My car has 312,0000+ miles. I am fairly certain it is the original trans. I have at least one entry in my service log for a fluid and filter change. It is no doubt time for it to be changed again.

My question:
Not knowing what kind of fluid as in there now, I am assuming it is not synthetic. Would you switch to a synthetic now?

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

vwbuge,

Sure I would change to synthetic Trans fluid.

P E H

Redline synthetic is some really good stuff,it makes shifting very smooth,in your case i would drain tq and flush it or change again in say 4-5 months just to be sure a lot of super old gunk gets out,sometimes whats in there for so long comes out and your tranny may not like that.
good luck

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W123 1985 300TD naturally aspirated

If you know with certainty that the fluid has never been changed, I wouldn't even consider syn fluid, I'd focus on DEXRON only.

The syn fluids typical offer far more cleansing power. If you have signficant build-ups of garbage, this new syn fluid is likely to free up all sorts of bad stuff which will then be circulating in your transmission.

Drain the fluid, examine the pan and filter closely. Does it look bad or is it still fairly clean? Make a trans fluid decision following a visual inspection ... and change that fluid more often!

__________________
1998 W210 diesel (wiped out by a texter)
Baum spring compressor "for rent"

agree...no syn. don't flush... just drain and replace filter

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

IMHO, there's probably 2 schools of thought on this one. I would put syn in it or at least a blend, in fact, for the cleaning properties of syn. I believe it is good to clean out the build-up in the tranny. I put syn in my 80 & 84 Ds. The shifting improved. Thats why some people use Trans-X.

The other shool-of-thought is what you said.

__________________
the sooner you start... the sooner you'll get done If it ain't broke, don't fix it.. Its always simpler to tell the truth...
2007 Honda Accord EX
2007 Honda Accord SE V6
96 C220
97 Explorer - Found Another Home
2000 Honda Accord V6 - Found Another Home
85 300D - Found Another Home
84 300D - Found Another Home
80 300TD - Found Another Home
Previous cars:
96 Caravan
87 Camry
84 Cressida
82 Vanagon
80 Fiesta
78 Nova
Ford Cortina
Opel Kadet
68 Kombi
Contessa

You can rest assured that traditional DEXRON has strong cleaning capability. That's not a weakness by any measure.

Iam running Amsoil syn. did the change over at 330940 mIles.
transmission shifts like butter. also replaced the K-1 kit at the
same time.

As far as gunk and debris floating around the trans, maybe that
is what the filter is for? I have been running it 4400 miles so far.

Be sure to drain the torq converter, easy to do. I drained my trans
for about two months, you may not want to take that long to do
the job, but I was replacing the eng. at that time.

As far as leaks, I haven`t noticed any at this time.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

At that kind of mileage don't waste your money on synthetic, whats it going to extend the life a bit, its already worn out Mobil 1 isn't going to fix that. Save the synthetic for when you rebuild it.


Get whatever ATF is on sale at autozoo.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

What makes you think the trans is worn out? The car runs great. (knocking on wood sound)

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

300k miles, how much more can you expect out of it? I'm sure it shifts fine, mine at 267k shifts pretty damn good to. But it can go at any time.

But its not going to last another 200k miles, and its going to blow at some point synthetic or not.

Its like giving up smoking when you are 95, yeah its going to make a difference!

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Well we are up to 335300 so far on the original trans. so maybe synthetic
is a waste of money in your opinion. I have noticed an improvement in
the way it shifts.
so maybe it will crap out tomarrow, and then maybe it will go another
100,000. we`ll see.
you are right it will blow at some point, but if it does, oh well.
I`ll fix it with a 4-speed conversion.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

So by that your saying put in standard dino dex fluid and just let the build-up and crud stay where it is rather then get cleaned out? I dont understand your logic for that.

As for my suggestion, put in a cheap group 3 synthetic fluid like Valvoline's ATF 'full synthetic' fluid and run it for a shorter amount of time then specified (3 months) to get the build up cleaned out. Then switch to a true Full synthetic like Redline or Amsoil.

__________________
Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

If there isn't any shifting problems and the fluid isn't burned or dirty, I would think twice before doing a full change out with Syn. My opinion is that your transmission depends somewhat on that buildup around pistons to maintain a good seal and pressure. Dissolve too much of that and you could be in trouble.
Stick with what works. She hasn't let you down yet.

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1987 300SDL-268k mi

The cleaning process would be more gradual.

Let's keep in mind, I'm only suggesting using the product the factory specified. I'm not charting any new territory with the recommendation.

I'd say there is an certain amount of "unknown" when working with a neglected transmission that has never been maintained.