citruspilot

I have been noticing over the past few months every once in awhile, as I slow down, the car will feel like its pulsating or very litely jerking. Like I said only once in awhile and only with my foot off the gas and decelerating. My car has 161,000 miles and I do not know what kind of service has been done to the tranny. OK, so I am going to get the tranny serviced at the dealership. They have two options, tranny service or tranny flush. Service is about $315.00 and the flush is about $225.00. (I think a service is better for this situation.) I know the difference between the two. What would be the preferred route here with 161,000 miles??

There have been a few other tranny issues more so lately. Like if I accelerate from first gear with my foot on the floor and lift just before it shifts into second or third the tranny will slam into the next gear. And at other times the tranny just doesnt seem like its ready to shift or shifts too soon. Nothing serious yet just a few quirks I have been experiencing. I plan on doing this tranny things next week when I have a few days off.

Any suggestions or advise on which tranny option listed above is better for my situation with my high miles will be tolerated.

Jeff

ohlord

just let them drain the trans,and the converter it has a plug on your year,clean the pan and install a new filter.Do not flush.

if it has never been changed you will not believe the change you will enjoy
Oh yeah,days off?this is a diy job if you are into it. benzworld.org w210 forum diy section.......

fju2112

ohlord - why not flush it? someone mentioned this to me last night, he has a 330xi and told me not to flush it, just to let them change the fluid - something about metal shavings in the tranny fluid that shouldn't be flushed out as they've settled on the bottom (NO idea waht he meant?). but i guess my question to you is, why not flush it, and shouldn't the tranny fliter also be changed when this job is done. i am thinking of getting tranny serviced at 100K or so as you know...

fju2112

by the way, i notice this same symptom as citrus. it's more when i'm in traffic, going back and forth between the accelerator and the brake though, and seems to happen more often when i slow down and the tranny goes down from 2 to 1 or 3 to 2, than when i'm speeding up. is this normal; this also happened a bit in my E430 so i'm assuming everyone experiences this and wonder if it's just time for a tranny service...? both are 4m's, if that makes a difference.

dsmith

in general, auto transmissions should be serviced every 30k if you want real longevity. otherwise, expect to replace at about 150k. performing a flush service on a high mileage tranny, like 80k+ runs the risk of moving metal shavings and sludge build up into small oil passages and valves that get stuck. if you have a tranny problem, then a flush is a crap shoot of having gears after the flush. a drain and fill pan service can help remove some of the junk and lengthen its life some on a high mileage tranny, but won't erase 100k+ miles of neglect. i do drain and fills myself every 2 yrs or 30k miles.

citruspilot

OK, that settles it. Guess I'll get the tranny service which does not include the flush. I too have heard that older tranny's should be treated with kid-gloves when it comes to service. I just had my wifes 02 Ford Explorer flushed about 3 or 4 months ago and it performs perfect, BUT, its 5 years newer and has less miles.

As far as a "diy" job I know I can do it but I's like the dealership to also check the computer and shift points. Maybe even reload updates. I am not sure they do this as part of the standard service but maybe I can get the computer reflashed for not too much extra............

I'll pass along my experience................

Jeff

ohlord

No updates on the tcu, Idon't have the specs on the 97 if it is fly by wire throttle,someone chime in if they have the manual.if it is you can do your own reset of the trans shift points and rpm's yourself.If it is not FBW then it's all set in the tcu and you don't need it flashed.
Drain will include filter and if you diy drain the tc,diy on benzworld.org w210 forum diy section.

anyone doing a search and runs across this thread,if you have more than 60,000 miles on a 97 and up benz do yourself a big favor and get the trans fluid changed,even mercedes realizes they goofed on the lifetime fluid thing.If it is a 2000 or newer then you need to get it changed more often since you can't drain the tq converter and need to do it by more often dilution.