I just got word from my indy. My new (to me) '87 300SDL with less than 100k on the clock has transmission issues. He says there is a noise coming from the middle of the transmission that indicates that "the planetary gears" are "torn up". I do not know much about these. The noise it makes is a somewhat high-pitched whine; depending on engine speed. It makes the noise whether in gear or not.

I also recently sprang a sizeable leak of transmission fluid that comes from the front of the transmission - about 1 qt/10mi. He says this is unrelated, and is caused by a seal on the front pump.

I am being advised to get a re-manufactured tranny. The cost of dropping the tranny to replace the seal is about $750. He has not yet given me the price of a re-man; says to expect about $1600 with a torque converter. He says he will only buy from a place in California that was started by three guys who used to work for MB - claims nobody else knows these transmissions as well.

Does this sound about right? Should I get a second opinion? How hard is it as a DIY? How repairable are these transmissions? He speaks of them as if they are really difficult to do any repair. The low miles on this car would indicate that it likely sat for awhile. I have had it for about 10k and I love it.

Help!

An auto trans doesn't have planetary gears does it? I'm certainly no expert on transmissions but that doesn't sound right. Sounds like maybe the torque convertor from what I've seen others post. I would at least take it to someone else and get some opinions before replacing it. If all else fails you could just drive it until it quits working right if the noise isn't too bad.

__________________
1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

Having read many posts here transmission related, the pricing they gave you sounds to be in the ball park.

However, I'm sure if you look real hard, you probably could find all of this cheaper by a few hundred bucks, and would be at the mercy of the unknown.

If you have found confidence in your indy, go with it!

Maybe if you mention these MB tranny specialists business name here, maybe some people here can give you the thumbs up, or down as a warning.

I consider myself to be an adequate shade tree mechanic, and have rebuilt a few engines in my time, but transmissions scare me as this is no where I have dared tread.........fear of the unkown! I think you might be better off letting someone who specializes in this field do that work. BB

I believe they do have planetary gears. The way I understand it, auto trannies are and adaptation of standard trannies and with hydraulic means to automatically shift gears and are dampened by discs, similar to a clutch, but different!

Nearly all automatics have planetary gear sets. There are a few that are really manual trannies with a hydraulic or pneumatic shifter mechanism (the French made several), but all MBs are planetary -- three or four (possibly five) planetary sets per tranny.

A gear won't make any noise when not moving, and they only move when the car does, so a stationary "whine" is very likely the pump (the only part that moves with the car stationary) or torque converter, and torque converters rattle or clank, they don't usually whine.

The pump can be a bear to replace and set up correctly, so a rebuilt tranny isn't crazy at this point. $1600 is a good price, and yes, you DO have to be careful who you get one from, they aren't easy to rebuild correctly.

Check with the mechanic about a pump replacement, but I'd bet a tranny swap is cheaper.

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

They do... some have one set like the Ford AOD, others have two like the GM 700R4... For a planet to go bad the bearing(s) within it need to go south or it has to explode basically... either of which I do not see happening on this unit at these power levels.

Remember a planetary gear set spins two ways... so you do not need 5 of them for more than one gear. These are 4 speed units. The AOD in my F150 has one planet only. Also dependant on if these units use clutch packs for each gear, or a band for 2 and 4th or the like.

To drop a trans should cost no more than $400. Anymore is getting crazy IMO. I paid $300 to drop the one in my Z71 to install a 3000rpm stall converter here... that's got an extra driveshaft to drop, and a transfer case in the way too.

From my memory the front seal on the pump shouldn't be super labor intensive to swap unless you have to disassemble the entire pump then it would be very costly. At that point I'd weigh and balance the costs of a rebuilt unit vs fixing yours if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long time...

2¢

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I actually managed to learn something playing on the computer today..... not that I'll ever need to know anything about planetary gears in an automatic transmission but I still learned that they have them!

__________________
1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

Being informed is part of the game.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

Before I purchased my present 300SDL I had looked at another that had known Transmission problems. To see what the 'worst case scenario' would be I called my local M-B Dealer and asked what a rebuilt Transmission would cost. They quoted me about $2500 Cdn. (Approx $2000 US today) installed and that was for a M-B rebuilt unit (complete with Torque Converter) with full 12 month warranty. I didn't think that was too bad for dealer pricing. This was about 18 months ago, so I'm not sure what prices are today.

__________________
1991 M-B 560SEL Arctic White/Grey 99,000 Miles
1987 M-B 300SDL Ivory/Palomino 229,000 Miles (sold but never forgotten)
2006 Volvo XC70 Blue/Beige
1999 Porsche Boxster Arena Red/Savanna Beige
1986 Porsche 928S Goldweiss/Brown

Thanks for all of the help so far.

Sounds like I probably have a bad front pump. As this is not my daily driver I do not need this day to day. How crazy is it to try to replace a front pump? Has anybody here ever replaced one?

Thanks.

Just went thru the same scenario. My indy rebuilt the old one for appx 1400.00.

It shifts very well, although I did bring it back for a modulater adjustment.

FWIW, the 1400 includes a 12 months/12000 mile warranty.

Good luck!

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?