1) Buying from Adsitco is almost like sending money to help that Nigerian widow get the $37M transferred out of Bangladesh, and all she needs is $1199 in working cash, and you'll get 10% of the $37M transferred into your bank account for helping her out. Don't do it. Adsitco is bad, bad juju. I wouldn't buy fuzzy dice from them let alone a rebuilt tranny. Rusty sells rebuilt trannies with, IIRC, a 2-year warranty for under $2k delivered - I think. Expect $1500+ minimum for an exchange tranny.

2) If it's slipping now, and it's NOT an adjustment issue, I'd consider replacing it with a rebuilt rather than having to repeat the unpleasant R&R task again in the near future, while having a leak-free bad transmission.

3) I was quoted 3.5 hours labor for a re-seal at the dealer (at $80/hr), plus a seal kit. The complete seal kit is ~$150 retail at the dealer, or $75 for aftermarket.

4) I was told that messing with the front pump seals can result in them leaking anyway, despite being new, unless you replace the front pump also ($300+). I hope that doesn't happen to me.

5) I have my tranny out also (due to this little problem) and intend to have it re-sealed, since it shift perfectly but leaks more than I'd like. I may end up having it done at the dealer for ~$250 labor plus parts.

6) If you intend to mess with the rear crank seal, note that you'll need the flywheel lock tool ($100+), and the manual specifies a special installation sleeve for installing the new seal. I'm undecided if I want to mess with this or not. Can't be done on the engine stand, for obvious reasons...

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Thanks gsxr, well this job is being put off to spring. A few unexpected things came up this winter.

Depending on what I decided to do with the car I will either just drop the trans replace the leaking seals. (trans mount and flex discs also) Because selling a car with a major leak is harder than one without one.

But if I decide to keep it I might just get the trans rebuilt and be done with it. The slipping is so small it may be in my imagination.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Sounds like a good plan to me. If you intend to sell the car, first try some of the commercial stop-leak products and see if that helps. If so, you saved a LOT of time and money, and will be able to sell the car leak-free (well, leak-reduced anyway). If you keep it, diagnose that "slipping" before you make the decision to reseal or replace. If it's NOT slipping, just reseal it.

I have tried trans X with no luck, the trans needs to come down so I can fix the leaks.

I also want to replace the:
Shifter bushing
trans mount
front maybe rear flex disc
driveshaft support bushing

Even if I decide to sell it I will probably do most of these, I don't want to sell a car with hidden issues.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

No, you want to sell a car that has been completely rebuilt from the front bumper to the back bumper so that the guy who buys it can drive it for the next 100K without putting a penny into it.

I wouldn't say completly rebuilt, but yes I would venture to say my SDL is probably one of the only ones that has almost been completly gone through. Change the lifters and timing chain and the engine would be perfect.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

There's always disclosure. List the items you planned to address before you lost interest.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Goodness Dave, What happened?

__________________
Alan Hamm
'87 300SDL 277K Miles
'89 560 SL 68K Miles

Beats me. I know someone else on the forum had the identical failure a week before I did. My tensioner is fine, the cover just gave up the ghost. MB redesigned the front cover to prevent cracks, and I assume my new cover will appear like the drawing in the service manual showing the updated design. More details are here:

OM603: Freak failure of timing cover. 1987 300D

Wow, I missed that thread.

Thanks

__________________
Alan Hamm
'87 300SDL 277K Miles
'89 560 SL 68K Miles

This info was posted on a thread I started about separating my 1990 300E engine and transmission. You may find it helpful. It details the R&R of a MB trans. and provides some expert tips to make sure you don't end up creating more problems than you already have.

Originally Posted by myarmar
Read this:
http://www.mbwholesaleparts.com/Sta.../pdfs/Trans.pdf

The link did not work

__________________
Alan Hamm
'87 300SDL 277K Miles
'89 560 SL 68K Miles

It's here.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

GSXR,

Is your 300D still on the original trans? My 87 300D is starting to leak at the front pump seal. It worries me because my wife drives 100+ miles per day in it and I've thought about having the trans re-sealed as well. The car has 207k on it and I'm wondering how long these typically last...

__________________
--------------------------------------------
1960 MB 190Db w/ full sunroof
1985 Toyota Pickup
2006 Honda Odyssey EXL R&N
2001 VW Jetta GLS TDI

Mine is original. It shifts perfectly. It was resealed around 1993 by the PO and the front pump is surprisingly dry, but it's leaking from the rear right side (can't tell exactly where from). MB tranny life varies greatly. A car that gets lots of highway miles can go 350-500kmi if it's serviced regularly. Or a car that's largely city driven can have the tranny die by 150kmi. Average seems to be 200-250kmi or so before it gets bad. I figure at 252kmi with zero slipping I might get another 50-100kmi, although with the intercooler projects etc the extra power might reduce the lifespan a bit. My sister's 87 is slipping bad enough for them to consider tranny replacement, it's been slipping mildly for the past 50kmi, now it has ~190k and is on borrowed time.

I'd consider trying a *small* amount of stop leak stuff next time it's at the 'add' mark, if that doesn't help, I'd consider a re-seal if it is otherwise shifting perfectly.