Well, so far this car has been a very good one since purchasing several years ago. It does have the original big ticket items (head gasket and wire harness) that I am aware will raise their ugly heads at some point in the future! For now we have enjoyed owning this fine automobile. So why am I here? Well...

Recently I've been noticing transmission fluid spots on my driveway which is sloped, but hadn't noticed anything when parked in the garage. What I assumed was that there was a small leak that was dripping down onto the underbelly pan/tray then when parked on the sloped dw it ran off the tray. That may well be what was happening, however, the leak is getting bigger so much so that it has made a pretty large wet spot on a new piece of cardboard I put down under it just a few days ago.

I have it scheduled to visit the dealer service department in a couple days to get a diagnosis but thought I might throw it out here to see if anybody had any ideas on what might be the culprit...of course, I'm praying it is something 'simple (read: inexpensive!)

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Dale

If it's trans fluid leaking it's probably the front transmission seal, a common leakage point. Either that, or the pan gasket is leaking. Be sure to check that, could just be the pan gasket. If so, you're out for just the cost of a transmission service kit & new fluid and the associated labor.

If it's the front seal, it's inexpensive depending on how you look at it. The replacement seal probably costs $10. Hiring a qualified independent Mercedes mechanic to install it could be as much as $1k depending on who you get to do the work and what the shop rate is.

For a dealer, huge money. Huge. Bigger money than the independent mechanic would charge. They have to keep the lights on somehow.

Determine for yourself where the leak is coming from.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

Î didn't mention that I did have a trans service done on it about this time last year as we were planning a 2k+ mile trip. It was performed by an Indy shop that I have used a few times in the past but had a rather 'strained' experience last time. Because of this, I decided to join MBCA (for my discount at the dealership) and use a dealership that is approximately 45 miles south of me - avoiding a local dealership that is less than 4 miles from my house!

I'm just funny like that......

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Dale

I would agree with D.delano. But check out the tranny pan and gasket first and it's easy do. Many mechanics bend the pan lip or don't use a torque wrench and tighten down those bolts in a pattern or over tighten the bolts. I am getting myself ready to drop my transmission off my 95 E320 wagon this weekend. I'll be replacing the infamous b3 clutch pack (my reverse gear is slowly going out), shifter bushings, k1 spring kit, b2 piston, front pump seal (slow slow leak), front and rear tranny seals, and front flex disk. All the parts were $350 but will take some back breaking effort.

Find out where its leaking from.

If its lowest dripping point is under the torque convertor grating, its the front pump....

Dripping off transmission crossmember/support near rear could be kickdown switch/2nd pump.

Otherwise check pan.

New fluid changes are usually the trigger points for new leaks.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

I have almost completely given up on DIY projects that involve crawling under the car. I chalk it up to being trapped in a nearly six decade old body and no real good place to get it up in the air far enough to 'comfortably' get under it. When I purchased this car I bought a nice Mighty Vac pump to use for my oil changes just to keep from having to get under the car. Anyway, back on topic, I will likely wait until I take it in and get their read on the matter but if I get a chance before, I may drag out the ramps and try to see if I can tell where it is coming from.

Thanks for the responses here, it gives me some idea what to possibly expect - I'll report what I find...

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Dale

Dsel...I totally hear you. I have my car jacked up 29" in front the the rear on ramps and I still want more space. Tell us the out come.

Hey Ps2cho...I've been reading up you site up and down and will take the dive tonight. Thanks for the postings and pictures. I'm sure I'll have my own set of issues but hopfully it'll be somewhat painless.

Has the car been sitting? My wagon will leak from a seal atop the torque converter if it sits too long and the fluid all 'hangs out' in the TC.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Not more than a day or two at a time. It's the wifey grocery-getter and kid hauler.

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Dale

Pisser. Jack it up and take a look, then.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Well, seems they think it's the pan gasket making me very happy! They have also given us a spankin' new C300 with only 182 miles on the clock...better hurry and get back before I decide to keep it

Said to keep an eye on it to be sure...fingers are crossed

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Dale

Diagnosis - pan gasket
Cost - $142 (replace gasket, clean and lube sunroof)

Yeah, it was fun getting to 'borrow that '12 C300 for a couple days. If I were in the market for that genre of car, it would be a strong contender!

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Dale

It's been a while back since this was done and thought I'd give an update on what's been happening since.

The dealer service did not hold for more than a few days! Didn't think it was worth going back as they said they "think" it is the gasket. So I contacted an indy I've used in the past and explained the deal and he said to bring it in and see if he could locate the source of my leak.

He spent some time digging around and found a couple"o-rings that have become hard..." and (from memory now!) some type small valve that was "seeping.." but at any rate needed to order the part and that it would be in in a couple days. Meanwhile, since he had the tranny "apart" he'd need to keep the car til the part arrived! So, the parts were installed, got the car back and within a few days there was the DRIP again .

I have NOT done anything other than monitor the fluid level and keep a cardboard under it where it sits in the garage. Funny thing, to this very day, I have not added a drop of AT fluid as the level appears to be/stay within the acceptable limit on the dipstick.

Now that I have just completed the wiring harness update/upgrade and we're thinking that we are going to KEEP the car another 2 - 3 years, it's time to take it to ANOTHER dealership/indy/tranny shop for another diagnosis and get the damn thing fixed this time. I just DON'T want to go to big time $$$$ on a WRONG diagnosis.

I guess my question/s would be: is the dealer the better choice when it comes to this diagnosis/fix since they work on the brand daily? Would an independent tranny shop (NOT THE NATIONAL/REGIONAL CHAINS) that has been in business like 50+ years be a good choice? I know that is hard to say until I "interview" them on the matter. We oft times can get a 'gut' feeling if we are being given a line of BS, but will I be able to sense that from a shop? (I know you cannot answer THAT one ). Just kinda looking for some direction for this repair and a good outcome from anybody that has had to deal with similar issue.

As a side note, I came across an eBay listing last night on a wagon (same year/color) like mine and it states in the auction that they have receipt for recent re-manufactured tranny installation. I'm watching it with a thought in mind.....hmmmmm ...coould be a solution depending HOW cheap I could snipe it ..

Thanks for your time and replies

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Dale

Dale - I have the same car as you do (95 E320 wagon). I too have the original head gasket and wire harness. A couple questions if you would indulge.

Can I ask how much your wiring harness replacement cost?

Did you do this yourself and where did you get the harness? My car is a late serial number model and I am pondering doing this preemptively or just waiting for it to not start one of these days.

Same kind of thing on the head gasket - did you do that and if so what triggered it for you? Mine is leaking but not horribly and I am just trying to decide when to take the dive.

I too am always thinking how much it's worth to get another few years out of it or not. I hope to do both repairs myself if I can but I am just a DIY'er and not overly experiences especially for the head gasket job. Thanks for sharing your experiences, help others like myself think through things.

Benmack1 thanks for your reply.

I actually just completed the wiring harness this past Wed and there's a thread on here I started - search "Engine wiring harness" and it will come up as a recent thread.

I bought my harness from AutoPartsWay.com as they had the best price I could find on the web. It was $810 with free ship. My VIN is also a late one so you will likely need the same as mine. My part # is 124 440 56 32. I also ordered a fresh set of BOSCH spark plugs to install since I was in there. WOW, what a difference in the way the car runs now! It idles MUCH smoother and throttle response is so much better.

I'm a moderately experienced DIY'er and I took several guy's advice and took my time and and went basically from connector to connector. There is a good wiki in the DIY link at top of page and there are many threads on the subject if you just do a search. (I'm on my phone or I would provide a link or two...)

Head gasket has not been an issue for me...yet! Don't know if I will tackle that one! If I were to do it, it would mean the car would be outta commission for a few days to even longer and not sure wifey would like that..

Funny how our tastes change...when we got this car in 2009, I didn't think anything at all for one second that we will be driving a 14year old (at that time). But the last 6 mos or so it has been sorta knawing at me that I'd like to have a more 'modern' car! And really, there's NOTHING wrong with the styling (in my mind anyway) and quality and condition of this car and this is our daily driver vehicle. As I'm getting older and the back is not what it used to be, I'm noticing the driver's seat being less than supportive and I could justify a newer ride for that reason but, from a financial point of view it just seems prudent to just do the repairs (within reason of course) and put another few years on the clock...I don't know. Just ramblin'...!

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

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Dale