Short version - I think the tranny seals have blown out on the car and I was wondering what the approximate cost to fix would be. Assume replacement of the seals in the transmission (include R&R trans?)... Labor cost ~$70/hour.


Longer version - Last weekend, in order to insure the longevity of the transmission in my wifes little wonder, I drained the trans pan and the torque convertor, dropped the pan and changed the trans filter/pan gasket (parts ordered from PartsShop were delivered in record time and pricing VERY reasonable!!). Then I filled it up with fresh Mobil 1 synthetic ATF. I figured that if I keep the same maintenance period and use the synthetic that it would help with keeping it running longer.

My wife called me in a panic late yesterday afternoon and said, "My car won't go out of first gear anymore... it hardly runs at all." I'm freaking out by this time but calmly ask run here through the instructions on how to check the trans fluid level. Ssure enough, there's "no fluid on the stick" - we've sprung a leak.

That's when I remember hearing that changing from regular dinosaur-based oil to synthetics sometimes causes the seals in a unit (be it engine or transmission or whatever) to fail or blow out. I jump into my baby ('89 300E) with 6 quarts of Mobil 1 ATF and head over to my wife's office (1 hour 15 minutes away) to see if I can "fill it up and drive it home". I fill it back up (takes 1 1/2 quarts) then start it up to see if it will run at all. It runs nicely but leaves a distinct trail of ATF throughout the parking lot. Time to call the AAA truck (good thing we upgraded to the Plus membership - free tow up to 100 miles).

Had him drop it off at my regular shop (Mercedes independent - factory trained in Germany) and will catch up with him this morning regarding what it is and what it'll cost.

Everyones opinion / commiseration appreciated.

__________________
Jay Yambrovich
Scotts Valley, CA.

1993 300 CE Cabriolet (A124) 131K miles
1997 C-280 133K miles

2000 BMW R1100RT 69K miles
1989 300 E 216K miles (sold)

It's unlikely that you've "blown" anything.. The change from regular to synthetic does not make leaks happen. It may make an existing leak worse. I'll bet if you get under there, you will find the leak to probably be something related to your recent efforts under the car. I will pray for an early recovery. Have a great Holiday Season Jay..

__________________
Jeff Lawrence
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE
No matter what you fix, there will always be something else to fix..
"Warranty" is just another way of postponing the inevitable.

I would suspect that you may have pinched the gasket for the pan. I have seen this a number of times. Also, The flex hoses are known to fail.

__________________
Benzmac:
Donnie Drummonds
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 11 YRS

Here's what turned out...
I had the car towed to my Mercedes specialist (Mercedes Centre Ltd. in Santa Cruz, CA.) who called me up later in the day and said, "You're a lucky man this time." It turns out that the trans pan gasket didn't pinch and deform but actually tore in three places (at the flat parts, not at the "lips / wings"). They told me that I had "messed it up"...
I was extremely careful when I put the pan back up. I hand-tightened the six bolts first, then used my torque wrench to carefully torque the bolts to the correct spec. I know how to use a torque wrench and have done many repairs / maintenance that was much more complex than this. I suspect that the gasket failed for some reason.

I was also SOUNDLY CHASTISED for changing to Mobil 1 synthetic ATF by the mechanics. They said NO NO NO, DON'T USE SYNTHETIC IN YOUR MERCEDES BENZ. Donnie (and others), do you have a comment or STRONG opinion on this too?!?!?

__________________
Jay Yambrovich
Scotts Valley, CA.

1993 300 CE Cabriolet (A124) 131K miles
1997 C-280 133K miles

2000 BMW R1100RT 69K miles
1989 300 E 216K miles (sold)

That's good news, Jay!

After working on autos for almost 60 years, there are two rules I have devised for myself:

1. After doing fluid change of any kind, check for leaks.

2. After doing any kind of work at all, road check car.

These practices have saved me from having problems a number of times. Hope this experience won't deter you from DIY later. Just chalk it up to experience and watch it next time.

Good luck.

__________________
Ted
1979 240D
165,000 miles

Hi Jay.. Here's one for you..

"If it Ain't broke, don't fix it".

Try to recall what you thought the change to synthetic was going to improve or benefit you or your car, especially in the tranny department. Anyway, glad it's sorted out.. Merry Christmas, and the beat goes on synthetic vs. dino...

__________________
Jeff Lawrence
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE
No matter what you fix, there will always be something else to fix..
"Warranty" is just another way of postponing the inevitable.

TED (and others, )
After 25-30 years of monkeying with cars to varying degrees, I too have learned to check everything more than once. I checked the car after putting the fluid in (sheet of cardboard underneath the car to catch drips and act as a "tell-tale"), then went out and drove it on the freeway (about 10 miles), drove it back in city traffic and pulled it back into the garage. No sign of leaks or problems at that point in time.
As I said, since it was the first time I'd done one of these, I was meticulous in the procedures (keeping things clean, tightening by hand / torque wrench etc.) following the procedure found on the MBUSA CD-ROM.
This has "shaken me up" somewhat, causing me to doubt myself at this point. Problem is, I've already bought the belt tensioner unit for my 300E and was figuring on taking a day after Christmas to do that job myself... now I don't know if I want to tackle it or not.

JEFF -
Wanting to "keep up both of my babies to the best of my ability" I thought that using the synthetic ATF would be better than using the petroleum-based products. I was going to keep the same servicing period but use the synthetic rather than the standard type. I thought that if I might be able to get 10-20K more miles (or more)out of the transmission by using the synthetic then I was ahead of the curve. My wife puts 25K miles on her car a year... the longer it lasts the better I'm gonna like it.

__________________
Jay Yambrovich
Scotts Valley, CA.

1993 300 CE Cabriolet (A124) 131K miles
1997 C-280 133K miles

2000 BMW R1100RT 69K miles
1989 300 E 216K miles (sold)

Jay, go for it. Your reasons sound good to me. Well anyway, the problem is solved. See how it goes. If you are pleased with the results, then maybe I'll try it as well. I am due for a drain and refill on my black beauty..

__________________
Jeff Lawrence
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE
No matter what you fix, there will always be something else to fix..
"Warranty" is just another way of postponing the inevitable.