86560sl

Wife bought me a set of drive-on ramps to do oil changes and such so I'm kind of wanting to use them to do the trans. fluid change.

1. OK to do a tranny filter and fluid change with the front end higher than the rear?
2. I want to empty it completely out, can I rotate it while still in park or does it need to be in neutral?

Thanks.

JBoggs

I was skeptical at first about these tranny flushes. The one where they connect a gizmo to the car and flush the entire sytem including the lines and torque converter. However after being allowed to watch the procedure and examine the results I was convinced that this is the best way to due a "TOTAL " flush and refill.
MB's need special attention paid to the tranny service intervals as well as procedure. You may want to investigate this.
As for your question I would think 1 is OK , I am not sure what you mean by question 2 - do you mean to get torque converter to drain?

__________________
Ron
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you should be fine on the ramps just make sure you drain both the torque converter and the transmission pan, then take the pan off and replace the filter/gasket, then you'll have most of the fluid out of the system.

when you take the pan off, you will have fluid dripping on a wide area so be prepared.

Please make sure you do this on a hard, level surface with rear wheels chocked. I'll skip the rant, but I'm no fan of ramps. I'd skip trying to get every drop of fluid out, just make sure you drain the converter. I believe the filter gets torqued to 6 Nm and the pan to 8 Nm.

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

I like to stack a couple of scrap 2 by 10 wood pieces to drive on if I need a little clearance. I feel much safer that way.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

JBoggs:

You should be able to rotate the converter whether in park or neutral. The park feature typically is a sprag that locks a driven drum or shaft inside the transmission to the transmission case.

230/8

Be sure to drain the Torque Converter and the transmission.

When the transmission pan is removed - all fluid is cleared - sounds obvious - but I had to dump some, as not all drained from the plug.

With the TC drained and the pan removed - the majority of the red oil is gone.

Now - how to position the TC drain plug is a good question.

I asked my wife to start and stop the engine until the drain came close, then I moved the flywheel (with a screwdriver) to position exactly.

In a separate thread, I was informed (I suspect correctly) that using the screwdriver could have cracked a tooth from the flywheel.

I'm anxious to hear others comment on the movement of the TC, to position the drain plug.

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Thanks for the help
Bill Fisher

'86 560SL (186K) - Now a 'classic' : Registered as an Historic Vehicle
02 E430 in the stable
'14 LS460 (Lexus)
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'95 E420 (198K) found a new home
'99 E320 (80K) (gave it's life for me as we hit a bumper)
'95 E420 (231K) Sold to a happy buyer, new to Mercedes
'90 300E (65K) Sold to an Mercedes Lover
'92 190E (215K) - retired to the salvage yard
'93 500SEL (214K) - Moved to another family, still runs like a young pup

use a ratchet on the bolt holding the balancer to the crank. I think the screwdriver must be 10 times harder, but maybe some people aren't thinking of using the front bolt in the crank. IMHO, that's the easy way.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

This may be a dumb question, but I would like to be sure before I plunge into draining the TC - does the TC get re-filled along with the tranny when you topp off with ATF?

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TOOFAST45

'93 300E 2.8 - 138K miles

it does.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

i would like to see the screwdriver hard enough to chip a tooth off the flywheel.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Yes, the fluid circuit between the tranny and torque converter is connected. The same fluid charge courses through both units.

Drain both, and measure how much total fluid comes out. If it's like my transmission (722.369), you'll drain about 7 qts.

After buttoning everything back up, refill the transmission with 4 qts of fluid, start the engine, then fill the remaining charge. This is the procedure written in the manual.

I suggest refilling ½-1 quart short. Then top off after a long hot drive when you have a chance to measure the fluid level hot.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

Thanks all, I think I'll try the front crank bolt Can you get to it from the underside or will I have to walk around and crank it then crawl underneath each time till I get it line up? No helpers at my house. Also, I forget, does the shroud need to come out to get to the crank?

Thanks.

JBoggs

With my car, a 27 mm deep socket works perfectly, i can easily turn the crank (important to go the right direction) from under the car with one hand with the other hand reaching through the opening in the bellhousing with fingers resting lightly on the surface of the torque converter. Turn the crank until you feel the plug, then stop.

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.