I'm curious what everyone is using in their differentials. I have an 08' E350 4matic and after searching the forums for the past few days there seems to be some debate about what and what not to use. Can anyone shed some clarity on the issue regarding on whether to use 85w90 (stealership item only?) or 75w90....semi-synthetic or fully synthetic?? This ***** is giving me a headache...

And also what are you guys using for your transfer cases? After doing some research some are using the same transmission oil Fuchs 4134 in your transfer case? Does this sound right?

If you can please give me the part numbers to any of these items it would really help me out, thanks in advance

 

It is curious to me that there is such an attraction to use some alternate fluids in these cars. I will be the first to admit that if I can find an aftermarket part that is branded by M-B as oem such as Padgid, Mann, Behr etc, I am all over it because I feel that paying the overcharge to get an M-B box is wasteful. Still, I can say from other M-B vehicles in my family, if you put Prestone antifreeze in your car and the radiator hose nipple breaks off, the service folks will tell you that the PH in that stuff is wrong for the application.
Similarly going to ELF or Fuchs or anyone else for lubricants is puzzling when the M-B Branded stuff is about all that is available in the US market. I don't punish the car to any degree. I don't need jet turbine oil. I believe that Mobil has some credibility in making motor oil and if that makes the manufacturer happy, fine by me. If I put some alternate automatic tranny fluid in, How will I know if that was the cause of the chronic failures that we experience in this vehicle? Why take the chance? $16 a quart not expensive enough?
I have a sport bike that runs 10,600 redline. I run Rotella because it has some extra
zinc in it and no cats to worry about. Honda allows pretty much any good 10-40 oil. I have tried synthetic oil and I can find no clear advantage. Lots of people who own this model use only Redline, Amsoil etc. My point is that the manufacturer is putting their reputation on the line by specifying particular fluids. I am not in the mood to gamble with something else by the recommendation of a friend, Dale, or Jimmie or any of the good ol NASCAR boys, Their engines only have to go 501 miles and they are done. There appears to be a following of knowledgeable people who just can't stand the thought of conforming to the spec in the belief that there is better stuff out there and it just needs to be utilized.
Carol Shelby hawks some kind of additive that sounds like snake oil. I wonder how many 1.5million dollar Cobras are running that stuff in the crankcase?
If you believe in your heart that barand xxx is the only thing for you, go for it.
I run my stuff to the last breath and I will keep it full of fluid that is approved by the people who made it.

 

Differential is MB part # 001989170310 (85w-90), transfer case # 001989230311

 

Thanks Konigstiger, I guess I'll have to pony up for the MB stuff. It just boggles my mind that they are MB exclusive items

 

The technical superiority of your car is more mind boggling but apparently not understood.

News: Mercedes are not maintained by PepBoys.

 

OK, sorry for the ancient thread resurrection, but I am running into the same issue with my dealer today. 2004 4-matic E500 wagon, tell him i need transfer case fluid, he gives me ATF, p/n 001989230310, not 001989230311, as indicated in the chart. I ask him several times if he is certain, he claims, yes, 001989230310 is the correct lubrication.

So, in the 5 years hence, have the specs changed for the TC oil?

 

IMHO use 001989230311 special ATF blend (light brown) it is expensive (shown here http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1613827/), but cheaper than the damage the wrong fluid may cause. 0310 is regular MB ATF. Check with several dealers some dealers do not stock it. Try to get a 1 liter bottle if possible, transfer case only holds about half a bottle.

 

that was my thinking as well. Thanks. I'll bring the ATF back and print out your pdf that shows the correct P/N.

 

I had same issue myself. Asked for TC fluid he gave me ATF. I said it uses a different fluid. He went and asked his tech in the shop and he said they use ATF. I said here's the part number...He came back puzzled a few mins later after finding it saying he had never heard of this before and he's been in the parts department for 5 years lmao.

Use the right stuff! It's a once every 100k deal.

Btw the front is a pain. Just do the best you can since there is no drain plug just a fill port.

TC takes 600ml for front diff keep pulling and replacing until it comes out clean. It's good to rotate the axle shaft to move the fluid as well.

The axle fluid is 85w90 and has a higher sheer strength than 75w90. With the heat of the engine on the font diff using 75w90 won't last as long.

 

Front? Are you referring to the front Differential?

 

Transfer case and differential use different fluids.

Edit I see my prior post was a little confusing I edited it for clarity. On my phone at work...

 

So, 001989230311 is the 5 qt. version of this part number, no longer available. 001989230310 is the one qt. version. Had a nice chat with the parts guy at the dealership last week. transfer case= transmission, transmission = gearbox in Germanspeak. 001989230310 is the honey colored oil for the transfer case, labeled ATF on the bottle . Weird, but seems to be the right one.

Based on how much fun it was getting the fill and drain plugs out, I don't think it's ever been changed. Car is at 170k mi now, and just started the low speed shudder when backing out. hopefully, the swap wil help, as it isn't making any noise yet.

Dropped the pan and swapped tranny fluid and filter since I was up in there, we'll see if it helps the other shudder problem. Fluid was pretty dirty, but the bottom of the pan and magnet were clean, nothing to note.

Crossing fingers for some improvement.

 

Well, the shift issue went away, and the TC is much better, but still has a little bit of jerkiness to it. Drive it til it breaks at this point....

 

I recently picked up a high milage 07 E550 4matic. I planned to do all the fluid changes this weekend. I was able to do the rear diff, transfer case, oil and transmission. Even with professional help, I was unable to get the front diff plug out.

As far as the transfer case goes, I was expecting to see a light-ish milky brown oil come out. A very light, clear brown fluid came out, and part number "001989230310" went back in. The fluid we put back in was labeled as ATF but was nearly clear. Was this the case for anyone else still viewing this thread?

 

Yup, that's the stuff. "Transmission" and "Gearbox" are two different things in German, apparently and the parts guy assured me this was the right juice for the transfer case. It looks like slightly used motor oil, and is thinner than I would imagine it should be. All of my shudder issues went away very quickly after the fluid swap. The parts guy was worried, as he asked after I described the problem. "Its' not grinding, is it?" I assured him ,no, just the stutter on tight turns, and he said a fluid change would do the trick. And it did. That and the tranny fluid/filter swap transformed the car.

 

I'm curious about ML320 t-case fluid, I was told that synthetic mercon V ATF was good to use in t-case, or should I get some MB p/n A001 989 28 03 01. Thanks for any and all help on this question..

 

Don't gamble. Buy the right products

 

Hell, these fluids are replaced so infrequently why would you go cheap?