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Ok so I have done some work on my 2005 C240 Wagon as far as removal & installation of complete ac system, rack & pinion, power steering pump & res and to make job easier I removed the radiator. Well as we all know Mercedes does things a little bit differently like how the hoses connect to the radiator. So I didn’t connect the upper transmission line properly & drove the car for about 2-3 weeks before the line decided to come loose 1 day when I was in reverse leaving a house with a concrete driveway & I noticed I was leaving a trail of fluid so I immediately pulled to the side of the road once I backed out of driveway. I popped the hood & trans fluid was all over the front of engine so I inspected & found the upper transmission line that connects to radiator had come out of radiator. So I got a ride to auto parts store & asked what kind of transmission fluid did I need & how much was supp to be in car they told me 12qts & pointed to Valvoline Max Life so I got 3 gallons & put 12qts in while engine was cold & not running( I didn’t know the proper way at the time) so I started it up & it hesitated but did move slowly but did not come out of 1st gear so I stopped did the transmission reset & started it back up still hesitant on moving i revved it up until it started moving & at this time it started shifting better got it up to about 55mph but when I came to a stop light it shifted back down to 1st until I got home which was about 5 miles total I drove. When I got home I turned it off then started it up put it in reverse & got no movement in rev or drive.
The next day I decided to try changing the filter & gasket & drain all fluid out with a pump thru the filler tube. The bottom of the pan was clean as could be like someone had done the filter & gasket 60000mies before. So I put filter & gasket on & 1 qt of Pensotin Lv1 started the car & put in 3 more qts before I checked it at operating temp and it was reading over filled ( still no movement when I put in gear) so I dropped the pan again due to my drain plug being froze in place to find no fluid in pan except for the drips from the valve body.
2days later I received an i carsoft mb2 machine & only got 3 codes saying something about the speed sensors which I found were located on conductor plate which I am waiting for now.
I paid a Mercedes Tech $26 on 6ya online mechanics told him my problem & he told me quickly that I needed to replace the transmission.
My question is if I had to replace the transmission wouldn’t I have seen some shavings in the pan & has anyone had something like this happen to them. I really don’t want to replace the transmission but I will.
I did check the fluid with the correct tool after only putting 4qts of Pensotin & waiting for car to warm up. It actually showed overfilled which is why I decided to drop pan again to drain fluid & start again 1 qt at a time but when I seen no fluid in pan I was alarmed. I have always figured that when putting fluid in transmission it would go straight to the pan, am I wrong? Did the transmission fluid go elsewhere? Then even after running the car until it reached operating temp & going thru the gears slowly the pan should of had fluid in it right? I really hope that I am wrong. What also doesn’t make sense is why was I getting a overfilled reading in the dipstick?
I am not real transmission savvy so plz excuse my lack of knowledge but I really think that I am just doing something wrong & i want nothing more than for my car to run again.
The only place the oil can go to is into the cooling system if the radiator leaks. Your coolant will turn pink. It is easy to get false readings on the dipstick because the oil that you poured down the tube ends up on the dipstick too. And its not always a true reading. Wait a minute after letting the oil run down the tube before checking the level. Make sure the dipstick end is totally dry. I usually wipe it with benzine before inserting it.
Sounds like you may have flooded the transmission. Not a huge deal. Just need to bring it back to the correct level.
There is a very specific method to drain/replace the fluid. Not everything sits in the pan. A bunch of fluid also sits in the torque converter as well as inside the various hoses and other bits. The torque converter does not have a drain, so a full flush is the only way to replace all the fluid. It's a somewhat involved process.
Iirc the correct volume inside the transmission is around 8L. The pan holds about 2.5L.
A full proper flush involves 14L of fluid, 9L of which is poured down the drain(!).
What I would do is at least try to get the fluid somewhat close to the correct level first. At this point your best bet is to drain the pan maybe 1L at a time first. You'll have to then close the drain bolt and start the car for a minute or two and get the fluid level to shift around to the new "normal". If you have the proper (OEM or aftermarket) MB transmission dipstick then just use the 20C range.
Yes the correct way to measure the fluid is ultimately with the engine idling and at full operating temperature (80C). In your situation I would measure the 20C cold value, then wipe the dipstick and start the car and measure the 20C value again while idling. If this looks correct then warm the car up and do the 80C measurement.
Last edited by slammer111; 01-03-2021 at 11:45 PM.
Hey thnx 4 the info Slammer i never knew that a transmission could be flooded. I really don’t think the transmission is done cause I didn’t have any shavings in the pan. Also wouldn’t the icarsoft mb2 have pulled a code about the transmission not just speed sensors & wouldnt my dash tell me something about the transmission being faulty?
Anything can be flooded. Imagine trying to pour 50L of oil into the engine. Above a certain level and the fluid starts to go where it's not supposed to go, such as an electrical connector. Also the fluid may start to foam as it hits moving parts it is not supposed to touch.
I'm sure your transmission is fine at this point. With that said, have you updated the pilot bushing to the latest version? It's a known leak point. Fluid can wick up the wires and into the TCU (located under the passenger side footwell) and short out the module.
Thnx Slammer ive put a lot of time & effort & $$$ in it so I’m not giving up on it at all! I’ve done a few upgrades since that pic like a new chrome upper grille & finally found the correct lower grille for it.
Back to my problem the conductor plate & plug came in today so I’ve got it assembled & about to install onto the car but I first decided to check the transmission fluid level before I start, isn’t the dipstick tool supposed to touch the bottom of pan? Mine is not it seems to stop before the valve body? Ok this is how far the tool is sticking out that’s not normal is it?
OK I have a bit of a problem now the filler tube that I have been putting my transmission dipstick tool in leaves straight to the oil pan no every video I have watched tells me that this is where the transmission filler tube is at I believe I have found a reason why my car is not moving
Ok I feel like the biggest idiot in the world I did not realize that there was also a oil dipstick tube right next to the transmission dipstick tube so I have been putting transmission fluid in my oil and I am worried now that I have possibly damaged something internally in my Engine so I am flushing out the engine and I have all the television good night together I believe I have found my problem I’m getting ready to go to see if I can find some transmission fluid because I only have about 6 qts of Pensotin So I’m hoping I can find some type ofEquivalent out there tonightAlso I only have about 2 quarts of mobile one synthetic oil and hoping to find some type of equipment out thereBecause I really want to drive my car to work tomorrow I’m just happy I don’t need a transmission thanks for all your help I’m glad to be a part of this in the mbworld.org
Oh geez. Well, at least you realized your mistake before driving out and blowing up the engine.
Yes there are 2 fill tubes. Not sure about the V6 but for the I4 they are right next to each other. The giveaway is the special cap with locking tab on the transmission tube.
To answer your question, the transmission fluid dipstick is a generic MB tool, designed for use on different engines. As long as the tip of the tool touches the bottom of the drain pan, the amount of tool sticking out the top doesn't matter.
Not the end of the world for putting the wrong fluid in. Just drain the transmission fluid out of the oil reservoir (can use the drain bolt underneath or suck it up through the tube with a pump) and fill it up. Then run the engine for a few seconds and replace the fluid again. If you're super paranoid then do a 3rd flush.
MB transmission fluid is very specific. Do not just grab the nearest jug at the auto parts store.
If you're removing the oil pan drain bolt - buy a new one + copper washer and a torque wrench for it. I always pump my oil out (after a little accident) but it leaves behind about 1 litre~. You're probably going to want to do another oil change soon after this one , just to be sure as little transmission oil remains, for sure pump it out on this one.
You'll probably need a new oil filter also "Engine oil drain bolt torque = 30 Nm per MB shop manual. Oil filter cover = 25 Nm. Do NOT overtighten."
01-02-2021, 10:03 PM
Not a huge deal. Just need to bring it back to the correct level.
Above a certain level and the fluid starts to go where it's not supposed to go, such as an electrical connector. Also the fluid may start to foam as it hits moving parts it is not supposed to touch.
oh well just drain and put new oil in no problem
