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Autobox oil level

colin.dillon

Active Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2004
Messages
92
Location
Liverpool
Car
E320CDI Sport Estate
Hi Everyone - I've just found this site & I think I'll be using it a lot! I've just bought a '97 R reg E300TD estate auto. A quick piece of advice please - how do you check the auto fluid level? I've had autos for God knows how long, is the Merc the same as my Espace V6, where it's a service item?

ps Hope this car is more reliable than the Espace & the Scorpio 24v that I had!!

Thanks everyone

Col
 
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No joke :D

Do a forum search and you'll find many many threads on auto box fluids querys. On mine the ATF fluid is 'sealed for life' and is a MB workshop maintenance task to check fluid level.

Anyway, the fact is you need to order a 'measuring stick' from main dealers if you want to check it. You may also need to order a tamper proof seal to replace the one you'll break checking the fluid level

Ian
 
sealed for life????

had mine done at the stealers £124.00 filter gasket oil about 7 lit i think, 98 e300 td smooth changes all the way......i don;t trust sealed for life,so why do mb supply the oil filters gaskets if its sealed for life...... :confused:
 
Thanks for the info everyone.

Anyone know part numbers for stick & tamperproof seal?

Col
 
Dipstick

jaymanek said:
On a 97, the dipstick should be there as far as im aware?

If gearbox is 5-speed electronic type 722.6 with S/W switch, yes it is there. At the dealers.

"had mine done at the stealers £124.00 filter gasket oil about 7 lit i think"

Would leave the job for stealer or indy, since this gearbox requires MB special oil as well.
 
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Mine has the s/w switch - so it's off to the dealer I go!

Am I being paranoid? - but in my original post I hoped that this car would be more reliable than my others! - I was hoping for a torrent of ' Of course it'll be more reliable - it's a Merc!!!'

Or could it be that it was such a silly statement that it didn't warrant a reply!!

Col
 
Lot of posts on this and in short the view of many is that "sealed for life" is misleading and rather cheap on the part of MB and other car makers. Keeps the projected 3/4 year running costs down.

In general change the fluid every 50k miles & consider using a full synthetic of the right spec. Many autobox failures are linked in some way to fluid breakdown so if you buy the "sealed for life" line that may prove to be a wholly true statement because the "life" of the "sealed" autobox may in real life effectively be limited by the life of the fluid.

But in 99.9% of cases barring mechanical or electronic failures autoboxes will of course outlive the warranty or "goodwill" periods. Cunning, eh?
 
colin.dillon said:
Mine has the s/w switch - so it's off to the dealer I go!

Am I being paranoid? - but in my original post I hoped that this car would be more reliable than my others! - I was hoping for a torrent of ' Of course it'll be more reliable - it's a Merc!!!'

Or could it be that it was such a silly statement that it didn't warrant a reply!!

Col

You may get a few niggly grumbles but in the main it will be reliable. The 300Td is a simple lump with a simple injection system. Most of the jobs on the car are diffinately DIY, including the ATF.

Buy some spanners and save a fortune, the parts are cheap but the labour...........
 
Just changed my ATF tonight, with the help of Jimmy . . . makes a big difference !

The dealer supplied dipstick is quite an interesting contraption !!

Not sure its a DIY job I would have liked to attempt myself without a bit of knowledge . . . the torque convertor needs to be drained as well as the sump, so a second pair of eyes / hands is pretty handy - as well as a ramp :D

S.
 
did my ATF with Jimmy's expert help ...

The drivetrain feels great. The shifts are really noticeably smoother, especially kickdown. Downshifts are now imperceptible. Amazing. That red juice might cost an arm and a leg but it sure works.
 
Hi, sorry to resurrect an old thread but I have a few questions:

1) My car is a 1997 E300 DT with 165k on the clock
2) I want to change the gearbox oil - can someone post a step-by-step procedure?
3) Is the fluid the same as the power steering fluid?
4) What gaskets and filters do I need?
5) Do I need the dipstick - or should I just fill up with the same amount as what drained out?

Ta :)
 
Can I ask, before we do this - is there any risk of an airlock, or would any air just rise up through the dipstick?
 

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