p3driver

Just bought a 2008 GL320 with 50k miles on it. I have no way of proving that the 40,000 mile transmission fluid and filter change was completed so am planning to do it myself. Anyone have any helpful hints for this task?
Thank you in advance.

atwal

you may want to have it done by a shop. fluid is filled through drain plug.

lkchris

DITTO--this is NOT a DIY process.

First thing you should do before you attempt ANY DIY is to purchase the Service DVD. This ain't no Chevy with blacksmith-style procedures.

http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/o...tedDocId=11498

p3driver

Thank you for the information- got an appointment for Friday to have it done at MB.

gild

I have the same model as you and am right in the middle of changing the transmission fluid right now. There is a great post by Johnand in the W203 forum with step by step instructions. It is the same transmission but there are a few variations that you would need to research before doing the project.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ce-thread.html

Yeah, this ain't no Chevy. That's why I'm not letting the blacksmith/dealer touch it. They've already put the wrong fluid in my W211 transfer case (and stripped out two motor mount threads while they were doing it) and I had to fix that myself.

p3driver

Thanks again for the info- I may tackle it next time. I just picked up a new fuel filter and air filters to install this week (I think a blacksmith can handle those just fine!)
Appreciate all the help.

Benzo 003

I'm still puzzled on refilling, I understand the adapter part, but what is being used to force the fluid into the transpan?

gild

I used a cheap $6 hand pump from Harbor Freight. It actually screwed right on top of the 4 liter bottle of Fuchs transmission fluid. The plastic hose fit perfectly over the adaptor and a hose clamp held it tight. You can see the amount going in through the measured window on the side of the bottle.

Popo

Question about torque converter.

History
I was going to do the full trans pan and torque converter change but...did not have anything to turn the motor to get the torque converter plug in the right position.

So - I did the pan, filter and fluid change using new bolts seals etc per the DiY on the w203 forum for the 722.9 tranny. All went reasonably well (there is a wiring bracket that needs to be loosened to get at all the pan bolts not in the w203 doc).

My question is can i now go back and drain the torque converter only, refill thru the trans pan while shifting thru D and R?

I want to do this to change more of the fluid although it was still a dark red after just the 4.5L chnage so far.

P.S. If anyone else attempts this, get the fluid from Ryder. $50 for 10 liters shipped for Shell AFT134 which is MB236.14 fluid!

gild

There's no reason you couldn't do that, just realize that your new fluid is mixed in with the old and you won't be doing a complete changeout. Also, the only way to completely drain the pan is to knock off that riser above the plug and that would mean you have to take off the pan again to put a new one back on.

I think if you are going to the trouble of draining the converter I'd just pull the pan again and do a more complete fluid change.

Popo

Your're right. I should have just been patient and gone to get a 36mm socket to turn the engine in the first place!

Thanks for the insight.

lkchris

No, the blacksmith can't because he won't have the proper tool to remove/reinstall CLIC clamps (for fuel filter).

Official Mercedes procedures call for replacement (never reuse) of these clamps and forbid use of any other type clamp.

http://www.hazet.de/fileadmin/media/...sh_e/r4-3.html

gild

If he's a really good blacksmith he'll make his own tool.

pteam

How much does the dealer charge for this?

EWT

I think I paid ~$400. I generally do just about all my repairs out of warranty/maintenance on cars, but I decided to farm it out to the dealer because of the cost of the consumables, complexity, and potential for problems. Not having to argue with the dealer about warranty coverage when the transmission needed repair recently was a nice bonus. The first thing out of the service adviser's mouth was "hopefully you've had the service done" when I brought it in for repair. I'm guessing a DIY service would have been blamed for the problem whether that was really the cause or not.

gild

$400 is a great price considering the time involved. I think I spent over $200 just for the Fuchs Titan 4134 ATF fluid. The question for me is whether or not you can trust your dealership to do it correctly. My dealership put the wrong fluid in my E-Class transfer case resulting in severe shuddering. Apparently, they had been putting it in all the transfer cases until I educated them about the correct MB spec fluids. From now on they're only going to do warranty work for my cars.

pteam

That is really really sad and sickens my stomach.

Fourdiesel

I just took mine in to have other work done (Check Engine Light on - apparently some kind of servo motor/flap/door inside the intake manifold) and told the SA I also needed the get the tranny fluid changed. He quoted me $285. I told him to go ahead. We'll see what it really is billed at. I just don't have the equipment to do THAT job right.