobile specialists in the meantime. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 If you want to investigate yourself and have a laptop then go and spend £40 on a Delphi DS-150 from Aliexpress or similar. That will allow you to read all the fault codes of each of the computers and do some actuations. It is not as good as Mercedes Star diagnostics but it is less than a tenth of the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Update: The car has been running fine, I actually put a new battery in. But today after being parked a couple of hours it wouldn't turn over (seemed dead - not even a click). I moved the car backward and forwards & then it did start & drove it home. I'm wondering if it's possible that the clutch actuator was slightly engaging the gears & this was preventing the car staring (some safety feature preventing stating in gear). I'm still having trouble sourcing a local (non-Mercedes / Smart) garage willing to look at it. As has been mentioned earlier in the post it seems actuator related? Appreciate any comments in the meantime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 (edited) Sorry - refer to earlier post Edited June 4 by RonS duplicate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Maybe check gear select motor and it's wiring. Our CDI 2005_2006 versions had an issue where the wiring chaffed where it went over the inter cooler scoop. Not sure if the other models had the same issue but worth checking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Another issue we had was the trigger wire on the starter solenoid would get a corroded connection and cause intermittent starting. On the 450 you could just see it from the top and give it a wiggle with long needle nose pliers or forceps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 3 hours ago, Willys said: Maybe check gear select motor and it's wiring. Our CDI 2005_2006 versions had an issue where the wiring chaffed where it went over the inter cooler scoop. Not sure if the other models had the same issue but worth checking. Not applicable on the 451, they fixed it. As one would expect they did introduce a new fault with similar symptoms with the actual gear change motors though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 I have managed to get a local garage who has some experience with Smarts to have a proper look (25th June) I'm wondering if the latest status gives anyone any pointers ? I NOW regularly have to adopt the transmission adaptive learning procedure below to get the car to turn over (otherwise it's just a "click"). Sometime it seems just depressing the gas / accelerator pedal to the floor is enough to then start up. Any ideas WHY this is suddenly happening ?.Battery is new and full charged.. What would cause this "learning process" to suddenly be needed also almost every time? Transmission Adaptive Learning DIY Turn the key to position 2. You should see all the dash lights come on. Do NOT start the car. Position II: You should hear two clicks, and all your dash lights should turn on. Do not start the engine. Press the gas pedal all the way. You will activate the kick-down switch by pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor. Keep the gas pedal pressed down. Wait. Continue to keep the gas pedal pressed for at least 10 seconds. Turn the key to OFF, position 0. Don’t remove the key. Some models may need the key to be removed. Release the gas pedal. Wait 2 minutes. During this process, the key is left in the ignition in the OFF position. Start the car and drive. Thanks (once) again for everyone's input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjolinor Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Where did you find that procedure? It is not the correct one for a 451. What you should do is use the procedure in the owners manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonS Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 1 hour ago, Mjolinor said: Where did you find that procedure? It is not the correct one for a 451. What you should do is use the procedure in the owners manual. I can't find a reset procedure in my owners manual (I've also downloaded a pdf manual to do a search on as well but can't find the specific procedure). Is the one you are referring to this one (another I've seen on line) :- Smart Car Reset Put your foot on the brake pedal , turn the key to on, and let the tranny reteach itself. Then turn key off.. Restart in normal fashion.. As this one didn't actually work this time. Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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