Yeah, but as per my previous post, you weren't necessarily using the same ATF during those 20 years. They keep screwing around with what's in the bottle! It's generally good stuff, but be careful which one you're buying - especially if it's old stock that could be the Dex-VI formulation.

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Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

What's the current cost for the redline product?

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Red Line Synthetic Oil 30505 - Red Line Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluids - Overview - SummitRacing.com

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1999 Mercedes E300TD daily driver sold at 238K miles 106K miles were mine, rust worm got it :-(
2006 Mercedes CDI new daily driver! 56,000 miles May 2016 now 85,625 Apr 2018 and Apr 2019 101,000 miles Apr 2020 109,875. March 2024 135,250, Dec 2024 145,000 miles

Lowest price I know of for most Red Line products is ~$125/case (~$10/qt) with free shipping, from Amazon.com. Or single quarts for ~$10.50/ea. Links:

Red Line ATF (Original formula, officially approved by Mercedes-Benz back around 1994 - click here, see page 2) :
Amazon.com: Red Line Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) - 1 Quart, Pack of 12: Automotive

Red Line ATF (D4 formula, similar to above but with additional additive package) :
Amazon.com: Red Line 30504 D4 Automatic Transmission Fluid - 1 Quart: Automotive

Red Line High-Temp ATF (similar to D4, but thicker viscosity) :
Amazon.com: Red Line High Temperature Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) - 1 Quart, Pack of 12: Automotive

Red Line Engine oil:
Amazon.com: Red Line 10W40 Synthetic Oil - 1 Quart, Pack of 12: Automotive

Interesting news: Red Line appears to have discontinued their original Synthetic ATF formula, the old Dexron-II spec which was formally approved by Mercedes. It's gone from their website now. For the 722.3/.4/.5 tranny, the acceptable alternative would be D4 or High Temp (but not D6).

On a side note: The 722.6 electronic tranny supposedly requires special fancy MB synthetic fluid, originally 001-989-21-03, spec sheet 236.10, which is Shell 3403 fluid (click here for Shell spec sheet). Guess what: Red Line D4 specs indicate it is a suitable replacement for the Shell 3403 fluid. Amsoil ATF (multi-vehicle) is also suitable for this application. Both Red Line and Amsoil are cheaper than the OE MB fluid, and priced comparable to the Shell/Fuchs aftermarket replacements. Seems like a no-brainer to use Red Line D4 or Amsoil ATF for your 722.6 application.

There are two newer MB OE fluids, which supercede the old... spec sheet 236.12 is for 001-989-45-03 fluid, I believe introduced for the 722.9 seven-speed tranny. The official supplier is Shell/Fuchs/Mobil 3353... it is a low-viscosity fluid similar to Dexron-VI, Again - surprise, surprise - Red Line D6 is approved for this application. There is no current Amsoil fluid that meets this spec.

The latest MB auto tranny fluid spec is 236.14, MB # 001-989-68-03. This is supposed to supercede/replace both 236.10 and 236.12. The OE fluids are Fuchs/Titan 4134, or Mobil/Shell 134. I haven't found any major aftermarket synthetic fluid mfr (Amsoil, Red Line, etc) that has a fluid for this 236.14 application, although I don't really care as I don't own any MB's new enough to need this.

MB spec sheets are here:
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/bevo-sheets-sort1.html


Side note: None of the Mobil-1 datasheets or product specs give even the faintest hint that Mobil-1 ATF would be acceptable in any 722.6 Mercedes application, only for older MB trannies requiring Dexron II/III (722.5/.4/.3/.2/.1). However, based on the Red Line & Amsoil compatibility, it is likely that the new Mobil-1 Multi-Vehicle ATF would be appropriate for 722.6 / 236.10 applications only (NOT 236.12 or 236.14). Use at your own risk, YMMV, etc, yadda x3...

Is this new fluid the one introduced in mid-2010, for use in the "updated" 722.9s? If so, I presume its lower-viscosity formula is backward-compatible to the early 722.9s? I know the clutch setup has changed on the new ones, hence why I ask

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former: 83 300D, 97 C230, 93 400E

current: 08 C300 Luxury , 92 500SL

If you are referring to Mobil-1 ATF, no. This is still a thicker fluid, but it should work in a 236.10 transmission (early 722.6).

Red Line D6 is specd for 236.12, but not 236.14. So far I haven't seen any aftermarket synthetic (Mobil-1, Amsoil, or Red Line) that claims compatibility with MB trannies which require 236.14 fluid.

You need to determine which fluid your transmission originally required (.10, .12, or .14) and then you can figure out what fluids are compatible.

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Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

I did quite a bit of research when selecting a fluid for my 91's 722.3. Here's what I found:

The combination Dex/Merc fluids you can get today are not tested against any outside standard as GM has killed off all the older Dexron licenses. Dave / gsxr noted that the current Dexron VI doesn't seem to work that well in the old MB transmissions and that he got too firm shifts when he tried it. The "works for both" fluids tend to be on the thin side as the Mercon standard was thinner than Dexron.

Allison made a specification that is equivalent to Dexron III, TES-389. This was needed because Dexron IV didn't work as well in their transmissions, and there were also seal compatibality problems. Researching that standard lead me to this thread:

Former Transmission Fluids Engineer (Allison Transmission) - General RV Information - Escapees Discussion Forum

The engineer recommends Allison TES-295 / TranSynd type fluids for all the older transmissions, and it allows for a very extended drain interval compared to a Dex III type fluid. The old fluid in my trans only had 20k on it, and seems to have gotten fairly dark in that short time (I think it was just O'Riley's house brand ATF, not sure what WHunter used). I found Mobil 1 Delvac Synethetic ATF at a local supply house... $86 for 2 gallons which happens to be the exact from empty fill for my car

I ran out of daylight before I could get the car reassembled enough to go for a drive, but I'll report back tomorrow with the results of this "fancy" fluid.

-Jason

__________________
1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Minor clarification: When I used Dexron-VI in one of my cars, the shifts did not get firmer, they got softer... I had flaring problems. I had to increase modulator pressure to compensate. That transmission never flared before when using Dexron-III fluid.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this previously, but I believe the current Mobil-1 ATF is still a decent product, and ok for use in Dex-II/Dex-III applications. However I still dislike what Mobil did with their engine oils (quietly switching to cheaper non-synthetic base stocks, without reducing the price, and re-branding the old/good formula as "Extended Performance"), and on general principle I still prefer to avoid Mobil-1 products. At the moment I am using Red Line ATF (either D4 or High Temp) for my auto trannies.


The Mobil Delvac Syntheic ATF is interesting, I had not seen this product before. MB-Approval 236.91 is Allison-spec fluid, similar to Castrol TranSynd:
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolistenmain.php?navigation_path=bevolisten&blatt=236.91&content_action=show

Delvac ATF is similar to Amsoil Torque-Drive:
http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/transmission-fluid/automatic/torque-drive-synthetic-automatic-transmission-fluid/

Mobil-1 ATF spec sheet for comparison:
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENPVLMOMobil_1_Synthetic_ATF.aspx#

Interesting,

I've never used anything but Type F in the 722.XXX transmission up until they went to the later units with all the solenoids, even when I worked at the dealer.

My 2001 Mustang GT specifies Mobil 1 ATF in its Tremec TR-3650 5 Speed Manual.

FWIW, all aftermarket "racing' ATF is a Type F formulation unless otherwise specified.

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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership