Paul Grainger
Active Member
Today I fitted a replacement transmission to my W208 CLK 320. The old unit, at 60k miles, was OK, but I could 'hear' the gears until it changed into 5th. This is a common problem with early tiptronic boxes, MB changed the helix angle in 2000 to make the box quieter.
I got a low mileage 2001 CLK 230 auto box from e-bay. Almost unbelievably, the guy turned out to live about 1 mile from me, so collection (and checking before payment!) was very easy.
The boxes (320 and 230) are very similar, but the bellhousings are different. I got the right bellhousing from my stealer (£280, ouch!) and fitted it to the new box. This involved dismantling the box - not a job for the faint hearted!
A new gasket kit (£60) included all new oil seals, this ensured no oil leaks on completion.
The job was time consuming (7 hours), but not technically difficult. 6 litres of oil later and I road tested the car.
Big difference. Apart from being massively quieter, the changes are much smoother. The downward change from 2nd to 1st cannot be felt. On the old box this change was harsh - I wasn't expecting this benefit.
If anyone has an iffy gearbox, the moral here is that it can be replaced at home, without any special tools, and 'any' 722.6 box of the same torque rating (amg's etc have a higher rated box) can be modified with a new bellhousing (if necessary) and made to fit.
parts costs - box £280, bellhousing £280, gasket kit £60, oil £69
total cost £689. I dare not guess what this job would have cost at the stealer.
Paul G
I got a low mileage 2001 CLK 230 auto box from e-bay. Almost unbelievably, the guy turned out to live about 1 mile from me, so collection (and checking before payment!) was very easy.
The boxes (320 and 230) are very similar, but the bellhousings are different. I got the right bellhousing from my stealer (£280, ouch!) and fitted it to the new box. This involved dismantling the box - not a job for the faint hearted!
A new gasket kit (£60) included all new oil seals, this ensured no oil leaks on completion.
The job was time consuming (7 hours), but not technically difficult. 6 litres of oil later and I road tested the car.
Big difference. Apart from being massively quieter, the changes are much smoother. The downward change from 2nd to 1st cannot be felt. On the old box this change was harsh - I wasn't expecting this benefit.
If anyone has an iffy gearbox, the moral here is that it can be replaced at home, without any special tools, and 'any' 722.6 box of the same torque rating (amg's etc have a higher rated box) can be modified with a new bellhousing (if necessary) and made to fit.
parts costs - box £280, bellhousing £280, gasket kit £60, oil £69
total cost £689. I dare not guess what this job would have cost at the stealer.
Paul G