atf colour auto box

[tonygardner]

ok im toing and froing ,do i sell the car buy someone elses problems or fix it ,
we are going to fix :} well have a bloody good go at it , first things first , ive had this auto box dip stick for months now , so i dig it out to check the level of the atf fluid , level is ok , the colour of the atf is a golden colour nice and clean? someones been at the dip stick tube as the locking clip is missing ? now i know the fluid should be red ,no trace of it ever being red , this is what im going to the do, replace the rad looks looks pretty easy to do this will sort out the valeo problem ,drain the box via the atf cooling pipes this should drain the the torque converter ,any remaining in box drain from the sump, im not going to replace the filter as i dont want to run the risk of snaping the sump pan bolts . one thing how many ltrs of atf will i need thanks tony

 

[Sp!ke]

what car are you referring to?

 

[tonygardner]

sorry that would help , my c220 w203

 

[oilslick]

You sure your checking the correct dipstick tube, I have clk 270 and the gearbox tube can only be reached by removing engine cover, there are 2 dipstick tubes on my engine. The one near bulk head in centre of car is for engine oil and the transmission one is under engine cover more to the right as you look at car from the front.

 

[brucemillar]

You sure your checking the correct dipstick tube, I have clk 270 and the gearbox tube can only be reached by removing engine cover, there are 2 dipstick tubes on my engine. The one near bulk head in centre of car is for engine oil and the transmission one is under engine cover more to the right as you look at car from the front.

+1 common mistake. The ATF tube will/should have a plastic cover on the top with a red clip (assuming it has not been removed).

 

[tonygardner]

deffo the auto box even has the mb service only on it , the red tab has been removed at some time there is no dip stick i have one i got from ebay ,mine does not have a dipstick for the engine oil ;}
and my engine oil is black ,that was changed around 5000 miles ago

 

[brucemillar]

deffo the auto box even has the mb service only on it , the red tab has been removed at some time there is no dip stick i have one i got from ebay ,mine does not have a dipstick for the engine oil ;}
and my engine oil is black ,that was changed around 5000 miles ago

I would be suck it out with a pump and replace with good red stuff. Get it nice & hot first. If you want to drain the TC there is a how to on here somewhere. Failing that you can drain it & refill with cheapo stuff drive it for a few hours and drain and refill with good stuff.

 

[tonygardner]

im changing the rad so ill drain the torque converter via the cooling pipes , if im doing this i want all the old stuff out

 

[hotrodder]

While ATF is usually red it's only because it's often dyed that colour. Not all are dyed and the natural colour is a translucent golden/amber/brown. Apparently some are even dyed green! Like coolants the colour doesn't mean much...
Pentosin - Transmission Fluid
http://kansasbg.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/312UD_SPEC.pdf
Might have never been available in the UK but here's another undyed/amber ATF that used to be dyed green... http://www.tds.castrol.com.au/pdf/10184_TransmaxZ_450358_2010_11.pdf