Transmission Fluid and Filter change???

[kytrex]

Hi,

Has anyone ever performed their own transmission fluid and filter change? Is it a difficult task? Also, what brand of transmission fluid was used to refill? Finally, does this sort of maintenance help with rough shifting? Thanks everyone for your help.

[89_190e_2.6]

kytrex - 7/22/2004 12:57 PM

Hi,

"...Has anyone ever performed their own transmission fluid and filter change? Is it a difficult task? Also, what brand of transmission fluid was used to refill? Finally, does this sort of maintenance help with rough shifting? Thanks everyone for your help..."

If you have never done this task before I strongly recommend that you pay someone to do it...

Especialy if they allow you to watch and ask questions...

************************************************** *

DO IT YOURSELF THEORY...

Obtain a trans filter kit for your tranny, purchase anywhere from 2-7 quarts tranny fluid... Dexron III only and a new gasket for the torque converter drain plug...

If you are like me you will just safely raise the vehicle...

Locate the tranny pan... remove connecting bolts... allow pan to momentarily sag at one corner to drain most of the old fluid... preferably fluid that is not hot from previous operation

Lift pan down and out the way...

Locate and remove old filter on the bottom of the control valve body...

Remove the 3 phillips head retaining screws...

The old filter should pop right off...

If you wish to drain the torque converter... manualy rotate torque converter/engine until the drain plug is located...

With the "lefty-loosey" theory remove drain plug allowing old fluid to drain into a collection pan...

Correctly re-install the torque converter drain plug with a new washer/sealer...[not the type of thing you would want to come loose, leaking later]

Install new filter with new o-ring gasket following the directions with filter... [filter must make good/complete seal or the tranny will not operate correctly]

Re-install pan once it is clean with no grunge on the inside bottom, with new gasket included with the trans filter kit...

Now that the tranny is safely and totaly sealed add "dexron III" any brand style transmission fluid...

If you have chosen to add "TRANS X" or any other style trans treatment, add them before adding the regular "dexron III" transmission fluid...

If using trans treatment most say on the directions "do not overtreat transmission"...
In other words follow the directions for their product...

THE HARD PART

Getting transmission to full with out overfilling...

You could measure how much old fluid you have removed, to know approximately how much new fresh fluid to add...

The main idea is getting the transmission to the full line without overfilling...

As you add/check at some point you need to start/idle the vehicle...

Placing your foot firmly on the brake pedal to hold and lock wheels... shift the gear selector through each of the gears pausing on each one so as to integrate and resuply each gear with fresh fluid...[with the engine idling...]

When you are most certain tranny is full and no more fluid is needed, test drive the car and recheck and refill as necessary...

PROBLEMS

An overfull tranny will vent/blow out extra fluid, possibly starting a fire... [hot trans fluid striking hot exaust components...]

An underfull tranny will slip like crazy, if the tranny sits in one spot without properly engaging, add more fluid... [even if tranny seems full...]

Hope this info helps...

With new fluid/filter your car should shift better, unless the tranny is damaged...

[kytrex]

Thanks a bunch.

[89_190e_2.6]

kytrex - 7/22/2004 4:32 PM

Thanks a bunch.

Just wanted to let you know that I can perform this task in 45 minutes or less... [only because I am familiar with the procedure...]

Plan on 3-4 hours if you are doing this for the first time...

The chiltons mechanics guide book lists it as a 1.5 hour job...[mechanics labor rate X 1.5 hr.=$?$]

Expect difficulty in removing the pan drain plug and the torque coverter drain plug...[I think they are both 5mm allen head bolts...]

Since I usually remove the pan, I tend not to disturb/remove the pan drain plug...

My primary mechanic swears by "TRANS-X" brand tranny treatment...

Compare any treatment products you consider...

Only trying to help, thanks...

Post results...

[BenZ190D]

87-190D2.5.

I'm thrilled by your detailed procedure. Just one question: is it necessary to raise the vehicle on all four jacks horizontally as the service manual said?

I know that is generally an unsafe position. I would be scared to get under the car.

thanks,

[BenZ190D]

BTW, I heard people praising the redline brand trans-fluid. I personally used it on my former VW Jetta, pretty good.

Anyone used that on Mercedes?

[89_190e_2.6]

BenZ190D - 7/27/2004 1:44 PM

87-190D2.5.

I'm thrilled by your detailed procedure. Just one question: is it necessary to raise the vehicle on all four jacks horizontally as the service manual said?

I know that is generally an unsafe position. I would be scared to get under the car.

thanks,

Somewhere I should have stated [safely] raise the vehicle...

If just the front of the vehicle is raised you cannot get good readings while checking the transmission fluid car needs to be somewhat level

If the vehicle is raised both front and rear on four jackstands I do not think it would be safe to be under there, because it is to easy for the car to shift lateraly/sideways, if someone were to go tugging/wrenching on something...

proceed with caution

Safety first...

************************************************** *
"...I heard people praising the redline brand trans-fluid. I personally used it on my former VW Jetta, pretty good..."

As long as it is "Dexron II/III" approved or better...

[azatrum]

I have the same problem with my car as yours kytrex. I wanna get the fluid and filter changed too, but recently a friend of mine told me that its not a very good idea to change the tranny fluid, mercedes benz dont recomend it, the tranny can have some problems later if v do that. Now i dont know how much of this info is true but i just wanted to take some opinions of other mercedes experts out there about this.Now i dont wanna ruin your plan kytrex.Just thought i should share this info with everyone.

[89_190e_2.6]

Hello everyone,

Some new information cropped up which I am glad someone brought up for all to expound on...

"...That its not a very good idea to change the tranny fluid, mercedes benz dont recomend it, the tranny can have some problems later if v do that. Now i dont know how much of this info is true but i just wanted to take some opinions of other mercedes experts out there about this. Now I don't want to ruin your plan Kytrex. Just thought I should share this information with everyone..."

NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

From @1996-present day Mercedes transmissions were updated using electronic controls [transmission control units TCU] also around this time frame the transmissions were engineered to use special MB synthetic fluid...

The marketing engineers claimed this fluid was good for 100,000 miles or more...

"...In reality a lot of these transmissions never made it to the 100,000 mile threshold without suffering extreme failures..."

An MB-Tech stated that for every newer 'benz [1996-2004] that made it beyond 100K miles there were 50 other 'benz cars that needed new transmission replacements...

************************************************** **

OLD SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

Long time mechanics have said that they have seen [faulty] transmissions that when the transmission fluid was replaced, the friction discs/bands et cetera slipped like crazy... and that those cars were known not to even pull out of their tracks after such stuff!

My first inclination on such happenings is to say, "what if those were the 1960-1979 models that required light duty [thin] style tranny fluid to operate correctly"?

If someone added the [thick] heavy duty style tranny fluid to that older designed transmission then yes it probably would slip like crazy and not pull out of its tracks... what if it to death theory...

************************************************** ***
Digressing for a moment-

If the automatic transmission I rely on is unaccepting of fresh fluid... I will gladly pull the tranny and rebuild as necessary in order for it to be more accepting...

Though knock on wood I have never suffered a complete tranny failure... maintenance is everything...

Thanks to all... would like to hear the tranny-techs chime in at any time...

[Ignatz]

your right, the other person was misinformed.....not changing transmission fluid (properly) falls into the superstition catagory. Sort of like " if it aint broke dont fix it". At 148,000 miles my trans fluid is difficult to read on the stick because its that clean. Would I be better off with dirty fluid? Life's a gamble full of "what if's" " if I only would a..." Just a note...Cleanliness is extreamly important when dropping the pan on any trans. Oh, don't leave the house with your head wet, you'll catch a cold!