I just purchased a '97 S500 and will soon be working on the transmission in an effort to hopefully do away with some shifting issues.
First let me ask this: how was a "sealed for life" transmission w/o a permanent dipstick EVER considered to be a good idea?
Next, most cars using the 722.6 trans are pretty old by now, I notice you can buy a dipstick "tool" but is this the same as a normal dipstick that can live in the fill tube permanently in place of the factory cap/locking tab? Should the "tool" not be intended as a permanent dipstick why the HOLY hell has nobody made one by now?
Finally, my last question has to do with properly measuring the fluid level. In nearly every thread I've read on the subject posters will ask about the proper dimension from the sump end of the dipstick to the 80 degree zone; apparently in an attempt to replicate the dipstick tool with a lawn mower throttle cable or what have you. See the carefully crafted image here:
http://www.mbca.org/sites/default/files/7002625_ATF_Dipstick.jpg
What nobody bothers to ask is the actual length of the dipstick tool itself, which I believe is most critical since I'm fairly certain one can safely assume that the dipstick tool does not simply bottom out in the sump but is more than likely suspended above it by a small amount. So, in my own attempt to create a normal, permanent dipstick I will ask: what is the exact length of the portion of the dipstick tool that gets inserted into the transmission fill tube? Not the overall length, just that of the part that goes into the fill tube.
Much thanks to anyone that can provide this answer.
First let me ask this: how was a "sealed for life" transmission w/o a permanent dipstick EVER considered to be a good idea?
Next, most cars using the 722.6 trans are pretty old by now, I notice you can buy a dipstick "tool" but is this the same as a normal dipstick that can live in the fill tube permanently in place of the factory cap/locking tab? Should the "tool" not be intended as a permanent dipstick why the HOLY hell has nobody made one by now?
Finally, my last question has to do with properly measuring the fluid level. In nearly every thread I've read on the subject posters will ask about the proper dimension from the sump end of the dipstick to the 80 degree zone; apparently in an attempt to replicate the dipstick tool with a lawn mower throttle cable or what have you. See the carefully crafted image here:
http://www.mbca.org/sites/default/files/7002625_ATF_Dipstick.jpg
What nobody bothers to ask is the actual length of the dipstick tool itself, which I believe is most critical since I'm fairly certain one can safely assume that the dipstick tool does not simply bottom out in the sump but is more than likely suspended above it by a small amount. So, in my own attempt to create a normal, permanent dipstick I will ask: what is the exact length of the portion of the dipstick tool that gets inserted into the transmission fill tube? Not the overall length, just that of the part that goes into the fill tube.
Much thanks to anyone that can provide this answer.