TransX... Yay or nay? 1983 300D - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ah-kay · #16 08-26-2014, 01:45 PM

Nothing to lose. GO FOR IT. If you ask then the answer here is NO from most members. Use your own judgment and feelings. Also work out how much you can afford to lose in the worst case scenario.

I have used it to seal the tranny and that was 30k ago and the car still shifting perfectly. I have used all kinds of sealant including Blue Devil gasket sealant with good results.

leathermang · #17 08-26-2014, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zulfiqar

I dont understand how will you get varnish out of the valve body circuits, the channels are hydraulic lines - which means they are closed, so lets say this stuff dislodges it - how do you exhaust this sludge?.

We are talking 'varnish' buildup... no different from painting your furniture with multiple layers of varnish... it is a dark yellow brownish color ... or darker...

those BB channels I am referring to.... the fluid goes through them ONE direction to work something hydraulic... but then the balls need to use gravity to fall to the bottom of that little tube TO STOP BACK FLOW of the hydraulic fluid... if any coating builds up on the walls.. it stops or slows the sealing of the BB's to the bottom of the tube.

this is not sludge like you would find in a septic tank... this is varnish which is re dissolved and in suspension.... so changing out the trans fluid and the Trans=x and putting in a new filter is how it exits the trans....

It may be more accurate to call this stuff Lacquer type buildup.. because lacquer can be scraped off a surface and put back into the type of medium it was sprayed with...and it becomes the original substance..
it does not form long chain molecules... typically a one way process...

97 SL320 · #18 08-26-2014, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

That goes to show that one can own an auto shop and not know how something actually works.

The shifting ..... apply one clutch sending the power to one set of gears....and then another...

is taken care of by hydraulic pressure.

Gee, thanks for clearing that up. So what you are saying, in a MB transmission there are pair of gears for each forward speed and a pair for reverse? ( 4 speed auto 4 pair + a pair for reverse? )

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

Inside the valve body ... which few people have actually seen.... are some small BB sized balls which are pretty much foolproof.... since they are in a vertical tube and can not fall out of the bottom of it... Gravity causes them to want to fall DOWN... pretty foolproof unless that tube gets varnish deposited over the years to where they are slowed down.. or do not fall far enough to completely seal ... these are shutdown valves.... if they allow some pressure to remain on a clutch which is supposed to be shut down... then excessive wear happens pretty quickly...and you may have two clutches engaged at the same time...

What happens to the balls on a bumpy road? Having 2 gears apply at the same time sounds like a dangerous design flaw.

Cinnamonandgravy · #19 08-26-2014, 04:00 PM

ehhh im still on the fence about it all.

my tranny is great after the ATF fluid / filter change, except for the semi-frequent reluctant initial shift into 3rd (which is more of an inconvenience than anything). is the reluctant shift into 3rd a sign of things to come? probably, but as it is right now I don't want to prematurely kill my entire tranny just to remedy an inconvenience.

leathermang, how do you recommend to specifically use TransX? one of the more interesting methods I read was to get the car to operating temp, turn it off, dump in TransX, do not turn the car on, go through the gears, and let it sit over night. Then just drive around the next morning and youre good (but what about adjusting for fluid levels, do you leave the TransX in or do you replace all the fluid with clean ATF and a new filter, etc.).

leathermang · #20 08-26-2014, 04:13 PM

I bought a suction tube and ' puller'.... sorta looked like a grease gun cartridge...but sucks.... I took out the amount needed to allow room for the Trans-x...
No matter what you do in life... you do not want to over fill a transmission OR an engine.... as the foaming.... which is aeration of oxygen.... DRASTICALLY REDUCES the EFFECTIVE life of the lubricant.
Then I checked the manual and found how much fluid the wagon had... and a 20 percent initial clean out involved two cans.... about $16 total...
Then I ran it about forty miles... came back and drained it hot...
Then I put in new fluid.... and one can of Trans X...
and left it in there.....
The car last a couple of years.... the suspension wore out...and it did not have AC...
So I sold it to TxBill.... and he drove it to Houston.... the wheels were really splayed out... but he did it anyway...
On many cars you might need to turn the engine on.... and put the shift lever into each gear for a few minutes.... up the scale and down the scale....if it is not going into a one or more gears at all...
Otherwise... leave it in until you are sure it has had a chance to clean out the insides....
and change out your fluid, filter if you can,,, and add the smaller amount of Transx to leave in it....
Be sure not to overfill....

Junkman · #21 08-27-2014, 11:45 AM

It looks like the OP has only twisted on the Bowden cable, changed part of the fluid and installed a filter. Perhaps he is asking the wrong question???

How about repairing or at least testing the vacuum system, adjusting the governor pressure, the VCV and again the Bowden? THEN consider Trans-x?

He has an 83D so was that a 722.3? There is lots of info and a few manuals floating around.

leathermang · #22 08-27-2014, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

Gee, thanks for clearing that up. So what you are saying, in a MB transmission there are pair of gears for each forward speed and a pair for reverse? ( 4 speed auto 4 pair + a pair for reverse? )

What happens to the balls on a bumpy road? Having 2 gears apply at the same time sounds like a dangerous design flaw.

Where in my post did you get the word " pair " from ?
I said set of gears for each speed... and a clutch to send the power to them.
Bumpy road... these are IN auto trans fluid.... and either being forced open.. or being held closed by hydraulic pressure....

97 SL320 · #23 08-27-2014, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

Where in my post did you get the word " pair " from ?
I said set of gears for each speed... and a clutch to send the power to them.

From your post # 11 ( the ...... are in your original post, I've done a copy paste )

"" The shifting ..... apply one clutch sending the power to one set of gears....and then another...

is taken care of by hydraulic pressure. ""
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"One set" of gears implies more than one toothed gear per speed. One clutch sending power to one set says that there is one clutch per speed. ( 4 for a 4 speed, 5 for a 5 speed and so on, also include one for reverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

Bumpy road... these are IN auto trans fluid.... and either being forced open.. or being held closed by hydraulic pressure....

Again from your post # 11 ( the ...... are in your original post, I've done a copy paste. I've added #### to highlight your words. )

"" Inside the valve body ... which few people have actually seen.... are some small BB sized balls which are pretty much foolproof.... since they are in a vertical tube and can not fall out of the bottom of it...

##### Gravity causes them to want to fall DOWN... pretty foolproof unless that tube gets varnish deposited over the years to where they are slowed down.. or do not fall far enough to completely seal ... #####

these are shutdown valves.... if they allow some pressure to remain on a clutch which is supposed to be shut down... then excessive wear happens pretty quickly..

#####.and you may have two clutches engaged at the same time... #### ""

leathermang · #24 08-27-2014, 06:43 PM

97 SL320,
I have no idea what your problem is... this is all I am going to offer to cure it.

"The pressure for the clutches is fed through passageways in the shafts. The hydraulic system controls which clutches and bands are energized at any given moment. "

From :

HowStuffWorks "Clutches and Bands in an Automatic Transmission"