How's the condition of the old filter? Is there a need to replace it? I've done many transmission work and they were all clean. So, I stopped replacing them, I only drain and fill the tranny every 10K miles.
As far as the temperature meter, I use a infrared temperature meter and just ping at the bottom of the tranny pan.
(The building maintenance guy at my work place uses the same infrared temp. meter to measure the temp. of the AC outlet on the 20 feet high ceiling. Pretty handy tool.)
I just drained the ATF on my 2001 E430 4 matic a few days ago mixing the new 7 speed ATF with what ever was in there before and have driven ~100 miles with no difficulty. The only hangup I had doing the change was when I replaced the pan, the front passenger side portion of the pan got a little tangled on the metal frame thing and left a gap I didnt catch until I poured 2 L into the system. A expensive puddle formed on the ground. No worries though because I bought 2 L extra and managed to catch about 1 L of the fluid in a bucket. Great DIY, wish I had it a few days ago
So how much fluid came out total? How much new fluid did you end up using vs G-AMG's 98 320?
It is my understanding it IS the correct dipstick.
Since these transmissions are reportedly hypersensitive to the correct fluid volume, I PERSONALLY didn't want to take the chance buying an "aftermarket" dipstick.
Sooo, I went to my dealer, and gave them my "you pride yourself on meeting/beating prices,,,,,," speil, and they gave me the MB unit for around $35.
Caliber motors (Anheim Hills, California) is also a good reliable source of "discounted" MB parts.
Cerritos, I don't know about concept of NOT changing the filter. I have read alot of transmission problems arise from a mucked-up filter. I think I would change it! Just my .02, though.
It is my understanding it IS the correct dipstick.
Since these transmissions are reportedly hypersensitive to the correct fluid volume, I PERSONALLY didn't want to take the chance buying an "aftermarket" dipstick.
Sooo, I went to my dealer, and gave them my "you pride yourself on meeting/beating prices,,,,,," speil, and they gave me the MB unit for around $35.
Caliber motors (Anheim Hills, California) is also a good reliable source of "discounted" MB parts.
Cerritos, I don't know about concept of NOT changing the filter. I have read alot of transmission problems arise from a mucked-up filter. I think I would change it! Just my .02, though.
That's my concern too (the old get what you pay for scenario) - I checked online and even at autohaus its 60 bucks!!! Made me wonder why the eBay one is so cheap but then the dealership sold it to you for 35 (roughly same as ebay) and probably still made a profit at that. I cant see anything that would suggest its worth that much vs the ebay version. Is there any way you coul tell how long yours is? The eBay one states a length of 45 1/2".
Also how much fluid would you suggest I purchase since I wont be able to get to the TQ?
I bought one on ebay that was from a seller with 100% feedback. Since the only thing that matters is the length of the plastic, I can't imagine it would be off. Especially if none of the other buyers of the item had issues.
Now I wonder how much the stealership would charge for the job? I'll call tomorrow to ask just for kicks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OliverK
I bought one on ebay that was from a seller with 100% feedback. Since the only thing that matters is the length of the plastic, I can't imagine it would be off. Especially if none of the other buyers of the item had issues.
Hey OliverK- how did it work for you / how much $? No issues?
Could an oil vac be used to pull any more oil out of the tranny via the dipstick tube that wouldn't get out via dropping the pan? This might help folks who don't have the 'drainable' torque converter?
Also since the oil's cheaper now maybe the old method of following G-AMG's excellent guide first, then repeating 2 more times would be a good idea because then most of the old oil would've been changed out....
Thanks again G-AMG (& everyone else) for your contributions...
Could an oil vac be used to pull any more oil out of the tranny via the dipstick tube that wouldn't get out via dropping the pan? This might help folks who don't have the 'drainable' torque converter?
Also since the oil's cheaper now maybe the old method of following G-AMG's excellent guide first, then repeating 2 more times would be a good idea because then most of the old oil would've been changed out....
Thanks again G-AMG (& everyone else) for your contributions...
Regards,
Walter
Hi, Walter, haven't seen you much on the forum lately, good to have you back.
In this case the vacuum wouldn't do much because there's no way to get it into the converter.
There is a way to probably get another liter out, pull the cooler lines from the transmission and then use gentle pressure to blow them out, that will drain those lines plus the cooler itself.
You certainly could do multiple changes, but that is a lot of work. At least a few folks advocate the DIY process of G-AMG's change, then another at 10,000 miles, then another 10,000 and then just doing it every 30,000 after that, these intervals are not hard and fast, just figure one that makes sense to you.
There are shops that have a proper machine, they drop the pan and filter, then only open one line, using gentle pressure they clear out the converter and the cooler lines but they are hard to find.
Another method is to fit the new filter and reinstall the pan, then fill with estimated amount. Then remove the return cooler line from the transmission and put it into a measured catch receptacle of a few liter capacity, but you need to see how much goes in it so you want something you can see through. One of your wife's beloved tupperware containers would be perfect. (Just kidding of course but you can use one of those poly pitchers you can buy at Target for $5-10, mark the outside with a sharpie so you know where 1L, 1.5L, 2L are at a glance.) When you're a bit over a liter shut down and add a couple, empty the container as necessary, then restart, get to a couple, shut down and add another, then run out another, repeat the process until you see the new fluid cleanly coming out. Then reconnect the return cooler line, check/set the level as normal, triple check for leaks and you're done.
Hope that all makes some sense.
Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg
__________________ If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice. Meister Eckhart
When you learn from your own mistakes, that's experience.
When you learn from the mistakes of others, that's wisdom.
When you fail to learn from any mistakes, that's government.
(Just kidding of course but you can use one of those poly pitchers you can buy at Target for $5-10, mark the outside with a sharpie so you know where 1L, 1.5L, 2L are at a glance.) When you're a bit over a liter shut down and add a couple, empty the container as necessary, then restart, get to a couple, shut down and add another, then run out another, repeat the process until you see the new fluid cleanly coming out. Then reconnect the return cooler line, check/set the level as normal, triple check for leaks and you're done.
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