UGHHH My car just ate through 2 trannies in a week- car is all stock HELP - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

chuni959 · #1 10-22-2007, 07:32 PM

(Sorry in advance for being so long-winded)

Sooo i slaved away all summer rebuilding an m103 engine from an 87 3260e to throw into my 93 2.6 190e sportline. Engine is in and runs great! Only mods were elimination of smog pump and EGR valve/lines. So i didnt change anything with the trans, except i did a fluid/filter job and added synthetic DEX-5 fluid.

Well the car ran great for a week or so then one day while driving it just felt like the car shifted into neutral while driving 30 mph. I pulled over and tried all the gears and every gear was like neutral. So i drain the fluid and it looked fine. Cut the filter open and there was no blockages. Threw a new filter on it and added Dex-III non-syn fluid and started it up. No dice. Took out the b2 piston, it was all in tact. Took the front pump off and it looked brand new, and no broken pieces. Then again, i dont really know what to look for. So the radiator i used was pretty old, so im thinking the tranny cooler on it was plugged.

SO i order a brand new rad, a used tranny from an 89 2.6 and cleaned out all my tranny lines (there were no blockages to speak of). Allegedly the "new" tranny had been rebuilt 10k ago. I spend the next 5 weekends removing and installing the new trans and radiator and such. Did a fluid/filter job with dex-3 non-syn fluid. Then i noticed something that the 89 tranny had that my 93 trans didnt:

It was identified as some sort of cold start valve that was normally closed unless the solenoid was engaged. I verified this by blowing through the tube when it wasnt hooked up (lol) and it was confirmed that it was normally closed. So i plugged the holes with the sealing bolts from my 93 trans and installed it!

I forgot to fill the torque converter before i installed it, but i have been told that this is not a huge deal. I filled it with 3.5 qts to begin with, started the engine and let it suck it up for a few seconds then turned it off. I then added 2 qts more and turned it on and went through the gears (30 secs in each) I then let it idle and get up to operating temp and topped it off. Then i took it for a spin around the block without the exhaust on. All was satisfactory and i came back and put everything back together. Then i took the car out on an actual drive and it was working great. Got it up to 60, no problems. I drove to get some food, parked the car and turned it off. Come back to the car 5 mins later and i am driving it home on the SAME stretch of road that my first trans cut out on, and here my new tranny does the same ****ing thing! Im like ohhh no, so i turn it off right away and pull over into a used car parking lot. Im thinking the fluid was low, so i start adding some fluid and it goes blasting out of the bottom of my car. I was like wtffffff, somewhere i had sprung a massive leak. I would assume it was the pan gasket, but it was brand new (and pretty dark out). So i tow it home and get it in the light, check the dipstick and here it is halfway up the stick! Like wayyy over filled. Of course this is with the car off, but still way way too high. I dont know if towing it with all 4 wheels on the ground had anything to do with the whacky dipstick reading or what. So hoping for the best, i drain all the fluid, cut apart the filter (perfectly clean) and install a new filter with new fluid. Start it up and i have no gears. So im really pissed off and i still have NO idea what is causing this! I mean the only common thread here is the lines and they weren't blocked at all.

Im pretty frustrated and this 16v dogleg is looking pretty tempting sitting next to me. (Yes i have the single mass 2.6 5-speed flywheel)

Or i could fix my b2 piston on my beater 93 2.6 and swap that into my sportline, but ive been driving my beater car for the last month with horrrible b2 piston slipping. I dont know if this damages the trans at all. Any insight you guys could share would be greatly appreciated! Sorry again for the length, just want to be sure to share all the variables.

chuni959 · #2 10-23-2007, 02:24 AM

please?

david s poole · #3 10-23-2007, 10:50 AM

for the what it's worth dept,that 300e was orig hooked to a 722.3 trans and you are now joining it with a 722.4.if you had the two trans side by side you would see the diff in size.i'm not sure what the torque handling of the 722.4 is but i know that the 722.3 is much stronger.

chuni959 · #4 10-23-2007, 11:39 AM

but its still the same engine?

david s poole · #5 10-23-2007, 03:39 PM

although both m103 engines the 722.4 originated in the 4cyl m102.i don't think benz would have gone to the 722.3 behind the 3.0 engine if they thought that the 722.4 could handle the torque.there have been many broken 722.4's that i have seen where the rivets have broken on the sprag that is driven by the front drum.

chuni959 · #6 10-23-2007, 03:41 PM

OHHH sorry for the confusion. the engine i swapped in was a 2.6, from an 87 260E, not a 300e. My bad.

chuni959 · #7 11-12-2007, 04:57 PM

ok so a little update, i talked to a transmission specialist and he said that the engine must not be compatible with a 190e torque converter. He said that the hole in the crankshaft that the torque converter sits in has to be completely flush otherwise it wont work. I thought that sounded a little iffy since the torque converter is held on and centered by the flywheel bolts regardless of the nub that goes in the crank hole. Anyways, if anyone has some sort of EPC expanded view of a 87 260e crank and a 93 190e (sportline, if it matters) crank that would help satisfy my curiosity untilli drop my trans... AGAIN

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