Mercedes w203 transmission fluid change

[Yuri84]

Hi. I am new on the forum,but been reading for a while now.
I hope you guys could give me advice.
I am planning on changing fluid in my partners c 220cdi. I work in the factory and our oil supplier is Fuchs,so i i managed to pick up 20l of fuchs atf for mercedes for 50 pounds.
What i want to ask is if its ok if i use pump to suck out say 2 or 3 litres of oil through the dipstick hole,then fill it with amount i pumped out,go for a drive so oil has chance to mix. After that i am going under the car and doing a proper job with draining it through the sump,replacing filter and gasket?
Would it do any harm to gearbox if i do it this way? I thought that because i got so much oil i might aswell use it up.
Many thanks.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hi Yuri, what is the exact specifications of the Fuchs fluid that you have ?

 

[Yuri84]

Hi. Its Fuchs Titan atf 4134 for MB transmission. I am not 100% sure ,but Fuchs is going into MB bottles too.

 

[Chrishazle]

ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is transmission fluid not engine oil. Don't think the 203 has a dipstick hole for the transmission, only the engine oil, but I may be wrong as it's 8 years since I sold my S203! I did have an ATF change done on that car, by a local MB indie, which included changing the transmission filter by dropping the transmission sump. IIRC it's 4L of ATF for just the gearbox (which is quite easy to do) but 7L if you want to do the torque converter too, and that is not easy as there's no drain plug on the TC. I believe refilling is also not quite as simple as just putting oil in, something about getting the new oil up to the correct temperature and then getting the level correct, as having too much ATF in the system can cause problems.

 

[Yuri84]

Hi. I think most 5g transmissions got dipstick hole because that is only way of checking level with special dipstick and yest it has to be at certain temp.
What i would like to do is pump few litres of atf,( which i know is auto transmission fluid) ,then top up with same amount,then drive it for a bit and then do proper change with draining sump and changing filter.
By that i was hoping to freshen up oil bit more than just draining 4 or so litres through the sump.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Useful as shows how to flush a 722.6 without special equipment but you do have to use more fluid.

 

[Yuri84]

In my town no garage has this type of machine. I want to do a diy job,so i think that i will just buy 2 filters and drain it twice withing 200 or 300 miles and that should be good to go.
Car had regular atf changes,so should be good.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Yuri . It has a dipstick tube but you must buy the dipstick separately . If you know for sure that the oil level is correct your method of vacuuming oil from the gearbox and then adding EXACTLY the same amount every time and doing this many times over a few miles of driving is not the best method. But it is better than doing nothing, especially if you have zero access to the correct tools and spares to to the job 100%.

I used this method to replace the fluid in my power steering system, it took a week and 4 litres of fluid (instead of less than a litre) until it ran clear and clean. Not the most cost effective but it depends on your circumstances.

We all know taking it to a main MB dealer where you can sit on a leather sofa and drink a mocha latte while watching the work take place behind a glass wall in an immaculate work space is what some people do , and might be best for the re sale value of the car.

But some of us have to live in the real world

 

[Yuri84]

Amen to that.
Yep,i got one of those dipsticks.
I got 20 litres of atf so plenty to do a job. Will order 2 filters and do 2 changes.
To be honest most dealerships havent got a clue on repairs,so many bad reviews from people and not only MB,most of them. I Hereford we have mb specialist,but they are waste of time. Because of them i almost spent 600 pounds for repair that was not needed. Their diagnostic for 50 pounds is just conecting star and checking for codes,thats all. They have no clue.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

In my town no garage has this type of machine.

What machine is that?

 

[Yuri84]

There are machines that flush automatic transmission. They work bit like machines that do blood transfusion in people.
I thought you meant this machine.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

There are machines that flush automatic transmission. They work bit like machines that do blood transfusion in people.
I thought you meant this machine.

No machine required with the document I posted.
Explains how Mercedes would do it without a machine, anyone with basic skills can follow and do this.

 

[Yuri84]

Yep,i know this method,but i think it not very comfortable doing on the drive.