w202305

im going to change the transmission filter in my car is there any tips or any suggestion that anyone might have before i do this ?

ohlord

have you purchased all the supplies,filter,gasket,mercedes spec 722.6 fluid,the special dipstick(I sell for $40 delivered)the new lock tab for the tube?
Have you completely read the diy articles on benzworld.org and
http://www.mercedesshop.com/Wikka/Trans7226Fluid
Never use a linty rag to clean out or touch anything inside the transmission and make sure you fill it properly at the correct temp.
ohlord

w202305

thank you but i purchase the dipstick on ebay ..the link was very helpfull ill upload some pics of my work later:zoom:

xvvvz

I just did it yesterday. It wasn't too bad of a procedure and I used the same link for information. I would seriously consider replacing the electrical connector at the tranny for the tranny ECU harness. This is a known item that can fail and leak which then migrates to the ECU and ruins it.

Make sure to also drain your torque converter if your car was built in the first half of 99 or earlier.

w202305

were do i put the a/t fluid on the car

tractorcrusher

WTF I went to have my transmission fluid flushed at DriversEdge and they told me Mercedes uses a liftime fluid and it voids the warranty if it's ever chagned.

Well, I'm out of warranty anyway.

Could changing the fluid help with some rough shifts on cold start?

xvvvz

You fill it through the dipstick tube using a funnel.

Mercedes no longer claims lifetime fluid. That has proved to be false. Most people now do it every 60k. Get the exact fluid for your car's transmission number. There were different transmissions over the years for the w202. Therefore, what one person says was OK for their car may be right for them but wrong for you. A '99 will need the synthetic stuff from MB. $15 a liter by mail order.

Don't let some yahoo change the fluid and get it wrong. Do it yourself or go to a place that specializes in MB cars.

tractorcrusher

Thanks for the info, do you think flushing the transmission fluid would help with some shift delay issues? Basically under anything more than 50% throttle the tranny will wait until redline to shift, but you can tell it wants to shift.

Hopefully I don't need to get my tranny rebuilt but if I have to I will.

xvvvz

A change of fluid can smooth out shifts a bit but won't cure a major problem. If your fluid is in good shape, you won't notice much difference. If you have lots of miles on you fluid, then you are more likely to feel a difference.

You do realize that the computer holds shifts until much higher revs until the engine warms up in order to get it up to temperature faster and thus cut down on emissions, right? Also, for the first 2-3 minutes, the computer leaves the supercharger fully engaged to force more air through the system and cut down on emissions until the car gets warmed up (usually the SC will not kick in until 1800 - 2000 rpm). That means there is a lot more torque available at lower speeds than normal, so shifts are going to be harder. That is also why your car sounds like a tractor with its howling supercharger until things warm up. To sum up, it is normal for shifts to be harsh until the engine is warmed up, so you may or may not really have an issue.

xvvvz

The transmissions on these cars are a known weak point. Therefore, if in doubt, go ahead and change the fluid. Even though the car had less than 34k miles at that time, I changed mine just because at 8-9 years it probably was time. Don't forget the new pan gasket, washer for the drain plug, and transmission filter.

w202305

i just change 2day easy no longer than 20 min
u can get the filter and the gasket from this website
http://www.autohausaz.com/mercedes-a...FR11lgodAVTngA
or
http://alleuropeanautoparts.com/
i didn't take any picks but when u get under the car u should know what 2 do just try not to get any oil in the heaters.

tractorcrusher

Ahh... That's exactly what I was experiencing, thanks for clearing that up. Also, on cold start up it sounds like I have an exhaust leak very close to the motor, by the header. Could that just be the location of the supercharger?

I always wait for my idle to drop down before driving it in the morning.

I took my friend for a spin last night, after telling him about some possible transmission issues, and he said "what transmission issues?".

Hopefully I'm good to go, thanks a million for the info. I'm still going to change the transmission fluid though.

xvvvz

Yes, I too am one who listens more carefully than most for odd engine sounds and I have that same faint sound that sounds like an exhaust leak. When the car was new, I took it back mulitple times to get them to fix it. They said it was normal. I pressed them a few times but they never were able to find anything to fix.

I have often wondered if it was the blow off valve (that may be the turbo term, but whatever the flap is called on an SC'd car is called) just slightly opening due to more boost than needed during this warm up period.

I have just told myself to get over it and stop worrying about it.

tractorcrusher

Well that's interesting... I'm going to try re-synching my transmission with throttle tonight.... but apparently my car has been working perfectly this whole time which is a huge relief.

You're a wealth of inofrmation, xvvvz, I really appreciate it.

xvvvz

For what it is worth, I have had a hard time knowing whether I did the squence right to reset the parameters when using the sequence approach. I think it is worth it to just disconnect the battery for a bit to reset things. Just make sure you have the code card for your radio and you resync all four windows plus your sunroof after the battery disconnect (directions in your manual or found in the MB forums in many posts).