transmission flush - will those flush machine do the trick?
 

hi,

I have a W202 C220 1995 and I'm planning on a transmission fluid flush. The Merc dealer wants my tuition for the next decade for it so no. I know a jiffy-lube style place that does good work (so it's not jiffy lube, just something like it, indie owned) and had been doing no problem oil change to the rest of my "fleet" all the time. The question is, I searched this forum there are like these few things I don't have in my other cars:

1) transmission fluid filter - first time ever heard of this. What the deuce
2) separate TQ converter and transmission drain. What the deuce the deuce?


So I don't know if they know what to do with this car since it's Mercedes it's "eccentric" (cheap cars are weird, Mercedes are eccentric). Do you think a generic transmission flush machine will do the trick? Or something is bound to go horribly wrong?

The filter can be replaced from outside the transmission much like oil filter for the engine correct????

thanks for your help.

The pan has to be removed to get at the filter. That drains all the fluid in the sump. Drain the torque convertor and you have done what MB recommends. Amoung true repair technicians tools like we are talking about are called wallet flushing devices. They are designed to repair the bottom line of deficient repair facilities. No manufacturer suggests using them!

You want to gauge a shops stature as a repair facility compare the amount of flushing equipment they have to factory level scan tools.

DO NOT HAVE IT FLUSHED! Have a shop drain the trans and when you rotate the torque converter you will find the drain plug facing forward toward the engine. Auto transmissions have had filters for about 60 years. Some are fine mesh screen type, others are replaceable plastic or metal filters.

Don't all automatics have filters? Any that I've ever touched did.

Torque converter drains were used on old American iron, but they're probably missing today (same as M-B). Draining the pan never drains the converter, but most of the time when you get a transmission fluid change, they will only drain the pan.

Perfect.

Many cars recommend draining the fluid via flushing now. On my Ford, you disconnected the cooler line hose, ran the car for half a minute or so to pump fluid out, added some clean fluid, and repeated until you got through 13 quarts. The parts guy looked at me funny when I ordered a new drain pan gasket and filter - he didn't have too many sales on those parts.

I would hope your C still has a torque converter drain, if it does I wouldn't use the flush machine but would instead drain it properly. If you Really want to get almost all the fluid out, drop the valve body (a bit above and beyond..).

Jonathan

Good plan but your car should have a 722.423 transmission - which is a 4 speed automatic and the factory recommended transmission service interval is 30K for a fluid and filter change.

You get what you pay for at jiffy lube or somewhere like it. I have seen many butcher jobs come out of places like that. But I do know that the dealer is very pricey.

do not under any circumstances let one of those tranny flushing machines anywhere near your car!

Note that there are (at least) two kinds of flushing machines: one just exchanges the fluid via the cooler lines, which shouldn't cause any problems, and the other uses air pressure to also "agitate the fluid" and "remove dirt". I think shooting 100# air into your tranny has a reasonable chance of dislodging more than dirt, and that's probably what causes problems. Either that or a "tech" who didn't hook up the machines correctly.

<<You get what you pay for at jiffy lube >>

Fries with that ???? Drive around to the first window...

Perfect indeed!

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiasts/Mechanics_Tale/Mechanics_Tale_The_Flushing_of_America.S281.A10297.html

Hey, the pretty little blonde oil change girl there said she liked my VW van!

(I was disposing of oil changed at home.)

There is a DIY article for transmission fluid changes on this site

On the MB's I drain the torque converter and drop the pan BUT the '97 Honda CRV is another matter. Up till about 150k miles I would take it to the Honda dealer and have them do the tranny fluid flush (I do not own a tranny flush machine). Now at 210k miles I just drain it and refill it. On this particular application you are unable to drain the torque converter and there is no filter to change that I know of. Tranny still works fine although it does shift a little harder than it did new.

Yeah, those little motorcycles probably only hold a pint or two anyway.;)

The reason it is so important to change the filter on an auto tranny is b/c there is constant wearing of the clutch paks and the aluminum sliding parts ..and where do you suppose these worn off debris wind up ??? .. in the filter.
The suction guys will tell you it winds up suspended in the fliud ..it does..and then the fluid just carries it to the filter.
When changing a trans fliud/filter, I open up the old filters so I can get a look at the clutch debris and aluminum wear content..this gives an insight to tranny wear ..if you ever opened one up, you would see why you want to change it..new fluid can not go through an old filter any better than the old fluid could..a blocked filter restricts oil flow and that is the last thing you want happening inside your trans..you are better off with a new filter and the old fluid than you are with new fluid trying to go through an old clogged filter...
Change them both and clean out the pan while you have it off...they can agitate all they want, they don't get the crud out of the corners of the pan like you can with it off. Do it right..trannies biggest problems are DIRT caused !!!

Thanks for the link and the great read... I was thinking the same thing about the 60 minutes report... Just remember what your grandpa use to say, Funny thing about history, it seems to repeat it self...
Hello 60 minutes, have I got a story for you... HAHAHAHA

All I will say is stay away from those flushing machines. Just get under there, drop the pan, and replace the filter and gasket. The machines are either a gimmick or designed to let the tech change your fluid with as little effort as possible.

The filter used on most if all trannys are merely just screens.
I've seen a pic of a 722.6 filter cut open with 130K that was pretty spotless.

If pretty much any transmission filter gets clogged the tranny is pretty much screwed!

<<The filter used on most if all trannys are merely just screens.>>


Wrong..Benz uses mostly fibre element filters


<<I've seen a pic of a 722.6 filter cut open with 130K that was pretty spotless.>>

..and I have seen hundreds that were not..which is why Benz Maint/Tech specs that they be changed. No pictures, just real time filter from the car...

<<If pretty much any transmission filter gets clogged the tranny is pretty much screwed!>>

Yup. That is why we change them....so they don't get to that point.

:sultan:

The fiber mesh MB uses is about as effective as a screen(over a 100 micron filter).

Tranny filters are very free flowing(they need to be),if a filter gets clogged it ain't debris it's the tranny in pieces.Screwed!

..you certainly seem to know the proper care and feeding of your tranny....

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/182279-installed-non-mb-atf-into-my-722-6-a-post1450355.html#post1450355

Been over 2.5k miles with the new atf,no problema at all.

BTW,you know MB does not recommend changing the simple mesh filter on the 722.6 right.:dizzy2:

Yes , we know that ...you do know what a problem that tranny was , I am sure.

I actually think it's a pretty good tranny actually.There are many high mileage units out there.

Good.. I hope yours joins those other high milage units. It is your car and you can certainly service it as you wish, regardless of conventional thinking.
Good Luck and have a nice day........