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  #1  
Old 10-07-2015, 05:57 PM
vwnate1's Avatar
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Question Trans X Additive

Greg is always suggesting this product to dissolve varnishy buildups, my '82 240D's tranny has seen better days after 349,8XX miles so I bought some (they make four different products all say more or less the same thing on the label so I bought the quart size to get more for my money) and began topping up the weepy tranny with it .

At the same time I also adjusted the throttle rods to the FSM specs and adjusted the shift cable on the rocker box a bit , the end result is : the tranny shift much more firmly than it ever has in the 20 years I've had the car .

It hasn't made any difference in the constant weeping and dripping of ATF everywhere it goes but I hope to get the tranny rebuilt in less than one year so that's O.K. .

I'd like to hear if anyone else here has used this stuff and to what effect ? .

TIA ,

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Old 10-07-2015, 06:02 PM
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I've used a similar product (from what I can tell anyways) called transmedic (made by GUNK) since TransX isn't available by me. For me it eliminated the 2-3 flare that I was experiencing in my 300SD.
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  #3  
Old 10-07-2015, 06:07 PM
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Well, my experience is in the archives...
but wanted to mention that if someone is currently having shifting problems... the instructions on the can suggest putting a 20 percent mix of new trans fluid and Trans-x...
for the initial attempt to dissolve any varnish in those tiny holes which may be affecting the engagement of the hydraulically operated gear clutches...
Then if that works... changing out the trans fluid and filter and putting in a 10 percent mix for the future..
If the leaking is a seal which might be swollen by the Trans-x ... like my Lincoln front seal... it does require a while... I think it was weeks of making sure I added Trans-x regularly since that trans was leaking a quart per 75 miles... now it does not leak... and this is years later....
The idea is that if the car is not shifting... is to sit in the driveway and move the shifting lever through the gear positions... slowly.... like a minute per gear.. including park and reverse.... if this takes 30 or 45 minutes it is worth it if it fixes your shifting problems.. it is boring... so take music with you when you start.....
So before you start this... consult a book as to the total capacity of your transmission and do the math... for my 81 wagon it took two of the ' sorta' one quart metal cans to make 20 percent...... then one for the final fill to leave in.....
OK... for those of you who have never held an auto transmission valve body in your beady little hands.... it is the metal part of the transmission which directs the hydraulic fluid to the proper places at the proper time....
but the reason a ' little' varnish can make so much difference is that those control ports are about the diameter of a BB... and a sphere the size of a BB is used as a valve to close off that port when it should be..

BUT the CRITICAL factor is that it is GRAVITY operated in the cut off mode... so if you have just enough burned old varnish making that control port to where the BB does not react quickly or AT all...
then you have things like ' flaring' ... the slow application of the correct friction clutch .. which in short order Wears it out... or if total interference with that BB.. then one or more of your gears does not engage.... or more than one engages at the same time... any of those kind of things can cause Hard Part replacement needs inside the transmission...

Last edited by leathermang; 10-07-2015 at 06:25 PM.
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  #4  
Old 10-07-2015, 06:13 PM
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If people would change their fluid in the transmission as suggested in the manual, one would not have to worry about using transX but most people drive till there is an issue....Then complain and look for a miracle in a bottle....

I used this as a last resort but sadly it didn't help replace the missing shifter bushings and flange that came lose from the transmission....Still in there and noticing more leaks but the trans was rebuilt...but won't go there...

So I can say there is no ill effects but it hasn't helped the mechanical issues the transmission has had...
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Old 10-07-2015, 06:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljjay View Post
If people would change their fluid in the transmission as suggested in the manual, one would not have to worry ....

I used this as a last resort but sadly it didn't help replace the missing shifter bushings and flange that came lose from the transmission...
True... except few have had the cars since new... so we can blame the PO for that neglect..even if they were not the only ones....

If it would fix THAT... we WOULD call it MIRACLE SNAKE OIL.....
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Old 10-07-2015, 08:57 PM
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Originally Posted by leathermang View Post
True... except few have had the cars since new... so we can blame the PO for that neglect..even if they were not the only ones....

If it would fix THAT... we WOULD call it MIRACLE SNAKE OIL.....
True....but I can think of a few handfuls of us on these forums that never think of changing the fluid in certain things at certain intervals....Someone on the other forum just bought a 240D that has been sitting for a decade....and just jumped right in and started driving it....
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Old 10-07-2015, 09:24 PM
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Perhaps a bit off topic but I maintain 7 vechiles every time I service a mercedes transmission I find very little putty like material or clutch residue on the bottom of the pan. The American cars I service the residue is closer to 1/16 to 1/8 inch on the pan. I realize the mercedes transmissions for the 80's and 90's are long lasting but I was curious if anyone else has comparisons or comments on the subject.
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  #8  
Old 10-07-2015, 09:26 PM
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Some people get lucky sometimes... particularly if the machine was well made to begin with.....
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  #9  
Old 10-07-2015, 09:37 PM
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My MBZ diesels are all stick-shift now.

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  #10  
Old 10-07-2015, 10:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dieselbenz1 View Post
Perhaps a bit off topic but I maintain 7 vechiles every time I service a mercedes transmission I find very little putty like material or clutch residue on the bottom of the pan. The American cars I service the residue is closer to 1/16 to 1/8 inch on the pan. I realize the mercedes transmissions for the 80's and 90's are long lasting but I was curious if anyone else has comparisons or comments on the subject.
When I would do pan off services on customer vehicles, the American transmissions always had lots of shavings on the bottom and stuck to the magnet. There was a Jeep Cherokee from the 90s that I serviced and once I looked at the CHUNKS in the pan I told the owner that he needed to seriously consider replacing the vehicle and the trans was on its way out. He was upset, but appreciated the warning. Another time on a Chevy 1500 from the 90s the customer reported hesitation shifting and flaring. I initially denied the service but after he pleaded with me to do it anyway with absolutely no guarantee or warranty, I took the job. He had an enormous amount of debris in the pan, and the magnet was a solid ball of shavings.

I believe that the MB transmissions were just designed much better than the American ones. Precision tolerances, quality material, and engineers who gave a crap are the differences between the two. Japanese transmissions seem to be acceptable, but the Honda BAXA transmissions were absolutely horrible and it isn't surprising that Honda secured the help of GM to design that transmission.

TransX is appealing to me because it's a cleaner rather than an oil thickener. I could get on board with the TranX, NOT the Lucas transmission molasses...
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  #11  
Old 10-08-2015, 03:10 AM
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I put in a bottle of Tans-X to help stop a front seal leak on my transmission, and it has reduced the leak considerably. If I were having flare issues, I would adjust the modulator and if that doesn't work, replace the K1 springs.
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  #12  
Old 10-08-2015, 12:14 PM
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Thumbs up Thanx !

For all the considered replies .

As some here might know , I work in a large municipal shop and usually buy my personal vehicles from scrap yards , auctions , abandoned behind barns and so on , most of them come to me with ATF (& PSF too) looking and smelling like burned coffee so yes , I always do routine HOT fluid and filter changes and repeat them until the fluid remains clean .

This occasionally takes some time , mileage and $ ~ one 1961 original owner Corvair with Slip 'N' Slide Power Glide slushbox comes to mind ~ I've been told that changing old nasty ATF can cause tranny failure , I don't believe a word of that as I've done dozens , some with mud like crud in the pan and never had one fail yet .

Luckily M-B's have torque converter drains and real slush box filters unlike most cheapo slush boxes that only have a basic screen so most crud can be easily sucked into the tranny to cause mischief and rapid wear .

IMO , the magnets in the pan are a good idea , they almost always have some sort of SWARF or crud on them , about 3/4 of all the Mechanics I know , are too lazy to be bothered cleaning them and just remove and discard , a bad thing indeed for the end user .

One final thought about ATF leaks : the cause is usually a stiff old seal and the snake oils simply soften it up a bit , always a make - do patch solution .

Used Car Dealers routinely add a teaspoon of brake fluid to the ATF to do the same thing as expen$ive ' stop leak ' solutions .

Just remember : some hot summer day the now chemically softened seal may decide to stick to the rotating shaft after shut down and the next time you fire it up , total failure , waterfall of ATF .

I did the Trans-X thing at the same time I replaced the broken white plastic switchover valve and a bunch of other things , the tranny now makes a later 1 > 2 shift allowing much faster pickup from a dead stop .

It also now shifts down from 4 > 3 as I go 'round corners in city traffic , it never did that before , I am well pleased with it .

Because of the complexity of the valve blocks in slush boxes , I shy away from internal repairs on them but his point about varnish is well taken .
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  #13  
Old 10-08-2015, 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by vwnate1 View Post
..... I've been told that changing old nasty ATF can cause tranny failure , I don't believe a word of that as I've done dozens , some with mud like crud in the pan and never had one fail yet ....

One final thought about ATF leaks : the cause is usually a stiff old seal and the snake oils simply soften it up a bit , always a make - do patch solution ....
.
First, you are CHEAP. Good work.

OH yes... the ' magic old crud ' theory which Larry Bible used to espouse... claiming that he had had many go wrong just after changing the old fluid out.. TOTALLY ignoring the fact that he was not addressing it because it was working just fine... then when cleaning it did not fix it... claimed that CAUSED it to fail....

Trans=x and those types of ' sealers' do not just soften the seal... they cause it to Swell... that is why they have the potential on an old worn and stiff seal start working again as it should ... no, it is not as ideal as taking out the trans and fixing the seal ( if in front )... but might buy you a lot of miles or buy you a pass to a more moderate weather to work in.....
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  #14  
Old 10-08-2015, 03:27 PM
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To get back to the original question, I have a Trans-X success story:
Lost 4th gear....

Also, I think Trans-X is supposed to clean off the varnish, not make the old seals swell up? I didn't think it's to prevent leaks?...

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  #15  
Old 10-08-2015, 03:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Ceristimo View Post
To get back to the original question, I have a Trans-X success story:
Lost 4th gear....

Also, I think Trans-X is supposed to clean off the varnish, not make the old seals swell up? I didn't think it's to prevent leaks?...

I am glad you had success with it...
Did you read the stuff on the side of the can ?
Did you read what I wrote about my Lincoln front seal leaking ?

K&W Trans-X® Automatic Transmission Stop Leak | Car Care News Service

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