Today I checked my transmission fluid... its dark brown in color (is the transmission fluid from MB red when its fresh?), and has very small metal particles with small chunks of dirtlike material... hard to describe kind of like the stuff on your dishes after you finished dinner =) Is the transmission fluid stick suppose to be very long, and doesn't go all the way in? can someone measure the transmission dip stick for me? how long is from top to bottom? thanks... My ML has 86,500K =) still running great! I'm planning to do the transmission fluid change myself, replacing the fluid, gasket (if any), and filter... at 100k.. any tips? thanks

The dipstick used to check the fluid level is not meant to go all the way down the tube. Although the fluid may look nasty to you, MB does not recommend changing it. When I R&R'd the trans cooler lines on my own '99 ML320, the fluid that I drained out was indeed discolored but I put it back in along with 1/2 quart of fresh stuff when I refilled the tranny.

__________________
Regards,
Aaron

i think the " lifetime" fluid is a bunch of crap. i change front and rear differentials, transfer case and transmission fluid in my f250 truck at 25k and she was like a new beast.

i think we all get dipstickless vehilces because of the few idiots that do not know the proper way to check an automatic thus overfill them and blow out a seal.

you never get all the fluid out of the converter, but i would change it ,change it ,change it. your transmission will love you for it.

__________________
g-wagen

The dark color is no concern, because graphite is used in the friction plates, and this does stain the fluid quite dark.
Anything you'd describe as a metal flake, shard, or chunk would concern me if it were over about 1/16th". Did you see this metal because it stuck to the dip stick? it would be unusual I would think for the metal to stay on the stick.
The big concern on checking the level is making sure the fluid is at the correct temperature. The level reading is meaningless if the temperature is unknown. The temp is monitored using SDS, the sensor is built into the transmission conductor plate.
The reason the transmission fluid level is especially critical on the 722.6 is that the case is designed to scavenge the oil away from the internal parts to reduce drag. If it is overfilled it will greatly reduce the efficiency of the transmission.
This is a fairly critical job as far as the refilling especially, and also depending on the year you may want to drain the torque converter. At about the intro of the 2000 model year, the drain was eliminated from the torque converter, so it can't be drained, but if you have a 98 or 99 you should be able to drain the converter. And in case you haven't read this earlier, you need to use the fluid which is only available from the dealer (ATF for 722.6 transmission), or it may be available online also, like form fastlane.

Gilly

__________________
Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)

the dipstick, how long is it on top to bottom? can you measure it for me?.. I plan to buy the fluid from mercedes benz.. perhaps that filter that I need to filter it out.. Gilly, the metal pieces are very fine.. I can see it when I use light to shine at it.. the bright reflection, thats how I saw it.. So I'm guessing I have to drain the torque converter and then release the fluid via the transmission drain bolt, than the transmission drain pan, replace gasket and filter? the filter is very cheap.. only $12 canadian..
yes I know the transmission service is a lifetime, but someone mentioned that to me, he noticed a significant improvement after the service.. I plan to do it every 100k anyways...

Tabo:
Aaron is correct, this special tool dipstick is way too long for the tube. It measures from the bottom tip of the stick up to the fluid level. The extra length doesn't matter one bit, just push it down the tube until it stops and pull it out again.

Yes, the filters are cheap.

I still do not recommend that you do this yourself. You have the stick, but the reading on the stick is useless without the temp reading.

Gilly

__________________
Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)