Personally, I stay wide away from anything "MaxLife". Products like that are known to have items in them that are used to "seal leaks on high mileage vehicles" by causing o-rings and such to chemically swell to get a bit more mileage out of them. Not saying that the Valvoline product mentioned above is that way...but others in the past for "high mileage" cars do just that. Swelling o-rings and rubber seals might help temporarily to quash leaks, but later on, they all have to be replaced.

Now, again, speaking for myself, I use the "Supertech Automatic Transmission Fluid" found at Walmart. It is the same Dexron3/Mercon that has been manufactured for years and years, but due to licensing issues, cannot be called Dexron3 on the label anymore. It is not DexronVI or any "backwards compatible" fluid..it is real D3. It is without sealants and friction modifiers and crap for high mileage things. Just good old tranny fluid. I drain and fill every other oil change, (15,000mi). Roughly a gallon will come out of the pan, and roughly a gallon jug goes back in. Regards to topping off, I only use the same crap I put in. Its actually easy as Walmart is just about everywhere.

Attached Thumbnails

   

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1985 MBZ 300D (DD, 240k, unmuffled hellion!)
1982 MBZ 300D (372k, retired for parts)
1981 MBZ 300D (575k, parts pig)

Well, I only added about a cup, maybe a cup and a half. I'll drain out the transmission when i have time and feel like jacking up the car in the near future.

Ironically enough I have to travel out of my way to find a Walmart where I live. We don't have many in Los Angeles.

On mine, filling to the low mark gives me about the best shift quality. I believe you should only see higher levels when the transmission is hotter.

(Lucky you, fewer Wally Worlds. Haven't bought anything, for personal reasons, in one of their joints for 20+ years. )

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

Putting a bit in definitely made it ever so slightly smoother but restoring the vacuum is going to do the most for the tranny I think. I just wanted to make sure it's not running low.

Definitely never been a supporting of the Walton family or their business. We have a lot of Costcos around here so I'll go there or Target for stuff.

Wasnt trying to make it a political issue... I mean, I avoid Costco simply because of the founder's actions and donations to various groups, along with him guiding the company to follow suit. I like to keep out of Walmart to stay away from its uhm...customers. PeopleOfWalmart comes to mind.

I simply wanted to point out there are sources that still make the same non-synthetic licensed formula of Dexron III like it was originally set up, and sometimes you have no real choice but to purchase from a place you may not agree with.

On the flip side, apparently when GM spun off Allison, Allison distanced themselves from GM and the licensing of Dexron, and created standard TES-389, which is apparently the exact same thing as Dexron III. So big truck stuff that sells ATF, look for TES-389 and thats the same stuff. (sources: bobistheoilguy forums and other searches)

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1985 MBZ 300D (DD, 240k, unmuffled hellion!)
1982 MBZ 300D (372k, retired for parts)
1981 MBZ 300D (575k, parts pig)

Valvoline appears to make a non-Maxlife ATF for Dex III cars as well. I imagine this is readily available at most auto parts stores. I'll check at O'Reilly this weekend.

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1979 300D 040 Black on Black - 1985 300D Maaco job (sadly sprayed over 199 Black Pearl Metallic) on Palamino

http://i.imgur.com/LslW733.jpg

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Visit the W123 page on iFixit for over 70 helpful DIY guides!

The markings on the dipstick are very strange, my car which has a 722.4 transmission has only performed like it should after I followed the spec to the dot.

I aimed at the mark where the stick curls up (approx 11mm) - on cold fill. The ATF used was Brad Penn III-H and its always shifted properly (shift quality is highly dependant on correct adjustments of the transmission modulator and bowden too)

My car shifts smooth yet firm - which is how I like it to be. Im due for an ATF change and most probably going to fill it up with some Tractor supply ATF I have in a 2 gallon container.

It only shows level at 80C when I stop at a fuel stop on the highway after about 25 minutes of freeway madness.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Damn, they had that Dex/Merc oil at O'rielly's, I just didn't know if Dex/Merc was diff from Dex III as this is all greek to me. I'll probably use that next time when i drain the whole system. Also, does anyone have any good links to instructions on how to drain and change your transmission oil?

Well, notice that the MaxLife ATF you bought also says Dex/Merc.

__________________
1979 300D 040 Black on Black - 1985 300D Maaco job (sadly sprayed over 199 Black Pearl Metallic) on Palamino

http://i.imgur.com/LslW733.jpg

The Baja Arizona Oil Burners Send a message if you'd like to join the fun
Left to Right - UberWasser, Iridium, Stuttgart-->Seattle,, mannys9130

Visit the W123 page on iFixit for over 70 helpful DIY guides!

Easy.

Lift the car up enough to crawl under. Either on an actual lift, or jack up all four corners to make it level. On the tranny pan, there is an allen head screw, flush on the bottom of the pan. Unscrew, and let it drain. Replace screw. Refill transmission with similar amount to what was removed.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can also drain and fill the torque converter for a more complete exchange of fluid. You'd need to slide up under the bellhousing, where you'll see an access hole and the TC inside. You need to rotate the engine until you see an allen head screw appear in the access window along the center seam of the TC. You can either do that via a ratchet on the crank pulley bolt, a large flathead screwdriver on the starter ring gear teeth on the TC, or have a friend bump the starter, and then use the screwdriver to better align the screw when it appears. You then remove, let drain, replace. Of course, you should drain the TC before you refill the tranny, if you already drained the pan above.

edit: If you can ignore the fact this is done on a newer model, you can check out this wiki article for a basic rundown. The pictures will help, as your car will have the drain plugs in a very similar location to whats depicted. You obviously can ignore the parts about the torx and filter for doing just a drain n fill. The 123's transmission used standard bolts PeachPartsWiki: 722.6 Transmission Fluid and Filter Change

edit#2: Found a pdf scan of one of the shop manuals in another thread. I got by just fine doing my first d&f and filter change using the basic info gleaned from the wiki, and coupled it with some common sense. Either way, you should be fine.

Attached Files

transmission fluid and filter change all 2702.pdf (182.7 KB, 78 views)

__________________
1985 MBZ 300D (DD, 240k, unmuffled hellion!)
1982 MBZ 300D (372k, retired for parts)
1981 MBZ 300D (575k, parts pig)