...any last minute words of wisdom..?

The car is a 2009 C350 just under 60k miles. I bought it in November at 58,xxx miles. I have the following:

1. 9 qts Mobil 1 0W-40
2. Mercedes oil filter
3. New drain plug
4. New drain plug washers
5. ECS Tuning transmission service kit (comes with gasket, filter, oil, TC drain plug, etc)
6. Interior cabin filter/2 engine air filters

"Special" tools I have are:
1. Fluke 62 thermometer
2. 722.9 transmission fill adapter

The only thing I don't have that I would have liked to do is my windshield wipers, but that can come later.

In addition to the above, I plan to inspect:
1. Poly V Belt
2. Tires (rotate)
3. Suspension components
4. Driveshaft flex discs
5. Steering components
6. All fluid levels

Am I missing anything, or is there anything anyone wants to suggest before I tackle this? I did all my own maintenance (including valve adjustments) on my M3, and just did a transmission service on my wifes Charger (which has a Mercedes transmission) so I'm sure this won't be difficult, but I haven't done it before, so I don't know what to expect. I am using a lift, so that will make things 100 times easier I'm sure.

I will say the only thing I am doing that people don't recommend, is draining the oil the conventional way. This is purely related to my desire to save money this time around. In the future, I may buy a nice pump for the job, but right now I am doing it the old fashioned way. I am also using a small hand pump for pumping in the transmission fluid (one that screws directly onto the bottle, like a marine supply pump). Again, this is 100% due to lack of funds this time around. Nothing else

 

I just had the dealership do it for me. I can post a pic of the invoice for you if want to double check what is missing from your list.

 

Return all that stuff and let the dealer do it!


Actually, how are you going to do the electrical system check, including the individual battery cell status? While still under warranty, the dealer found a weak cell in my car's battery and replaced the battery before it became a "roadside" issue.

Per the above post, check out his list of all the steps as your guidance.

 

A topsider would be a hell of a lot easier to use than draining the oil through the drainplug. Might be something to consider if you plan to continue to do your own services.

 

Adhere to the items in service book

Follows Johnand's excellent DIY service in the Wiki for Transmission.

 

See Attached for what they did on my Car

 

That's something I will have to look into. Maybe a stop at AutoZone to have my battery/alternator checked? Ill have to get back to you on that one

I do agree, pumping the oil from the top would be easier and less messy. From my understanding there are a ton of engine covers/shields that need to be removed to get to the drain plug? This time it won't be that bad because I want to remove all the engine covers to do the transmission service and inspect suspension/steering components, but I will certainly look into getting a nice pump for next time.

I printed out a ton of literature from Mercedes as well as I believe a DIY on here for transmission service. I think I have plenty of information to get me through it. Just wasn't sure if there were any suggestions/tips/things to remember that I might have missed to get me through it.

Thats a big help. Thanks. I think I got everything covered (all of the majorly important stuff anyway).

To anyone saying that I should have the dealership do it (not singling you out Sportstick (and I assume you were joking, but I know others feel that way) I choose to do all my own maintenance for three reasons:

1. I don't trust anyone: How many horror stories have you heard of dealerships and indy shops skipping essential steps, leaving things out, or flat out doing a job wrong? Assuming there was some type of gaurantee the job was done 100% correctly, paying the extra money for that piece of mind might be worth it. I just don't trust other people working on my car.

2. Why pay someone to do something I can do myself: I've probably downplayed my mechanical ability in my opening post. I feel 100% confident I can do almost everything (with the exception of a few inspections, which I honestly doubt are really done half the time at the dealership anyways) that a Service B and transmission service require, so why not do it myself and make sure it's done right? I'm OCD and know I will be meticulous with the job. Plus, it's my car, so if it's not done right, that only hurts me. A mechanic is in a rush to get the job done ASAP and is less likely to care if he misses something or doesn't do the job right (see number 1)

3. I'm frugal: ...but by no means am I cheap. Though I absolutely want to see the job done right and will pay extra for a peace of mind (see number 2), I like to save money where money can be saved (ie not buying a pump right away). This whole job is costing me roughly $400.00, and a good $100.00 of that is tools I can use next time around (Fluke and transmission fill adapter). So basically $300 for a full Service B and transmission service. What does a dealership charge? $1000.00+? And again, I know it's going to be done, and done correctly (see number 1)

 

My total cost was 900 including tax. Im in Canada, so the price is probably higher than the States.

I think the regular check up is 650+tax. I had to get a light wiring fixed and they flushed my brake fluid. I'm horrible with cars, so that is why I took it to them. Plus the fact that if something happens they will have to answer to it. At least in Canada they do their due diligence.

 

Take your time & most of all clean components down first before removal ie engine oil filter surrounds, oil filler. I washed & blew dry my ATM pan joint& anything above it before starting.

Make sure there is no lint left from rags around ATM .In fact I used a clean brush to clean pan.

Open up pan filter to view rubbish for interests sake.

Enjoy the experience.

 

Got the service done today. Took 3.5 hours total, but I took my time on the job and triple checked everything.

I do have one concern..

..my transmission is the one with the angled front edge, and it had the white overflow tube. ECSTuning sent me a green overflow tube with my service kit. I'm not 100%, but after reading, the green overflow tube is for newer transmission pans (2011+)?? Either way, it was a good 1/4" shorter than the white one. My dumbass didn't think to reuse the white one (though I did keep it just in case) and I installed the green one. I wasn't too worried, but my concerns continued to grow beyond the point of no return (when I was filling up the pan with new fluid).

What are the concerns with this? Obviously the shorter height means more fluid drained out than what that particular pan and the white tube call for when I was draining the pan out before putting the plug back in. In order to try and compensate for this, I put the plug back in slightly earlier than I normally would have. When I pulled the adapter and the fluid started flowing, it was a very heavy steady gush of fluid which lasted for 5 or 6 seconds, then the flow was slightly tapering off, and was sort of swishing out if that makes sense. About 2 seconds after the steady flow ended and it started swishing out and tapering off I put the plug in. In other words, I didn't wait until it trickled out like you should, so there SHOULD be maybe 1/2 a liter more fluid than the green tube should allow for when it is properly adjusted.

I hope all that makes sense..I don't honestly see a difference of 1/2 liter more or less fluid than what is supposed to be in my transmission making a huge difference, but should I be concerned? I plan to do another transmission service in 20k miles, so would I be okay until then?

Any help is greatly appreciated. It will be a pain in the ***, cost me probably another $100.00 and **** me off, but if it's not a good idea to leave it how it is I will buy some more fluid and put the white tube back in and do it right.

 

The green tube is for the 722.9 3rd change in pan design, as of 21.6.2010. To my knowledge this coincides with 722.9 Plus. 722.9 Plus was supposed to be fitted from August 2010 production but there was a delay with some models as they worked off old transmissions. I can find no VIN details on changes.

Put the white tube back. Level is critical on these transmissions. You can always save & filter the fluid before putting it back in. I hope they did not send you 236.15 Blue fluid?

Your transmission runs 236.14 fluid.

 

Absolutely agree. Either reinstall your white overflow tube, or a new one. Yes, the difference in fluid level is critical. As Glyn said, the level has to be precise. Not worth risking it with the price of a replacement 722.9.

 

Sorry John. I was modifying my post when you posted. Benz considers 200ml critical.

 

They sent me the red fluid, not the blue.


Here is the kit I bought:


http://www.ecstuning.com/ES2696245/


Im assuming that fluid is 236.14 spec?


It's a little irritating that they even show a white overflow tube in the product picture. Oh well, back to the shop Tuesday. Better safe than sorry I guess.


Two questions:


Do you think I am okay reusing the sprag bolts? They are brand new, but have obviously been torqued down once already.


With the correct overflow tube installed, at what point do I put the drain plug back in? The instructions sort of leave room for interpretation. Do I want a slow trickle, occasional drops, etc?

 

I'm sure John will reply:

Seems the fluid is correct although I hate to tell you that Febi Bilstein do not hold a Benz approval.

Stand: 06.02.2014
PRODUKTNAME AUFTRAGGEBER
Mercedes-Benz Automatik-Getriebeöl MB 236.14 Daimler AG, Stuttgart/Deutschland
MB 236.14 ATF NAG2VSport A 001 989 68 03 Daimler AG, Stuttgart/Deutschland
Aral Getriebeöl ATF M14 Aral Aktiengesellschaft, Hamburg/Deutschland
Fuchs TITAN ATF 4134 Fuchs Petrolub AG, Mannheim/Deutschland
LIQUI MOLY TOP TEC ATF 1600 Liqui Moly GmbH, Ulm/Deutschland
LUKOIL ATF SYNTH M 14 OOO LLK-International, MOSCOW/RUSSIA
Mobil ATF 134 Exxon Mobil Corporation, FAIRFAX, Virginia/USA
MOTUL ATF 236.14 Motul , AUBERVILLIERS CEDEX/FRANCE
OMV ATF M plus LUKOIL Lubricants Austria GmbH, VIENNA/Österreich
Q8 AUTO 25 Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Kuwait/KUWAIT
Shell ATF134 Shell International Petroleum Company, LONDON/UNITED KINGDOM
Shell SPIRAX S6 ATF 134M Shell International Petroleum Company, LONDON/UNITED KINGDOM
TUTELA TRANSMISSION STARFLUID 7S PETRONAS LUBRICANTS INTERNATIONAL, KUALA LAMPUR/MALAYSIA
Valvoline SYNPOWER ATF 134 The Valvoline Company, LEXINGTON, KY/USA

You cannot use the old aluminium pan bolts. They are use once stretch bolts.

Regarding level. As far as I'm concerned you put in enough fluid to achieve a clean running stream of fluid from the drain & plug it when it's slowed to the odd drop. John has more experience of physically doing the job than I do so listen to him.

 

I'm not making any value judgments about anyone else.....but, reading threads like this scares the hell out of me for even trying to do any of this stuff on my own. As Dirty Harry said, "A man's GOT to know his limitations."

 

Its not a huge deal, with the exception of the overflow tube everything went perfect. Its not a hard job at all if you have even the smallest amount of mechanical ability.

The reason I used the green tube instead of putting the white tube back in is I figured the green one was just an updated version of that particular part. Auto manufacturers update parts, change procedures, and rewrite standards all the time so I didn't think too much of it. I knew there was a difference between the black and white tubes but never did read anything about the green tubes until the job was almost finished.

Oh well. live and learn I guess. its any easy fix. Shouldn't take more than 45 mins.

 

It's just an unfortunate mistake. As this forum shows a lot of dealers can't be trusted to do the job.

It's a good learning experience IMHO. Intuition was spot on.

 

Just think of the job satisfaction .

This mans limitations are a lot less than they were. He is now experienced at servicing his MB. Unlike many.

Good luck to you |||||||||| what every your call sign is .You have had a go & won !!!!!

|||||||||| , what did the inside of your filter look like ?

Is there not a dip stick tube to double check level in the case of a seal leak etc.?

 

No dipstick tubes on 722.9 transmissions.

 

It's definitely more rewarding to doing it yourself. Your plan sounds good and you're prepared. I did my oil last week using the conventional drain plug method. Easy. Haven't tackled the transfer yet because I only have 21k on my car but having a list takes 90% of the hassle out of it. Good luck

 

filter looked horrible, and fluid was brownish black. Plus the amount of metal shavings on the magnets was unreal. the car has 59xxx miles and I suspect this was the first transmission service. I'm going to do it again in 20k miles for added piece of mind and to get the service interval back on track.

 

These transmissions need their service every 39K miles/60K Km's. The fluid works hard.

 

Just to clarify again....I was speaking of knowing MY limitations. I definitely respect the mechanical talent represented here. I just know I don't have it. 10 thumbs.

 

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If you have to drop the ATM oil again I would change it to the MB approved oil for piece of mind. It will be in the best interests of your car in the long run.

In fact I would take the Febi oil back to where you bought it & get your money back. They sold you the incorrect oil & should be told. Here is their spiel :- "which is why we have created this Automatic Transmission Service Kit for the 722.9xx series gearbox. "

Sportstick, I now understand. Thanks.

JC