can the gearbox oil be replaced?

[SilverSaloon]

hi

can the oil in the gearbox of my 1999 (pre-facelift) W208 CLK be replaced? i booked it into MB dealer and they said they were not sure if it is a sealed system or whether it can be/should be replaced.... they said they would find out once they have looked at the car.

just wondering if anyone knows for sure whether the 1999 CLK can be replaced.... from another thread on this site i decided to get my gearbox oil changed as i was told that a 82k it should make quite a difference

thanks in advance!

 

[jaymanek]

Yes im pretty sure it can be. It was only the latest boxes that have been sealed, but im sure someone will provide a conclusive answer.

Jay

 

[guydewdney]

considering 000000 000648 screw plug, M10 x 1 x 8mm is the drain plug - then yes :bannana:

1999 clk 320 transmission 722.607 chassis 208365xxxx

 

[jaymanek]

Makesure they change the filter and drain any oil in the torque converter as a lazy technician may not bother.

Jay

 

[guydewdney]

yes - theres a small square cover on the bell housing, which when the torque converter is turned will allow access to the drain plug for the TC

 

[zerocool]

they are not sealed even on the new cars,merc claim the oil in the box is FOR LIFE meaning that the oil will last the life of the gearbox,easiest way to tell if its a for life gearbox,is to look at the bolts holding the sump on the box,if its 13 mm headed bolts then its not for life,if it has torx headed bolts then its a for life.
personally I don't like the idea of for life,I would rather have it changed every 4 years with the filter as the box will be out of warranty anyway.
you just need to get a dip stick to check the level of the oil once you have changed it

 

[kikkthecat]

hi

can the oil in the gearbox of my 1999 (pre-facelift) W208 CLK be replaced? i booked it into MB dealer and they said they were not sure if it is a sealed system or whether it can be/should be replaced....

You better find a way for it to be replaced, Ian Walker did mine recently (at 91000 miles) and what came out looked more like engine oil than transmission fluid. The filter was well on it's way to being blocked too. I rechecked the cars service records and it was done at 36000 miles but not since.

And I have no faith in the sealed for life system, I really do think that not long after the warranty expires so will the gearbox, and you'll be told "well that was it's life"

And yes there was a definite change in the gearshifts, although it was still smooth, it is now imperceptible.

 

[LDJ]

Last weekend I tried to change the gear box oil on my 2001 E220 CDi. I drained the oil from the pan and got out 2.5 litres but it would appear that on these models MB have deleted the torque converter drain bolt so there is still some 5 litres left. There was also some confusion over the sealing washer for the sump nut, there are two different types and MB could'nt tell me which one was fitted and supplied the wrong one. I'm led to belive that removing the oil cooler hose will drian out another few litres but I intend to drain the 2.5 litres from the sump every year and replace the filter every 30K. I know this is'nt ideal but I figure its better than simple faith.

 

[guydewdney]

i find that difficult to believe...

ok - the epc only has the e320 cdi and the ml 270 cdi - both of which have the drain bolt.
threre should be a square / rectangular rubber bung on the bottom of the bellhousing which is removed for access to the TC drain bolt...

replacing part of the oil is better than none!

 

[Paul Grainger]

It's inconceivable that MB will have 'deleted' the torque converter drain bolt. It is - however - quite difficult to find. I pratted about for an hour, convinced that there was no torque converter drain plug on my CLK. I eventually found it though - it faces the rear of the car (back side edge of the TC), and is a bit fiddly to get in and out. It's worth it though if you want to change all of the oil. My oil came out smelling burned and suspiciously dark in colour after 50k miles. Sealed for life! Ha Ha! They're having a laugh!

Paul G

 

[Satch]

...came out smelling burned and suspiciously dark in colour after 50k miles. Sealed for life! Ha Ha! They're having a laugh!

Paul G

This really, really winds me up. A cheap trick to lower the 3/4 year running cost projections & a lot of other car makers doing the same thing. But it is the very worst type of short termist BS as the vast majority of autobox problems are linked to fluid breakdown.

("Yes, sir, they are indeed sealed for life. The "life" of you auto box happened to expire not very long after your warranty period ceased? Oh dear. What a shame. That is most unfortunate")

IMHO, absolute tops for a fluid change for normal low/medium stress driving in this country is 50,000 miles but it depends on driving habits and engine output. Some say as little as 24,000 but modern full synthetics should last longer than conventional fluid. Heat is the killer, for it can hugely increase the rate at which the fluid suffers thermal breakdown and oxidation.

So towing a mega caravan through Alpine passes at speed with your heavily laden car will knacker the fluid a lot quicker than cruising the autobahn at any speed. Towing in general is bad news, regular power starts, enthusiastic driving, stop/start traffic, habitually using E, W or C (more fluid shear in the torque converter = extra heat) or just living in a hot climate will tend to shorten fluid life.

Lots of stuff on US sites about this, where regular fluid changes are widely considered as a pretty unexceptional extended service item.

I do not know what MB use as factory fill: is it a full synthetic? If they are claiming "sealed for life" it had better be or the lawsuits will be flying again.

 

[SilverSaloon]

car is in MB dealer today to have the gearbox oil changed, so i'll find out later on whether it makes a difference.....

in the meantime i have a brand new A class that has only done 88 miles to use today!

they plugged it into their laptop and it was quite interesting looking at all the outputs on the computer that the car was giving.

 

[Fudger]

W202 gearbox

Guys, the C280 I have is new to me and done only 35000 miles. However, it's a 1999 car and the downchange (from 2nd to 1st) at low speed can be clunky at times and not what I remember on my other 2 W202's.

So, is it easy to change the gearbox oil on a C280 or is it a job for the local dealer? If I had instructions I am sure i could do it

 

[jimmy]

Guys, the C280 I have is new to me and done only 35000 miles. However, it's a 1999 car and the downchange (from 2nd to 1st) at low speed can be clunky at times and not what I remember on my other 2 W202's.

So, is it easy to change the gearbox oil on a C280 or is it a job for the local dealer? If I had instructions I am sure i could do it

It's easy enough to do if you can get under neath the car, drive-up ramps are no good as the car needs to sit level. You also need the dipstick which is available despite what the parts guy will tell you.

Ideally you want somebody with a 4-post ramp and a dipstick.

 

[SilverSaloon]

just to conclude the thread; now the oil has been changed the gearbox does seem more smoother and doesnt "clunk" like it used to.

cost over £230 tho for the work

 

[guydewdney]

better than leaving it for too long and finding broken teeth in the sump - thus requiring a 1200 quid re-build...

damhikijkok

 

[mark.t]

how much

just to conclude the thread; now the oil has been changed the gearbox does seem more smoother and doesnt "clunk" like it used to.

cost over £230 tho for the work

had mine done at a dealers £124

 

[SilverSaloon]

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had mine done at a dealers £124

they put it down at 2.5 hours labour. replaced filter too.

i also asked them to remove 2 bolts on the bumpers that had corroded so that may have taken 30 mins or so

 

[Paul Grainger]

£124 would be cheap for this job, if it is the 'recent' electronically controlled 5-speed autobox.

I bought pukka MB synthetic transmission fluid from my stealer, this alone cost nearly £90..........

Paul G

 

[jaymanek]

I did my 124 about a yr ago, IIRC, the oil and the filter came to around 24 quid and took me about 40 mins to do the whole job. £200 is a lot of money to change oil!

Jay