Hi everybody,
I have an 1987 420 SEL with about 47k miles on it.
The transmission leaks on the driverside (see picture).
I was told there are 3 o-rings behind that cover at about $1 each and about 1 hour of labor involved.
Here is what I think I should have done:
1. fix leak
2. replace fluid, filter and gasket on pan
3. replace B2 piston while pan is off, as it is supposedly accessible on this transmission when pan is off and failure prone, i.e. cheap insurance to replace it.

Does that sound reasonable to you and how many hours should be involved for the professional mechanic (I do not attempt to do this)?

I also want to replace the subframe mounts, the trans. mount and the flex discs at the drive shaft in the near future.
Would it make sense to have the trans. mount done at the same time or should I keep this just separate?

There is no immediate need to do the suspension and drive shaft work, I just like to get the car in "as new" condition as I intend to keep it for a long time.

Thanks for your help/opinion.

Reinhard Kreutzer

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I also have an 87 420SEL....is the extent of your leak depicted in the photo? Is there a puddle of oil on the driveway after sitting all night? With such low miles, you shouldn't need any suspension or drive train repairs, unless a component is actually broken. And with less than 50K miles, it should still drive as new.

JoeB

Hi JoeB,
You can kind of see the pink fluid at the bottom of the metal disc.
There is very little fluid on the ground, but it's a 15 year old car and some things deteriorate due to age like rubber and not only with miles like metal.
Did you replace the B2 piston on your car?
Thanks
Reinhard Kreutzer

Come on you transmission guys,
somebody must have an opinion about how many hours this should take. Is that leak difficult to fix? Transmission fluid and filter change and new gasket 1 hour? B2 piston 30 minutes when pan is already off?
Anyone?
Thanks in advance
Reinhard Kreutzer

I hour sounds reasonable to me, as a professional will certainly put the car on a lift. You can probably do this yourself, but if you do, take great pains to keep the area around the B2 piston cover clean. I found that a big piece of aluminum foil can be "moulded" around the section of undercoated body closest to the piston, allowing you to use all the available room without getting ANY crud in there. Make sure the piston link goes back into the brake band socket, too.

Thanks Pete,
I don't have the confidence yet to open up the transmission and take pieces out etc. A fluid change I might tackle one day. But with possible big damages if I screw up versus an hour or 2 to pay a professional seems like an easy choice.
I just like to know what is reasonable before I talk to a mechanic.
Thanks again.
Reinhard Kreutzer