My W124 300TE 4Matic

[grober]

The big rebuild cost on the early cars was not the autobox itself which is pretty much standard technology but the centre transfer box.
quote from the E class bible :- operating piston bore scoring in the 4matic transfer case causes a hydraulic leak into the transfer case. this degrades the lub of the transfer case oil. . The piston orginally operated in an aluminium bore. REBUILT/NEWER units have been updated with a steel sleeve to prevent fluid cross over.

 

[brucemillar]

Graeme

Thank you. I believe mine has had that bit fixed previously. The issue I had was the reversing band was on the way out. OK all the time I wanted to go forwards.

I had all the clutch bands replaced along with oil seals etc.

 

[syncropaddy]

Well for all my sins, I have just bought a 1992 300TE 4 matic like yours. The only thing I could find wrong with it was a weep from the transfer case. Im not sure what this means quite yet but no doubt I will find out soon enough!

 

[syncropaddy]

The big rebuild cost on the early cars was not the autobox itself which is pretty much standard technology but the centre transfer box.
quote from the E class bible :- operating piston bore scoring in the 4matic transfer case causes a hydraulic leak into the transfer case. this degrades the lub of the transfer case oil. . The piston orginally operated in an aluminium bore. REBUILT/NEWER units have been updated with a steel sleeve to prevent fluid cross over.

My unit is a '92 and has an electric 'Test Switch' as opposed to the Hydraulic valve type of the earlier ones. Hopefully this indicates a later type box.

However, I have a weeping transfer case and I cant find its source. Where does the weep come from, what does it mean and can I fix it?

 

[grober]

What did you do to your W123 in 2014? - Page 80 - Mercedes-Benz Forum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4Matic

I am assuming the later electrical test switch isolates the transfer box from the pressurised hydraulic fluid circuit just like the mechnical one. This would disable the 4wd system of course but might help decide whether the leak is hydraulic fluid or Tranfer box ATF part no 001 989 0703 ?? There are lots of potential leak points/seals on the complex system to go wrong.