Excellent replies here from both Richard and Steve !
Firstly, Richard......please do note that the "DOH" was simply my expressing my own confusion ( quite vast, heh ) with respect as to whether my tranny was one of which may be affected. Your original article was EXTREMELY informative and I do indeed keep a copy of it in my car for the very reason(s) you mention.
That being said, I must admit, I'm still a bit confused as to whether I should have this replacement done.
to wit:
"I would strongly recommend preventative maintenance on this item if you have one of the affected cars and that would be roughly any pre-94 MB for the "T" sealing ring and pre-87-89 for the sturdier B2 piston"
While Steve relates........"126 cars would probably have the early band. "
My car is a 1990 420 SEL, would it have the sturdier B2 piston?
also: "I seem to remember that the 1990 722.3 transmission that I rebuilt this summer had the "T" seal, though it could have been changed due to shift complaints sometime in its life"
While you do qualify your statement in that it may have been changed " sometime in it's life", it still leaves me wondering about a few things such as.....
What trans would be in my car?
What's a fair price for a shop to do this procedure? B2 replacement and T-seal as well as the price for just the T-seal in the event I already had the improved B2?
and what would it cost me for a "mech" to open up the trans, only to say " you already have the upgraded B2 and/or T-seal"? Steve?
I've got NO problem doing the preventive maintanence stuff as long as it's needed. I'm not a mechanic but I have a trusted one so I would have to pay to have it checked/ repaired/replaced etc. I'm just trying to make intelligent repair decisions and stay within the family budget.
In closing, I just have to say that I've learned more about this car of mine in the last 4 weeks since I bought it than I thought possible. Thanks mostly to people like Richard and Steve. Thanks in advance for any and all info on this matter.
Have to tell ya too.........I LOVE this car !!! There's a certain appeal to owning such a fine automobile that cost $62K new and paying less than 8 grand for it, especially one in this nice condition! If I have to put another 2-3K into it to do all the preventative stuff and get it "just right" , it's no big deal to me.
Cheers, Todd- doh! haha