What gearbox oil

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kvz2000

Active Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
125
Location
Scotland
Car
Mercedes W124 300e. Mercedes SL500
hi , I have a 1973 W114 280e with a manual gearbox , the gear change has been very notchy still I’ve owned it , today I changed the oil using ATF which many many people recommend but when emptying the old oil it was red just like the ATF I was putting in.
Can anyone tell me what oil mercedes recommends.... thanks
 
Why would you put ATF into a manual gearbox? Easy enough to find the correct oil for it from either the handbook or one of the oil supplier's websites, like Opie Oils. Suggest that you hange the oil for the correct one as soon as you can.
 
MB have been using ATF in manual gearboxes for decades, My 1959 190 has ATF.
If you use gear oil (sae 90 etc) changing gear when cold will almost be impossible.
 
Before the advent of modern manual transmission fluids, ATF was used where the gearbox called for a low viscosity oil. The oil now specified for modern MB gearboxes is a similar viscosity to ATF but there are very few MB approved oils other than MB's own brand. Comma MB10 75W80 is one example I found of a MB 253.10 oil and Castrol Syntrans FE 75W for an even thinner oil.

As above if you use thicker oil than is specified for the gearbox, the gear change will be terrible when cold.
 
I used Fuchs when I did my gearbox service at 74 k Still lovely and pink and the box is silky smooth now at 107 k
 
Thanks guys , I only used ATF as many MB owners recommend it , I’ll keep an eye on it and see if the change improves any .....
 
Why would you put ATF into a manual gearbox? Easy enough to find the correct oil for it from either the handbook or one of the oil supplier's websites, like Opie Oils. Suggest that you hange the oil for the correct one as soon as you can.
Hi ,
Spoke to my mercedes specialist today , he checked and confirmed ATF in my gearbox
 
I don't know the answer, but the 5-gear manual gearbox that I got off a German Opel Ascona C 1.8E back in 1987 (long story) actually used red ATF instead of the old-fashioned gear oil. So it's not something new....
 

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