It went into limp home mode. I took it to the dealer and they said it was a valve assembly in the transmission that needs replacing ($1000). They also said that the transfer case was "weeping" and should be replaced ($2500).

Has anyone ever heard of a "weeping" transfer case? They said that there is no way to service this and add more fluid.

I am the original owner with 78K mi. Tranny most recently serviced at 72Kmi.

Our transfer case was replaced on our 99 wagon shortly after I bought it with 36K on the odo. Fortunately, it was covered by Starmark, which according to the Service Advisor saved us about $2300.

Good luck with yours.

__________________
1993 300E
1999 E320 Estate

Why would weeping requires a new transfer case? Can they remove the one on the car and re-seal it and install it back?

I know there is no draining or filling plugs for the transfer case but why leaking = new one puzzles me.

It turns out that the W210 4Matic is just as problematic as the W124. Many see weeping transfer cases.

I am very interested in the outcome of this thread because my 2003 4Matic wagon is a bit wet on the bottom of the transfer case as well.

Just this morning, I removed the lateral bracelets below the transfer case and tightened the four 13-mm bolts a little. We will see if that stops the weeping.

A weeping Transfer case means that there is some seapage of the Gear Oil inside the AWD case through the seals. You can live with it, replace it, or have the unit re-sealed by a KNOWLEDGEABLE repair shop. The valve body replacement is common if the transmission never had a Transmission Control Module software upgrade. The upgrade was to smoothe out harsh down-shifting.

I would just do the valve body and keep a sharp eye on the transfer case by crawling under the car every few months and monitoring oil in the garage. The Transfer-Case seapage happens on EVERY All Wheel Drive Vehicle over time. I worked for Volvo and we saw this a lot on the XC90, S60-R, and Cross Country model around 80-100k miles.

Best Of Luck
-Mike

P.S. I have a 2002 E320 4-Matic, and I ALWAYS check-up on the transfer-case. It is simple smart maintenance!

__________________
My Work:
Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, Inc.
Business Development
536 West 41st Street
New York, NY 10036

-My Garage-
1996 E320: White 118,000 miles ~Dad's Driver~
1996 E320: Green 109,000 miles ~Mom's Driver~
~My Babies~
2000 SL500: Desert Sand 96,000 miles
-Previoulsy Judge Judy's-
2008 E350 4MATIC Sport
-Flint Grey/ Ash/ Black Birds Eye Maple-

Well put, Falsapartenza85, about the transfer case.

I am keeping a close eye on it. I noticed a drop on the garage floor about 5 months ago. I sprayed some gasket sealer on it and it kept dry until last week when I noticed another drop.

I craw under the car this morning and found two drops hanging on the bottom of the transfer case. I cleaned everything with brake cleaner, tightened the bottom four bolts (I did not see any wetness above the four bolts), and then re-sprayed the gasket sealer. I will monitor this and see what happens. If it continues, I will take to an Indy to see if they can re-seal it.

I guess leaking is one thing. One cannot add oil is another terrible design on the part of MB.

I wonder other makers AWD transfer case can have oil added. I am also curious if the Subru transfer case has leaks like this.

The transfer case oil can be changed, and there is access to it- HOWEVER- I have no idea how! It is an itemized service offering at My Mercedes Benz retailer service dept (about $259.00). I would best suggest searching around on this Forum!

Don't hold your service facility responcible for wanting to replace it, they see a leak- they want to fix it! The dealers DO NOT rebuild transmissions, angle gears, drive shafts, axle boots, rear differentials,or transfer cases! They Just REPLACE! Cut them a break, I DO! However, the problem lies in thier ignorance and lack of TRUE knowledge of the product! So what if it leaks! Has anyone ever looked at thie rear differential lately???? Case Closed! All In All, just monitor the transfer case- Keep it clean- and retorque when possible! I am sure this unit is re-sealable by a knowledgeable shop!

__________________
My Work:
Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, Inc.
Business Development
536 West 41st Street
New York, NY 10036

-My Garage-
1996 E320: White 118,000 miles ~Dad's Driver~
1996 E320: Green 109,000 miles ~Mom's Driver~
~My Babies~
2000 SL500: Desert Sand 96,000 miles
-Previoulsy Judge Judy's-
2008 E350 4MATIC Sport
-Flint Grey/ Ash/ Black Birds Eye Maple-

Thanks to you guys. Now I feel less like joining my transfer case in "weeping". Does anyone know the proper torque setting?

Also, someone mentioned that if one did not have the software upgrade that might lead to a problem I had with the valve assembly. Should I ask the dealership to provide the software upgrade?

Thanks again.

$1286.00 later, I have a new valve housing for the transmission. The dealer did not know of any software upgrades to this particular car and told me these things fail just because sometimes.

Great!!

What did they do to the transfer case?

The note on the papers from the dealer said to moniter the "seepage" of the transfer case and replace the case when the seepage increases. I will look around Denver for a shop that will try to fix this. I also own a Porshe 911 and a BMW Z3 so I am in obvious need of a good German mechanic. If anyone has a recommendation for the Denver area, I am all ears.

I will crawl under the car this weekend and try to get a photo of the "seepage" so others can use it for comparison.

I added some Mercedes transmission fluid to my W210 4Matic wagon. Details can be found in

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210-e-class/1316006-4-matic-transfer-case-question-2.html