W204 c250 1.8 petrol transmission fluid top up

[femalePetrolHead]

I thought I would post to help out... tirelessly I have been searching for posts relating to topping up transmission fluid for my car, I was in a slight accident and my cooler had a split and so the fluid (blue) was leaking. I rang round several garages and researched online and all suggested a full transmission fluid and filter change was required costing upwards from £210!
My gears were having difficulty shifting and had the typical signs of low ATF fluid so and £210+ seemed a bit extreme when my car has only done 40k miles and the filter is not due a change till 70k miles.

I found that I was able to force fluid through the left pipe on the cooler. I could hear it dropping into the gearbox. I added approx 300ml.

I then Started the car (please note my car was already hot, the fluid does need to be at a certain temp), let sit in park for 1minute, then neutral for a minute, then reverse for a minute ( breaks on) and then drive again for a minute. I then took her for a slow drive and then a blast, there was only one occasion where she jumped again, which I think could be because there was air in the pipe, she then settled and had been running smoothly since.

My opinion... don’t always listen to what the garages say, it’s all about money, the ATF cost me £13!!
Any and all comments welcome!

 

[steveq]

Hi,

What year is your car?
That will determine the transmission you have.

If it has a 7G+ gearbox -- that has a service interval of 77,000 miles and has blue/green fluid so I suspect it has -- then a full ATF service will need 9 litres of MB 236.15 ATF, a filter, new stretch gearbox sump bolts, etc.
That little lot will come to well over £100.
That gearbox is a bit awkward to service as the ATF is pumped in through the sump drain bolt hole. £210 in total isn't bad by the time you include labour.

The service is due at 77,000 miles or 5 years whichever comes first.
Did you put in MB236.15 spec ATF?
How did you know the quantity to put in?

If it was my car and there was a serious leak and it was already causing problems, I would definitely be getting it serviced before I tried to drive it anywhere.

£210 is very cheap compared to the consequences of having automatic gearbox problems.

 

[femalePetrolHead]

Hi Steve,

mines a 2013, very low mileage.
Yea I put the correct MB ATF Fluid in. I went off 500ml at first because I roughly measured how much she had lost as she was sat for a while after the accident.
I then followed the procedure to get the gearbox upto pressure and took her for a spin. Drove her today again and she is still a tad jumpy so will pour in another 100ml and try again.

luckily I work in a garage so I have some understanding of what I am doing. I am monitoring her to ensure the gearbox doesn’t get damaged. I will be doing a full transmission oil and filter change later on in the year as long as all goes well

 

[steveq]

Hi,
It is 7 years old and if the ATF hasn't ever been changed it is overdue now.

The ATF level is critical.
To put fluid in it is pumped in through the sump plug. The car is run until the gearbox fluid is 80deg C and then the fluid is let out of the sump until it reduces to a the odd spurt and then the sump drain plug is put in.

Guessing the amount to put in sounds like a recipe for disaster. Too much is every bit as bad as too little.

 

[Gazwould]

 

[femalePetrolHead]

Hi,
It is 7 years old and if the ATF hasn't ever been changed it is overdue now.

The ATF level is critical.
To put fluid in it is pumped in through the sump plug. The car is run until the gearbox fluid is 80deg C and then the fluid is let out of the sump until it reduces to a the odd spurt and then the sump drain plug is put in.

Guessing the amount to put in sounds like a recipe for disaster. Too much is every bit as bad as too little.

I am fully aware of how to do a full ATF change! If you look at the title of my post; “fluid top up” and that is purely because I struggled to find posts on it!
Stop trying to be a smart ****, your making yourself sound like a needy attention seeker telling me stuff I already know ‍

 

[femalePetrolHead]

Hi,
It is 7 years old and if the ATF hasn't ever been changed it is overdue now.

The ATF level is critical.
To put fluid in it is pumped in through the sump plug. The car is run until the gearbox fluid is 80deg C and then the fluid is let out of the sump until it reduces to a the odd spurt and then the sump drain plug is put in.

Guessing the amount to put in sounds like a recipe for disaster. Too much is every bit as bad as too little.

I am fully aware of how to do a full ATF change! If you look at the title of my post; “fluid top up” and that is purely because I struggled to find posts on it!
Stop trying to be a smart ****, your making yourself sound like a needy attention seeker telling me stuff I already know ‍

 

[Wolfie1]

But your post doesnt help, its full of bad information and it doesnt sound like you know how to change the oil in this particular gearbox properly as you have stated you cannot find any info on how to do it so you made it up as you went along and posted misinformation that will mislead folks as your attempt hasnt fixed it. Unless your post is explaining how not to do it!

 

[markjay]

On a 2013 car with the 7G+ box, the ATF and filter would have already been changed once in 2018, and therefore it does not need doing again until 2023 (unless the mileage reaches 77,500).

So I fully understand why the OP chose to try topping-up the ATF instead of replacing it prematurely.

That said, without a transmission dipstick, it can be very difficult to know how much ATF needs to be added.

The idea of adding small amounts of ATF until the transmission is changing gears smoothly sounds reasonable, though it does carry the potential risk of long term transmission damage in the event that the ATF level is still too low.

 

[wongl]

Do you have a transmission dipstick that is sealed off with a removable cap? If you do, then you can make or purchase a dipstick to measure the transmission fluid level. There are plenty of posts on the internet detailing how to make a transmission dipstick or you can purchase one from ebay from £5 to around £22 from your MB dealership.