I had my new '97 E300 at my indy mechanic for a new front flex disc, and while he had it he changed the trans fluid and filter. I got it back and after a few days I noticed a leak on the driveway - fluid is clear and slippy, like brake fluid. It could be brake fluid - reservoir is almost full, so it's not obvious to me yet what it is - but the drip is coming from the center of the car. I can see the flat pieces under the transmission are dripping a little something.

Question - could it be trans fluid? What color is the fluid in the 5-speed cars? How can I confirm/rule it out?

Tomorrow when it is light I will snoop around and look for brake fluid leaks in case it's that. I'll also mark the brake reservoir level and observe it for a few days.

Thanks,

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Charlie

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'66 VW 1300 96K miles
'97 E300D 239K miles
'85 300D 203K miles (sold Sep 2012)

Transmission fluid is pink/red. Had you been running the a/c. Probably condensate. It comes from about where you describe.

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Jim

No, the car's been sitting and the fluid is not evaporating like condensate does. It also has a slippy feel on your fingers that you'd associate with brake fluid. Not enough of a puddle to determine if there's any color, my concrete driveway soaks up almost all of the fluid.

I moved the car to the other side of the driveway this morning - the spot forming is directly under the tranx drain plug - that allen head bolt on the black plastic pan - bolt/plug feels wet. The pan looks dry around the edges. I checked plug tightness with an allen wrench - fairly tight, but gave it a little more. Perhaps when the mechanic drained it and replaced plug, they forgot a seal, or it didn't seat or something?

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Charlie

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'66 VW 1300 96K miles
'97 E300D 239K miles
'85 300D 203K miles (sold Sep 2012)

This strictly hearsay but it's my understanding that the fluid is initially red in these cars but over time, it turns gray/brown due to the use of carbon friction materials in the transmission.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

I've had cars in that had over 100k miles on the original transmission fluid and that stuff comes out looking like used motor oil.

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Jim

Transmission fluid is clear. Looks just like hydraulic fluid. I know, I just put a new transmission into my 99 yesterday. Chances are your orings are leaking at the connector in the front pass corner of the car. This is a known issue. Trans fluid will also wick up the wires and fill the trans computer with fluid. The fix is a 14 buck part (7 if you go aftermarket).

Well the tranx fluid is all fresh, but I marked the brake fluid reservoir in case it's that. I inspected the brake master cyl, booster, and ABS unit but found no drips...will observe for a few days and report any findings.

__________________
Charlie

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'66 VW 1300 96K miles
'97 E300D 239K miles
'85 300D 203K miles (sold Sep 2012)