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  #1  
Old 12-10-2010, 06:37 PM
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97 E300D transmission, long over due fluid change

I purchased this car with 181K on it and Im not sure if the transmission was ever serviced. My question is should I change it now or keep on driving it? I ask because I have heard from others that they had nothing but problems after changing their gunky and dirty fluid with clean new fluid. It was as if this dirty fluid kept everything tight in some way and when new fluid was introduced the transmission started slipping and failed shortly after.

I still think it would be a good idea to put new fluid in. HAs anyone out there been in the same situation as I and when they did change it were glad they did and their car drives so much better?

I would love to hear from others and what they experienced after this change.

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  #2  
Old 12-10-2010, 07:13 PM
layback40's Avatar
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Change it !! You have heard old wives tales !! The gunk does not hold it together.
I am waiting to hear from some one who has a 4 spd trans in a MB that has done over 200k miles with out a change & runs perfectly & is then ruined by a change. The suggestion it better not to change is pure BS !!
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1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
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  #3  
Old 12-11-2010, 07:38 AM
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I'm with layback on this one. Change it! I had a '98 E 300, that has the 5spd auto. I changed it every 30K and it had 213K when I sold it. I only used the MB fluid. I also had a 124 with 364K on the original, unopened transmission. Changed that one every 30K too.
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'07 E320 Bluetec 133K my DD
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'02 VW Golf soon to be on the road again
'97 E300 Diesel Son's DD
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Gone but not forgotten:
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'86 300SDL
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Last edited by muleears; 12-11-2010 at 07:40 AM. Reason: add information
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  #4  
Old 12-11-2010, 09:58 AM
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Well I currently have 217K on the car and transmission. I always thought that it operated a bit oddly, not really smooth at all. WOndering if changing the fluid would make it operate more smoothly/
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  #5  
Old 12-11-2010, 10:36 AM
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definitely i'll change it, not only just dropping the pan and replacing the filter thing, i'd rather drain from converter too. it's overdue, not too hard a diy.
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  #6  
Old 12-11-2010, 11:54 AM
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1997 W210 E300TD 243,000
 
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Change it. The tales about damage being done by putting new fluid in are just that - tales.

Use only MB transmission fluid.
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  #7  
Old 12-11-2010, 12:13 PM
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How can I tell how much fluid I have in the transmission without a dipstick? Has anyone mad a makeshift one for instances as this?
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  #8  
Old 12-11-2010, 12:26 PM
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As everyone has said: change it.

If the fluid is as dirty as has been mentioned in the old wives tales, the transmission is not working properly.

The main trouble people have doing this is not replacing the pan seal properly. Use the correct torque and press it slowly and evenly. If your seal is the type that fits into a grove, put a bit of fluid on the grove portion of the seal before installing.

Put in half-quantity of fluid first. Then start the engine to put in the second half. This will circulate the fluid into the torque converter.
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Old 12-11-2010, 12:43 PM
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Not a huge transmission guy, but i've also heard the stories of trans fluid changes on older vehicles with bad results. Something about introducing fresh new detergents in the newer fluid doing damage to the delicate old rubber seals and such.... I do know this, when you do a trans fluid change in a shop they tend to leave about 4-5 courts of the old fluid in the torque converter and usually just change the filter and the fluid thats in the pan itself rather than do a complete fluid change.

Transmission fluid is essentially Hydraulic fluid, and the trans itself pretty much works off of fluid pressure in general like a big hydraulic pump. And lubrication is not the main priority of trans fluid.

I personally would only drain the trans pan and change filter to help with line pressure and leave some of that old stuff in there to neutralize some of those strong detergents in that new tranny fluid.. I've done a complete fluid change including the TC fluid on one vehicle, but i didn't notice any problems that resulted from doing so however.

Trans fluid gets bad from the clutch particles that build up over the years and then clog the fiber trans filter which reduces line pressure and results in more heat and the sucker slowly eats itself, theres also a magnet in the bottom of your trans pan that will be covered in metallic clutch material from the years of the clutch material making contact be sure to clean all that stuff out.
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  #10  
Old 12-11-2010, 01:44 PM
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The deal is that on ecu controlled gearboxes that sometimes a fluid change can induce some slip in the box.

The ecu will detect this as the boxes have a couple of speed sensors inside them,this will then flag up limp mode / trans program .
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  #11  
Old 12-11-2010, 02:24 PM
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One man's experience

When we got our 1996 E300D (has the older 4-speed mechanical transmission) I made the mistake of changing to Mobil-1 synthetic fluid (249,000 miles on the car). The transmission had been regularly serviced but had an existing minor front pump seal leak. Synthetic lubricants have smaller molecules and can leak through tiny gaps that will stop the larger molecules of standard fluids.

The synthetic fluid turned the leak into one that I could not stop, even by changing back to non-synthetic fluid, stop-leak, etc. The car began leaving a small puddle of fluid on the garage floor every time it was driven. Ended up having the transmission rebuilt ($2900) . So far (25,000 miles) no problems with the rebuild, which was done by a local shop with a good reputation.

OTOH, I put Mobil-1 in the engine and differential and nary a leak. Go figure.

So go ahead and change the fluid and filter. For your electronic 5-speed, I'd recommend sticking with Mercedes fluid. If you really think the fluid has never been changed, consider changing it again after 10,000 miles or so.

The torque converter has a little Allen plug in it; you have to manually rotate the engine until it shows up. There's at least as much fluid in the converter as in the transmission pan.

BTW, has the power steering fluid ever been changed? Mine hadn't, was black with age and use. Mercedes doesn't even list PS fluid changes as a regular service item so none of the POs had done it.

Jeremy
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  #12  
Old 12-11-2010, 02:57 PM
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My factory fill went about 190k. Has shy of 300k now and is shifting fine. I've decided to do mine every 50-60k because of my driving style (all highway). The orig fluid was muddy brown and smelled like 80/90 wt gear oil the first change. Thats fine; what you dont want to seee is too much metal in the bottom of the pan larger than 1-2 mm x 3-4mm.

Make certain you use the approved fluid for the 722.6 or the 722.9 tranny which is backward compatible. MB sells both. There are now some after market sellers as well.

You'll need 8 liters and will use 7 and part of the last if you drain the TC too, which you should do. Get a new filter, gasket and crush washers for the TC and pan drain plugs. You'll either need to measure the exact quanty extracted or get the the factory dip stick tool to confirm fill proper fill level at 80C (at the trans pan).
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  #13  
Old 12-12-2010, 08:46 AM
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I bought my '95 E300D with 140K about 6 years ago, changed to synthetic. Trans fluid had been changed a couple times during the initial 140K. Fast forward to this summer when I changed it at about 320K. The pan was perfectly clean. I am using Amsoil synth fluid.

Change it.

Rgds,
Chris W.

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