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  #1  
Old 03-13-2001, 12:08 AM
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I've recently heard that if you have over 100,000mi on your tranny it is better to keep the old fluid in there. the reason being is that (according to what i heard) it loosens things up in there and could cause slippage/ leakage. Does anyone have any experience with this subject? I find it hard to believe, and I really want our 89 190e to shift smoother. it's so abrupt of a shift now that when it switches gears you can actually hear the interior creak. and I dont want to cause premature wear of the differential as it is already kinda noisy.
thanks for your time,
darren

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  #2  
Old 03-13-2001, 12:26 AM
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IMHO, that's rubbish. I changed out our tranny fluid at 102K and it wasn't serviced last at 45K.

It shifted so much better, esp. with the RedLine ATF.

I wonder if you have the dreaded B2-piston problem.

Change it.

:-) neil
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  #3  
Old 03-13-2001, 10:00 AM
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If all thats holding your tranny together is the crud floating around then you have big problems.
Change it, and be very careful about introducing dirt when you do.
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  #4  
Old 03-13-2001, 12:35 PM
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A local trans shop told me that if the fluid has not been chnaged in a great while to leave it alone.Varnish and build ups will wash away with new fluid and can cause leaks and trans failures. He talked himself out of a trans service on a 91 Ford with 107,000 and he was fine with that. Mark
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  #5  
Old 03-13-2001, 01:34 PM
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If you don't service the trasmission then you are prone to failure. Maybe he is waiting to sell you a new transmission..
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  #6  
Old 03-13-2001, 04:51 PM
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My wife brought a 1984 Celica before we got married. The car was driven about 100,000 miles before I started to take interest in maintenance. I was also told by several mechanics the same thing that Cerbomark was told. The car now has 225,000 miles on it. It has the original filter in it. It does have a slight leak and I just add fluid to it when needed. The car does not have any kind of shift problems. At this point I would not change anything on it. If it does develop a problem than I would try changing the fluid and filter. All the cars that I have owned since . I have changed the fluid/filters on a regular schedule. Two of the cars that I have. One of them had a new tranny installed under warranty (4,000 miles) and one needed a new vacuum module (26,000 miles) installed under warranty. GO FIGURE!
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  #7  
Old 03-13-2001, 06:18 PM
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I've heard the rule of thumb on this is, if the fliud is clean (red) go ahead and change it. If it's brown and doesn't shift properly, you might be best to leave it alone.

It was explained to me that the brown is from clutch material floating around that actually helps shifting. As was mentioned before, if a bunch of crap floating around in your tranny is what makes it shift, you've got prolems somewhere down the line.

If you are planning on keeping the car and can afford a new tranny, I'd change it. You might do it good, or kill it.

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  #8  
Old 03-13-2001, 06:48 PM
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I dont think there was any conclusive evidence to suggest that changing an old tranny fluid (i.e. if its brown) does any damage to the tranny in whatever manner consistent with what we've read here.

I think its more of a myth than anything else, as I assume most mechanics have good intentions on their customers.

It is my considered view that it is fine to change it, and ought to be done according to the recommendations.

If we're afraid of future leakages due to an old tranny (which I do not subscribe to), then it may be wise to pour in some additives, e.g. Gear-Up.

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  #9  
Old 03-13-2001, 07:35 PM
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Gee wiz,since when does dirt and clutch material make a tranny last longer. Come on fellas. Clean oil is what makes them last. Yes you will get some trans to go 300k on the original oil. Maybe it would have gone 600k if it had been changed.
Varnish and clutch material do not make for better operation.
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  #10  
Old 03-13-2001, 07:45 PM
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wow such response!!
thanks everyone for your input. I think I will change it this weekend and not add any additives until I see drive it a while and see the results.
blessings to all your trannys,
darren
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'05 BMW x5
'59 0319 diesel Omnibus.
Italian bikes!!!
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'66 Lambretta SX200
'59 Lambretta 250 race bike
'70 Lambretta GP200
'77 860gt ducati
'66 ducati monza
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  #11  
Old 03-13-2001, 07:47 PM
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I heard about this urban legend for a long time now. I think you need to change out the filter and fluid together. Make sure you change out the filter not, just the fluid. If it is that bad. It is a matter of time before it will give in any given moment anyways. Thought I would need a new trans but, found out that a 0.75 gasket by my mechanic. Changing the fluid and filter did the job. Voila, the trans is acting like it was previously. Though, my fluid was not burnt or brown. I have driven 160K on this auto trans with no significant problems. I don't think waiting will really help b/c you won't know when it will give out. It is better to know now than, later. The trans mech you went to probably, is awaiting for you to give up the trans and hope to gain your trust for, a more expensive job. The trans fluid change&filter and look over was, less than $100 at most. He probably knows that if, he resolves that problem compared to $2K vs. $100.
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  #12  
Old 03-13-2001, 08:31 PM
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Do it by the Book

Greetings All,

Although most of my vehicles are gas powered, the exception being my recently acquired new Mercedes toy. Do it by the book guys. I've changed tranny fluid religiously in all my vehicles and can't say enough about how it made the difference. I had a 1984 cougar that shuddered at 55 MPH and even though the ford mechanic spent all day checking from driveshaft to wheel balancing trying to figure out the problem, new tranny fluid and filter as well as draining the torque converter made it all go away in a few days. He didn't do it either, I did, and the fluid was red. I have to agree that tranny fluid, although appears red in color even the day you change it at some 30-40 thousand miles, it's time. Don't let yourself be fooled into believing that crap floating around in your tranny fluid is good for the clutch packs or anything else but the trash. Change the fluid, filter and if possible drain the torque converter as well. Keep your Benz running and shifting right.


Charles
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  #13  
Old 03-13-2001, 09:15 PM
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While we're at this thread, it may be worth a point to mention that the rear axle oil (which uses tranny oil too) needs to be changed. This is most often overlooked for some reasons or other.

All our MBZs changed the rear axle oil recently and it runs smoother and quieter. Perhaps it was peace of mind that all is well at the rear.

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  #14  
Old 03-13-2001, 09:42 PM
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Use The proper Lubricant

Greetings all,

Just a word on rear differentials. Please check your manual for the proper fluid type and fill level. On my '80 300TD the rear differential requires SAE 90 hypoid gear oil, please don't confuse this with tranny fluid, it just won't lubricate the ring and pinion gears, but just heat up instead and provide little to no lubricating affect on your rear-end.

Thanks,

Charles
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  #15  
Old 03-13-2001, 11:17 PM
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Correction on changing fluid TYPES


It is my understanding as follows....

If you have just bought a car and cannot verify that the transmission was serviced regularly, it is wise to stick with a good grade of regular ATF rather than switching to SYNTHETIC ATF. This is because the synthetic may loosen particles and they will act as an abrasive inside the tranny. Otherwise, it's definitely a good idea to change your trans fluid every 30K. Even with synthetics. But beware, as with synthetic engine oil, if you switch to a synthetic ATF, you may develop leaks. Just my $0.02.

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