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Mileage on auto gearbox

:)

many thanks, that looks like a consensus of " get the oil changed"

Going to go to the company recomended on this site in Bristol

fingers crossed
 
richy said:
Interesting thread regarding changing oil to us new MB guys.

When I dropped the sump on a BM's box the magnets in the tray were the size of golf balls and the fluid not nice! When cleaned they were literally about half inch by quarter long so it shows how much rubbish was being picked up.

I ask in the preventative form of changing the auto oil as I really beleive it would be of value.

How easy a DIY job is this on a C class (old 4 spd) as the Haynes mentions the main sump plug then the "converter drain" has anyne done it themselves on a C or can explain the two items ?

Thanks
Rich

It is a fairly easy job if you can get under the car easy enough. Got to do it when the transmission is warm so take it for a 10 mile drive or so first. The gearbox has a drain plug and so does the torque converter. The torque converter is the big round thing between the gearbox and engine, it is basically a turbine type pump, this is where most of the oil is. You have to rotate the engine with a spanner to get the drain plug at the bottom.

Always use genuine MB filter, fluid and new sump seal. DO NOT use anything else!!

After you have drained the gearbox, remove sump and clean, replace filter and sump using new gasket. Refill with specified amount of oil and check level with gearbox warm, engine running and gearbox in neutral.

You may or may not have a dipstick, the 5spd does not, it is a workshop part.

Do a search and you will see it has been documented lots of times.
 
Gear oil

Some people on the US web think that it's better to use fully synthetic fluid. They use Redline oil - which is approved for use by Mercedes and is the same spec as the oil Merc uses. It just works better because it retains its spec longer and also over a wider temperature range. I never put dyno juice in my sump or gearbox. The synthetic is more expensive but it's worth it.
 
MainMan said:
I never put dyno juice in my sump or gearbox.
What do you think synthetic oil is made out of, if it's not fossils? :)
 
vito113 said:
The old ones went to the Moon and back mileagewise as long as you changed the oil! The New Improved 'don't need the oil changing, there Sealed for Life' boxes go bang after 130,000ish miles. Who benefits? Go figure!

Andy

Absolutely! The concept of never changing the fluid in a sealed for life box does rather depend on what you expect or want the life to be!

ATF is not just a gearbox oil, but a multipurpose fluid which has a really tough life. Apart from lubricating gears it transmits engine energy, crucially acts as a coolant as well as operating the box and keeping it clear of residue build ups. Many autobox failures are related to heat stress causing oxidation of the fluid. Overheating can reduce the life of ATF vastly

In the US 100,000 miles is considered to be the absolute limit for a fluid change, but many autoshops & enthusiasts work off a 2 year/24,000 mile limit. Towing, quick stops and starts, ascending and descending mountains, and wheel-spinning in slippery conditions all put huge stress on the ATF because of the frictional heat buildup.

Fully synthetic ATF is therefore a lot better because it copes with heat stress and resists oxidation better than conventional fluid. May last three or four times as long.

So, change that fluid but make absolutely sure you use something with the right specification for the particular box.
 
My Mum has a C230k 1999 with 35000 on the clock when should I advise her to get the auto oil changed? it was only the other day my Dad was asking me if i knew how long the mercedes box lasts, was intending to put a post for him but noticed this one! :bannana:
 
mercedes lover said:
My Mum has a C230k 1999 with 35000 on the clock when should I advise her to get the auto oil changed? it was only the other day my Dad was asking me if i knew how long the mercedes box lasts, was intending to put a post for him but noticed this one! :bannana:

Unless your mum tows caravans (shudder) a lot, does tyre burnouts in the supermarket carpark or lives in the Alps I would think about 50K.
 
Satch said:
Unless your mum tows caravans (shudder) a lot, does tyre burnouts in the supermarket carpark or lives in the Alps I would think about 50K.
My Mum doesn't tow caravans, not sure about the tyre burn out in the shopping center car park those, but dosen't live in the alps. So will advise my Dad when to get the oil change done!
thanks
 
Esters

Shude said:
What do you think synthetic oil is made out of, if it's not fossils? :)

It's made from esters. I'm not talking about "semi-synthetic" (whatever that means) muck or stuff recovered from desert sand or even adulterated vegetable oil. The real stuff is "synthesised" (that's a chemical term) from basic hydrocarbons. So only the required polymers are included in the "oil". Non-synthetic oil is made by taking dyno juice, which contains a vast number of different polymers, and refining it to get those that roughly fit the bill. But it's chemical composition is completely different from synthetic oil.
 
The real stuff is "synthesised" (that's a chemical term) from basic hydrocarbons

So where do the hydrocarbons come from then ;)
 
Robbo said:
So where do the hydrocarbons come from then ;)

Not from fossils or dinosaurs. The building blocks of the universe were created by the big bang (under current theory) when "nothing" separated into matter and anti-matter.
 
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Mainman,

Yes, but the big bang only created elements :- hydrogen and helium mostly. the other elements such as carbon, oxygen, silicon, iron etc were formed in stars and in supernovae etc. in nuclear fusion processes.

Hydrocarbons are not elements, but are a relatively unstable (hence the fact they burn!) class of organic compounds made up from hydrogen and carbon (CH4, C2H6, C3H7 etc) which have been formed due to the existence of life on earth. Hydrocarbons i.e. oil are formed from the decomposition of plant and animal matter which have been buried under high pressure for millions of years. All hydrocarbons (and pretty much every other organic compound for that matter) originate from oil hence my question.

Cheers, Robbo
 
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Were do Hydrocarbons come from?

Easy really!

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."

And there you have it!

Andy
 
vito113 said:
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
Let there be sound, and there was sound
Let there be drums, and there was drums
Let there be guitar, and there was guitar
Let there be rock :rock:

K

P.S. - The good old days .... sigh .....:cool:
 
I don't have many of my t-shirts anymore - I sold most of them on ebay!

Including all my crew shirts.

Got a nice Motorhead one to go on soon.

And speaking of harking back to the old days - I dug out the greatest hits of Accept (Balls to the Wall and all that !) and was listening to that in the car today (VERY LOUDLY :rock: ).

ROCK ROCKS:rock:

K
 
Kinky said:
Using Jimmys PIAA Extreme White bulbs then?

god.jpg

Want some bulbs?
 
Jimmys got a beard then? :eek:
 

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