HOW TO: change the automatic gerbox oil and flush on a 722.6 'box

[grober]

I am so pleased that I have found BlackC55's fantastically informative guide to changing the ATF and filter in a 722.6 box, as I'm just about to undertake this very job on my 2003 C200 CDI.

Unfortunately though, I lack the ability to fabricate something similar to Olly's cleverly adapted banjo bolt and hose set-up which he uses to drain the torque converter. Hence this question.........

Would the simple removal of the transmission banjo bolt altogether (and then running the engine for 4 mins as suggested) still allow the torque converter fluid to drain out successfully?

And if so, would the fluid come out in a reasonably controlled manner (ie would it be catchable in a bowl) or would it spray everywhere uncontrollably and under high pressure?

Also, it would be good to know before I attempt it, whether the fluid will come out of the transmission casing, the disconnected pipe, or both?

I am particularly nervous because I will be working in the cramped conditions and constraints afforded by a pair of lowly and ancient 9 inch high car ramps.

I'd also just like to take this opportunity thank everyone involved on the site for sharing such a superb wealth of invaluable information. It has helped me out so much on so many occassions over recent years.

If you read post 76 you will find its possible to break into the transmission cooling pipework to the radiator elsewhere [= closer to the radiator] - which might be easier for you?

 

[grober]

Infra red thermometer

Recently read on a Jaguar forum about the use of an handheld infra red thermometer for remote measuring the temperature of automatic gearbox fluid rapidly during the fluid change procedure. These devices are becoming increasingly accessible pricewise and might save quite bit of time in the workshop. In addition their ability to monitor the temperature of many components engine/electronics/brakes would make them a valuable diagnostic tool in trouble shooting. As a precaution it would be wise to calibrate the readout with other test equipment but after that it should be extremely quick. MAPLINS do them- but take alook at the accuracy specs first! Infrared Thermometer with DualLaser Targeting Free Delivery : Enviroment Testers : Maplin

 

[Mercsys]

If the EPC for my VIN shows a TC drain plug is that definitive that I have a TC drain?

 

[BlackC55]

You won't have one (probably)

 

[terrymcg]

The fluid from the pipe stops flowing when the TC and pipework/cooler is empty. When you top up for the second time it re-fills.

Olly,

Is this the same procedure with the box on a C55??

I was speaking/booking mine in with a well respected garage today and they told me the only way to drain the TC, which they recommend doing, is to waste about another 10 litres of fresh oil doing so.

Is that right, or does the method you explained prior to this also cover my box?

If your write up does apply to mine and there is no need to waste an extra 10 litres of oil, any chance you could give me a hint as to what to say to them so they understand and semi think I know what the hell I am talking about.

Much appreciated and would come to you if you were not so far away!!

Terry

 

[terrymcg]

Can anyone help with my above post?? Due to get this done on Tuesday and really want to get my TC done, but dont want to pay the extra hundred quid to have it done if I dont need to.

 

[Terry_]

If your C55 has a 722.6 [five speed auto]. The procedure to remove all the fluid is the same.

 

[Justintyme]

You won't have one (probably)

Hi BlackC55, very informative posts Thank you. I have a 2010 Mercedes w212 with 2.1 CDI Engine OM651.9, with the 722.6 Transmission. I'm planning a full transmission oil change, including the TC via the cooler pipes. The Radiator to Transmission return pipe would be the best one, I guess, but how to identify it? I can't find any pics ( I am sure that there were some in your posts, but photo bucket seems to be on strike.... ) So any suggestions would be great ( Obviously pics would be better !!! )
Thanks again, Regards, Jim2

 

[Jehanzeb]

Fantastic how to, I had a problem with my car where it stopped driving forward or backward, the garage I took to cleaned the transmission valve body and it started to work, the guy said it is the electrical plate issue but never changed it, just cleaned it but then when I took on a motorway run it stopped again. That day I requested a recovery but thought I am going to search online and get an electric plate (1402701161) myself and change it. Today I liffted the car with hydraulic jack along with two axle stands on front side and back tyres had stoppers from rolling back.
Few things I noticed which I would like to check if they are ok or should I be looking for the replacement parts and what are they called so I can get the parts please
1. The gearbox pan didn’t have any shield covering it, so when I went under the car it was all there with no shield. Should I be looking for a shield or is it ok without it?
2. There was no metal cover that you showed in the post, covering the transmission plug. Mine had nothing covering the plug. This cover in your post is connected/screwed to the gearbox transmission pan.
3. When I took the transmission valve body and an electric plate out, there were no plastic covers covering the solenoids. Should I be looking for those covers? Are they 100% necessary?
4. One of the bolts missing from engine bay cover.

I do think if the car runs normally I should go to the garage and ask for my missing parts.

I replaced the electrical plate and also the solenoids cleaned, cleaned and fitted the valve body back and also cleaned the transmission tray including the two magnets in the tray - I cleaned it with wd40 but also used compressed air and obviously clean cloths to clean it all. The filter and seal was replaced with the new one. I then poured 2.5ltr of transmission oil and ran the car on idle for 5/6 mins. When I checked with dip stick it showed oil as full. everything is back in its place. One thing I didn’t do/ forgot to do was to open the bolt for TC to drain the oil from there. Should I do it now or should I leave it please?

Your help will be highly appreciated.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

 

[mercmancdi]

Excellent thread throughout.

 

[Justintyme]

Fantastic how to, I had a problem with my car where it stopped driving forward or backward, the garage I took to cleaned the transmission valve body and it started to work, the guy said it is the electrical plate issue but never changed it, just cleaned it but then when I took on a motorway run it stopped again. That day I requested a recovery but thought I am going to search online and get an electric plate (1402701161) myself and change it. Today I liffted the car with hydraulic jack along with two axle stands on front side and back tyres had stoppers from rolling back.
Few things I noticed which I would like to check if they are ok or should I be looking for the replacement parts and what are they called so I can get the parts please
1. The gearbox pan didn’t have any shield covering it, so when I went under the car it was all there with no shield. Should I be looking for a shield or is it ok without it?
2. There was no metal cover that you showed in the post, covering the transmission plug. Mine had nothing covering the plug. This cover in your post is connected/screwed to the gearbox transmission pan.
3. When I took the transmission valve body and an electric plate out, there were no plastic covers covering the solenoids. Should I be looking for those covers? Are they 100% necessary?
4. One of the bolts missing from engine bay cover.

I do think if the car runs normally I should go to the garage and ask for my missing parts.

I replaced the electrical plate and also the solenoids cleaned, cleaned and fitted the valve body back and also cleaned the transmission tray including the two magnets in the tray - I cleaned it with wd40 but also used compressed air and obviously clean cloths to clean it all. The filter and seal was replaced with the new one. I then poured 2.5ltr of transmission oil and ran the car on idle for 5/6 mins. When I checked with dip stick it showed oil as full. everything is back in its place. One thing I didn’t do/ forgot to do was to open the bolt for TC to drain the oil from there. Should I do it now or should I leave it please?

Your help will be highly appreciated.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

" It would seem that everything which was removed by the Garage, was not replaced...

1. The gearbox pan didn’t have any shield covering it, so when I went under the car it was all there with no shield. Should I be looking for a shield or is it ok without it? Yes you need that shield, it's put there for a purpose.Its meant to keep dirt, water and foreign bodies away from the mechanical parts.
2. There was no metal cover that you showed in the post, covering the transmission plug. Mine had nothing covering the plug. This cover in your post is connected/screwed to the gearbox transmission pan. If you mean the plate covering where the plastic wiring socket plugs into the transmission? Then again YES, it's needed. It doubles as a heat shield,protecting the plastic from the heat generated from the silencer.
3. When I took the transmission valve body and an electric plate out, there were no plastic covers covering the solenoids. Should I be looking for those covers? Are they 100% necessary? These, I have no experience of, so cannot advise you, but there are plenty of people here on the forum who will help you with that.
4. One of the bolts missing from engine bay cover. If you mean the tray covering the underside of the engine,? Most likely, the threaded clip has fallen off, so nothing for the bolt/screw to lock on to. You will need to get a new clip and screw
Would have been better if you had drained everything at the same time....now the 2.5 ltrs of new oil, has well mixed with the "old" in the TC.....so, if you really want a 100% complete ATF change, sorry you may start all over again....BUT, you can do a complete drain of ALL the ATF, if you drain from one of the cooler pipes between the Radiator and Transmission. It only needs a banjo bolt ( I ordered one from a local machinery supplier) attach a plastic pipe to it, with the other end in a clean plastic can ( 5 Ltr one is good size) Run the engine, drain off 2 ltrs. Stop engine, replace the 2 ltrs, and repeat until only new clean ATF is emerging. When I did mine, it took a total of 14 ltrs. Between the TC, Transmission, Radiator and piping, capacity is 10 ltrs.​

 

[Jehanzeb]

Thank you for a quick reply Justintyme, very informative and useful. where would I find a shield if it’s not in the garage anymore, can I buy one?? Secondly would you be able to kindly show me a photo of the pipe from radiator to transmission please? I don’t want to start opening all the pipes especially when it’s raining outside and I only have outside to work (no home garage or overhead roof to work). I also don’t have the transmission oil as I bought only 5ltr and yesterday when I went to pick another 5ltr the gentleman said it will be available on Wednesday. I have only 2.5ltr of oil.

Looks like I would have to drain everything next weekend, should the car be ok with the mixed oil?

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

 

[Justintyme]

In older Mercedes cars, there was a drain plug on the TC, you just had to rotate the engine until the plug appeared on the TC, then it was a straight forward drain. But in the newer cars, this option was not available, so quite a lot of people would just drain the transmission via the drain plug ( and not even remove the pan and change the filter either!!! ) Then replace the drained fluid with new ATF. They were working on the principle that over time, with frequent changes, the ratio of new versus old ATF would increase. Bearing in mind, that in the beginning, the oil was never meant to be changed,,,it was supposed to be a life long oil. Hence, no dipstick provided plus locking tab on the dip tube. What colour was the oil that drained out of it? If it was black in colour,, then the sooner the better, but if it it was still red in colour, Then I guess it would be Ok, at least for awhile. I drained it from the drivers-side pipe, coming back from the radiator to the trans, this is the return pipe ( with the cooled oil) the pipe on the passenger side is taking hot ATF out to the radiator. See attached pics> My preference is always to take the ATF from the return pipe. The metal protection plate for the transmission connector socket can be purchases from any MB dealership.. Here in Ireland, it costs €12.00. May have to be ordered though, but it's readily available. Hope that this is of some help to you, Regards, Jim

 

[Jehanzeb]

Thank you so much for the wealth of information Jim, the oil colour was brownish it wasn’t black nor pinkish/reddish. I am planning to do a complete drain next weekend, I might not get a new filter and rubber for the tray as I just bought them but will make sure I thoroughly clean the tray including the magnets once again.

I think mine would be an older version as it’s w211 (2005) model E320 Cdi diesel, will look for the connector on the TC. I will also look for the pipe but without looking around I cannot say I found it, it’s been wet, windy and cold today so only took the car for a run about half a mile and haven’t had any issues but am conscious about the fact that I didn’t manage to change the entire oil even after spending a whole day yesterday in cold to replace the plate, filters and oil.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

 

[bob6600]

Thank you so much for the wealth of information Jim, the oil colour was brownish it wasn’t black nor pinkish/reddish. I am planning to do a complete drain next weekend, I might not get a new filter and rubber for the tray as I just bought them but will make sure I thoroughly clean the tray including the magnets once again.

I think mine would be an older version as it’s w211 (2005) model E320 Cdi diesel, will look for the connector on the TC. I will also look for the pipe but without looking around I cannot say I found it, it’s been wet, windy and cold today so only took the car for a run about half a mile and haven’t had any issues but am conscious about the fact that I didn’t manage to change the entire oil even after spending a whole day yesterday in cold to replace the plate, filters and oil.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

I'm sure the T/C plug was on pre-facelift W210s and then deleted after that. I'm sure someone will correct me.

 

[DSM10000]

Thank you for a quick reply Justintyme, very informative and useful. where would I find a shield if it’s not in the garage anymore, can I buy one?? Secondly would you be able to kindly show me a photo of the pipe from radiator to transmission please? I don’t want to start opening all the pipes especially when it’s raining outside and I only have outside to work (no home garage or overhead roof to work). I also don’t have the transmission oil as I bought only 5ltr and yesterday when I went to pick another 5ltr the gentleman said it will be available on Wednesday. I have only 2.5ltr of oil.

Looks like I would have to drain everything next weekend, should the car be ok with the mixed oil?

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

I think the original "How to" by PCS at the top of this thread showed which pipe to remove to drain the remaining fluid.You will need a Banjo bolt and some tubing.

You mentioned only replacing 2.5 L of fluid after draining and dropping the sump, normally this would take 3 to 3.5 L . Did you measure what you drained out and re-filled with the same amount?

It is very important that once refilled you follow the sequence of moving the gearbox through the gears and check the levels with the car level and when the fluid is at 80 deg C.

The mixed oil is fine, it is in better condition than when you started and a further drain and re-fill will only improve matters but it is imperative that you get the level correct, neither to high or low.

 

[Justintyme]

Thank you so much for the wealth of information Jim, the oil colour was brownish it wasn’t black nor pinkish/reddish. I am planning to do a complete drain next weekend, I might not get a new filter and rubber for the tray as I just bought them but will make sure I thoroughly clean the tray including the magnets once again.

I think mine would be an older version as it’s w211 (2005) model E320 Cdi diesel, will look for the connector on the TC. I will also look for the pipe but without looking around I cannot say I found it, it’s been wet, windy and cold today so only took the car for a run about half a mile and haven’t had any issues but am conscious about the fact that I didn’t manage to change the entire oil even after spending a whole day yesterday in cold to replace the plate, filters and oil.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

If you have already replaced the Filter, then no need to drop the trans pan again, just open the drain plug, and let as much as possible drain out. Leave it draining as long as you can..hours, if possible. Then, refill it with the same amount that has drained out of it, this is important, as you will see.But if It was me doing that job, under the circumstances....I would not bother with the TC, but go straight to the ATF return pipe.. ( after of course having fully drained the pan first, and replaced the drain plug. The advantage of draining from the return pipe is that you are draining out the coolant radiator too.. not just the TC and pan. What ever amount of fluid you drain out, you must keep it to ensure that you replace the same amount. I use 3 ltr plastic milk cartons for this job, spotlessly clean and dry ( cleanliness is VERY important in this job!!!! . And under no circumstances, use any cloth's which contain micro fibres. These are death to transmissions ) As I explained earlier, run engine ( in "P") and drain / refill in 2 litre segments, until the new oil is showing. This can take quite a few litres ( and maybe you don't have enough) so this is where the milk cartons come in. You will see the oil becoming "redder" and " redder" as the old is replaced by the new. But if at this stage, you realise you don't have enough new ATF, then you can pick the "Reddest" of the drained oil to complete the job. I know this is NOT the ideal, but it could get you out of trouble, and the % of old oil returning to the transmission will be very small. DSM1000 has mentioned very valid points, IE checking oil levels only when its at the proper temperature ( 80 ), and cycling through all the gears. He also mentions the 1st post on this subject, and I have to say, it's the best I have seen. ( Wish I had seen it before I started the oil change on mine !!! ) After replacing the same qty as was drained, and doing the final level checking, only add VERY small amount's IE 200ml at a time. I have attached some more pics for you. They are self explanatory



ibers

 

[Justintyme]

Just remember safety is first. Wear gloves and be carefult as the oil is HOT. It will blister your skin.

The V6's and V8's are the cars most likely to have seized sump pan bolts as the exhaust runs close to the 'box.

Also this should only be done if you have the right tools and you have the right experiance and confidence. A Star or other diag equipment is really a must to get the temp 100% perfect.

Oh and thanks for the lend of the 210.

Great post BlackC55, very descriptive and easy to follow. I had not seen this post when I did my 1st ATF change, but I managed it fine mainly by watching several different videos, and extracting info from them, but to have it all in the one place would have saved me some time. As it happened, I did it pretty much as you did ( but that was the luck of it LOL ) Thanks again for a great post.
BTW, do you have a post on replacing the socket on the transmission? Or on replacing the electric plate in the box? ( The one the socket plugs into?
Regards, Justin

 

[Jehanzeb]

I did change the electronic plate, I should have taken photos when I did it.
Update on my car: the car ran fine on motorway today until I reached a junction, the traffic slowed down and got to the hardshoulder, I followed the traffic and when traffic became stationary for few mins and then moved, when my car was stationary (engine still on and gear on D) it was fine but when the traffic moved, I press the accelerator, the Rev went up but the car stayed stationary as if it was in nuteral. I put the car into the Parking and then straight into Drive and it started again. Later after work I drove the car and it drove without any problems, even when at 5pm heavy traffic, it drove absolutely fine all the way home.

So now the issue of simple transmission oil change has become something else. Dilemmas! I am now thinking to open the conductor plate again and then change all the solenoids. This time I will do a full flush with 15ltr oil.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

 

[Justintyme]

I did change the electronic plate, I should have taken photos when I did it.
Update on my car: the car ran fine on motorway today until I reached a junction, the traffic slowed down and got to the hardshoulder, I followed the traffic and when traffic became stationary for few mins and then moved, when my car was stationary (engine still on and gear on D) it was fine but when the traffic moved, I press the accelerator, the Rev went up but the car stayed stationary as if it was in nuteral. I put the car into the Parking and then straight into Drive and it started again. Later after work I drove the car and it drove without any problems, even when at 5pm heavy traffic, it drove absolutely fine all the way home.

So now the issue of simple transmission oil change has become something else. Dilemmas! I am now thinking to open the conductor plate again and then change all the solenoids. This time I will do a full flush with 15ltr oil.

Kindest regards

Jehanzeb

Did you run it long enough to heat the ATF to 80 before checking the level? And was it OK then at that point?