transmission fluid change how often on a E300D 1999?
 

Hello, friends and Mercedes Benz diesel lovers.
I recently purchase a 1999 Blue E300d with 180k miles.
I am thinking in doing a transmission fluid change, can anyone tell me how often should it be done, what do I need to do?
(I have done it in other vehicles but not Mercedes diesel.)

I would appreciate your input.

Thanks

Pedrodiesel

Mine has had it every 30-35k since new. It may be too frequent but I would not go more than 50K.

when was it done last? Id go for every 36k, a little less if lots of traffic, a little more if mostly smooth highway.

If the fluid spec is dex III, Id consider filling with Dex VI. If you dont know when it was done last, Id start by pulling some fluid out via the dipstick, then putting the same amount of fresh fluid in. You will get 1-2 qt out this way each time, the intent being to provide back some viscosity and additives, to aid in cleaning.

After Ive done this (super easy) maybe four times, then Id go about doing a full fluid flush. Remove the hoses at the radiator, one will be the suction side, one will flow out. You can figure it out by cranking once or twice.

Use a big bucket with 12-16qt of fresh fluid, and a similar sized fill bucket. Pull fresh fluid to move fluid all the way through. This will ensure that you have fresh fluid everywhere.

Drop the pan, change the filter, and then top-up.

Every 30 thousand in town or towing. Every 50 thousand highway. Use a justice brothers ts500 kit it contains a cleaner that you circulate for 10 minutes. Do a 16 quart fluid exchange then add the protectant to condition the metal and neutralize acid.

I concur on the Justice Brothers kit. in addition, it has recently come to my attention that in the event of a radiator/transmission cooler failure, you may be buying a new transmission. I'm buying new radiators for both cars as we speak. plus change out the transmission cooling lines at the same time. think of it as spending $200 - $400 to save a $2500 repair bill. cheap insurance.

has anyone ever noticed that transmission repair shops RARELY suggest you change out a radiator? what if you get your tranny rebuilt and two months later the radiator fails and BAM, you are back getting your tranny rebuilt. for some of us who have older cars the radiator may not have been changed out in YEARS. an accident waiting to happen......

thanks so mucch...
 

I just want to thanks the reply about changing the ATF on my E300D 1999. Someone mention about DipsticK, but I do not saee a trnasmission Dipstick in my car. Where is it?
Also, wich type of ATF should I used?
I already bought the filter Kit for it.
Should I just go underneath open the botton side of the transmission and change the ATF, filter and seal...?

Thanks again friends...

Pedrodiesel

I believe the spec for your car matches to dexron III. Id go for any name-brand dex/merc fluid, valvoline, castrol or pennzoil being what I see the most of.

Valvoline maxlife dex/merc gets very good reviews.

Dexron VI is the latest spec. Anything labeled dexron, dex or dexron III is obsolete, dexron VI is the only real specification for dexron ATFs anymore. It is syn-derived, far more shear-stable, and is suitable for all dex-III, dex-II and dex fluids.

If you know your at is in good shape, Id run dev VI.

I do mine every year or two, probably two now since 90% of my driving is highway in 4th gear.....the 300E gets it yearly since it does a lot more city driving.

Do I need Synthetic ATF in my 99 E300d?
 

Hello friends, I want to thank you for the recent feedback.

I called the MB dealer and was told that the 1999 E300d uses sinthetic ATF only sold at the dealer. Is this true?
or can I used Dextron VI or any other DEextron in tihs Automatic transmission?

I am confuse about it.

Thanks

Pedrodiesel

There should be a spec. Check your owner's manual, FSM, etc.

It should be 236.xx

With that, I can make a cross-reference fairly easily to let you know.

is there no drain plug on the 99?
on the 80's I have, there is a drain plug on the transmission pan, and on the torque converter... I just pull the plugs, and let it all drain out. then drop the pan, swap the filter and gasket, then refill.
is the 99 different?

thanks JHZR2
 

I will check my manual ( I already fif once....) but I wll do it again and let you know.
Thanks

Pedrodiesel

JHZR2 no info on ATF
 

Hello, I checked the manual from beginning to end, could nor find any reference to the ATF type needed in my 1999 E300D.

sorry...
Pedrodiesel

I believe Mobil 1 synthetic is fine. The dealer fluid may be the same in a different bottle or labeled Febi.

My 99 has a plug in the converter.

No, No, No!!!! This car has the 722.6 five speed automatic; Dexron ATF is not correct.

You can buy fluid for this transmission from the dealer or order it from an MB specialist parts vendor. There are acceptable aftermarket fluids available; I used Fuchs Titan 4134 when servicing my car with the 722.6.

I apologize for the incorrect information. I guess I was misinformed. What color is the fluid you use?

I believe the 722.6 requires 236.10 or .12 spec fluid. Some rumors exist that chrysler ATF+4 meets the specs given its use in 722.6 ats used in certain vehicles. No guarantees though.

Looking at the bevo mb site, 236.10 is minimally met, but the 236.12 spec is met by "3353" fluids from shell and mobil, amongst others.

236.14 looks like the current spec, and shell and mobil make an ATF 134 that meets that spec.

Not sure where you get any of them. They seem pretty specific, so I'd not go "universal".

No, that's exactly what I did to my '99.

My 1994 Bmw 525tds (2.5 turbo diesel European car) had similar.

A sealed for life gearbox and I presume your Merc is the same in that it is ecu controlled ?.

The gearbox fluid is a special type and knocked out at around £150 Uk sterling,not cheap at all.

Using the wrong fluid will/can kill the gearbox.

The Bmw was drained by removing the pan,and then a filler plug on the side would be removed and fluid put in,then up to temp and run the lever through the box and keep filling until it dribbles out of the filler hole.

Many tales on Uk forums of high mileage boxes having an oil change and then failing a while later or suffering slip.

Reasons given on the forums are that a large part of the oil drained has most of the clutch fibres in it.

If a box like this has seen oil changes at regular intervals then it is ok to carry on doing so,if the box has covered around 80k without a change then word is it is best to leave it alone or just remove the pan and change the filter and replace the oil that came out.

I got my Bmw with 138k on the clock and took that up to 183k without any problems from the gearbox,and it would most likely done a lot more miles but I got a 300d instead.

These ecu controlled boxes (if that is what you have) can detect slip,so where an older Merc will slip and flare on shifts the ecu on these calls a halt and goes 'transprogram' and a light comes on the dash and you are left with reduced engine power and 3rd gear take offs.


So do some in depth checks before putting any fluid in it.

Post #15 provides the correct info. You can use the fluid for either the 722.6 or the .9 trans which is backwards compatible.

MB revised the service interval from sealed for life, to change once, to change every 39K miles a few years ago.

Some W210s didnt have torque converter drain plugs; all of them had pan plugs. None of them with 722.6's had dipsticks.

With the torque converter it will require ~7.5L to fill.

Pan plug, can it be open it?
 

Hello friends, I want to know if the pan's plug in the transmission of my 1999 E300D was meant to be opened?
Is located underneath of transmission by the center of the pan.
I tried to opened , but did not.
I was afraid to " break it" therefore I did not try harder.
I did not see a plug in the converter, where is it?
In respect of the ATF in this car, once I remove the pan , drain the ATF and replaced filter and seal,
how much ATF should I add?
where do I added to?
I do see a "pipe" on the left side of engine that can be opened, is this the proper pacle to refill the ATF on this car?

THanks you all Mercedes Benz diesel lovers.

Pedrodiesel

Don't waste a lot of time and effort on the drain plug. I say this because while it will come out it will still leave a lot of fluid in the pan (it is raised inside the pan so there will be a couple of quarts left in there anyway. It is probably rusted in place and if you spray it down with pb-blaster it will come out but then you will need a new seal ring for it. Instead you can just drop the pan and collect the fluid in a big drain pan under it and leave the plug in its place. You will probably still spill some and make a mess either way.

And as others have said, use only the fluid sold at the dealer. If your car is a later '99 it won't have a drain plug for the TC, but the only way to know is to turn it and see.

Thanks for your info
 

Hello I just want to say Thanks to you ALL, for the valuable info given for my ATF flush and filter change in my 722.6

Pedrodiesel

to quickly see if it has a plug in the converter, look at the cover for the TC, if there is a nice round hole it's likely there is a plug, so slowly rotate the engine until the plug lines up with the hole. it helps to have a helper with a wrench on the crank bolt, but you can also slightly bump the starter over a few times.

so what fluid did you finally choose???

Either Mercedes Benz Fluid or Fuchs fliud
 

Hello, thanks for the help where to find the Converte plug, I will look for it.
In regards if the ATF, I am debating between Mercedes Benz ATF, or Fuchs ATF for 722.6 MB. ( Fuchs states they are OE suplier of Mercedes Benz. Also I read that Fuchs is made in Europe and aproved by several other transmissions makers, what do you think?

Thanks

Pedrodiesel

tO JHZR2
 

The ATF made by Fuchs is a 236.10 oil
thanks
Pedrodiesel

Id go for whichever is cheaper. Given that they meet the MB spec, they are both high quality fluids.

Job done!!
 

Hello friends, I finally did the ATF change on my 1999 E300d.
I also change the filter, and seal (made in Germany).
I got the ATF made by "fuchs" 236.10 I bought 9 liters.(
(transmission is 722.6)
I decided to replaced all pan bolts (6) also the torque converter and drain plug and seals.
Bolts were about $2.50 each same for the plugs. at MB dealer.
I just want to thanks for all the help provided by all the friends here.
Car is running fine. I did checked the ATF level.

Thanks

Pedrodiesel

Where did you find the Fuchs fluid?

Hello, Fuchs fluid.
 

I found the Fuchs fluid in a web site I used to buy parts for my Golf TDI. Is called **********.com