Update:

Reassembled transmission, ended up replacing B3 friction discs, B1, B2, and B3 piston seals, and all o rings and gaskets on transmission case. Left small end alone--if the seals ever start leaking, they can be replaced without removing the transmission from the car. Also replaced B2 piston rod with longer one to bring B2 piston free play back to spec.

I consulted with two very experienced and knowledgeable techs, they both agreed that not opening the small end and K2 clutch pack was an acceptable risk.

Reinstalled transmission in car, everything working perfectly, solid reverse and smooth shifts in all forward gears.

Here's a few things I learned that might be helpful to someone else considering this project.

Top tranny to engine bolt: It has a bracket that makes it difficult to get a socket on it. What worked for me was to put some masking tape on the inside of the socket, then stick it on the bolt head with no driver attached. The tape prevents the socket from falling off while you feed extensions, wobble drive, and u joint up from tranny tunnel. Use one hand to feed the extensions, the other hand to guide the extension into the socket. Once I figured out this technique, the bolt was out is less than a minute.

Tranny front cover removal: The FSM describes threading two of the mounting bolts into the holes on the outside of the cover. These bolts only give you something to pull on. They DO NOT go all the way through so you can't force the cover off by torqueing these bolts. If you torque the bolts, you will crack the cover! The ATSG service document describes this mistake and subsequent fix.

B1 piston assembly: Do not disassemble. The (later style) B1 piston uses a spring washer and sliding pin to automatically adjust free play as the brake band wears. Also, do not pull it apart. If you do, you will need to remove the pin and reinstall in the max free play position. (kinda like the chain tensioner pin on the 104 engine.)

The EPC yielded an incorrect part number for the B2 piston lip seal even though I looked it up VIN specific. Apparently there was a redesign of the B2 piston guide and seal that may not be correctly coded in the EPC. (Even the MB parts guys couldn't figure it out--I came across a post on this board that had the right number)

While the tranny was out, I replaced the rear crank seal. Initially, I was hesitant to do this because the FSM describes removing the seal carrier to replace the seal. Doing this would compromise the gasket seal between the oil pan and the bottom of carrier. I ended up replacing the seal without removing the carrier. This can be done by carefully destroying the seal during removal.

All in all this was not as involved as it thought it would be. Worst part of the job was flopping around on the garage floor with a creeper to remove/install the tranny. The tranny work itself was pretty straight forward. Only tricky part is removing/installing the B1 piston because you have to overcome the spring force. I rigged up a crude installation tool, it shown in one of the atached pictures.

Here's the list of parts I replaced. Maybe it will save someone some EPC look up time. (numbers are for 722.369 transmission)


Quan Part Number Description

1 007603010112 oil pan plug seal
1 007603010100 tc plug seal
1 1262711280 front case gasket
4 1262720925 B3 friction disc
1 0169970448 bowden cable seal
1 0059978648 B1 piston o ring
1 1402770355 B1 piston teflon ring
1 0059977048 B2 piston O ring
1 1402770455 B2 piston teflon ring
1 0069977347 B2 piston lip seal
1 0109974947 torque convertor lip seal
4 007603014104 cooler line crush seals
1 0169972948 dipstick seal
1 1262720192 B3 piston seal
1 1262720092 B3 piston seal
2 1262720955 front shaft teflon rings
1 0069970147 shift shaft seal
1 1262771480 valve body gasket
1 0169971448 pump to rear housing o ring
1 1262777475 49.6 mm B2 piston pin

1 1262772973 B1 piston adjuster clip
1 1262721373 B1 circlip
1 1409931426 B1 spring washer

1 0119970647 rear crankshaft repair seal

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1994 E320 Wagon, 230,000 miles
1995 E320 Sedan, 106,000 miles
1994 E500 Sedan, 79,000 miles