Front Differential and Transfer Case Fluid Change
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 17
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From: Bay Area, CA
2010 E550 Base & 2011 GLK350 4Matic
Front Differential and Transfer Case Fluid Change
Hi, I bought a 2011 GLK350 4Matic at 70k miles. I don't think the gear oil has been changed before. I just changed the rear differential fluid and want to do it for the front differential and transfer case. Is there a write-up or video indicating how to access the fill and drain bolts of the front differential and transfer case in the 4Matic car? Thanks.
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 138
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From: Loen, Norway
2009 GLK 220 cdi
Transfer case is part of transmission, so you need to change fluid in your transmission..I would let workshop with right machine to do it with flush. For the front differential, you can find step by step manual on this forum...
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 379
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From: Jersey Shore
2012 GLK
To add about differentials:
The GLK front differential doesn't have fill plug. The drain plug is identical to transmission plug so we used the same screw-in adapter to pump about 550ml in (500ml came out from the front diff), then unscrew adapter and quickly plugged. Took 20min.
Rear diff was non-event with drain and fill plugs like in many videos (no crush washers and replacement plugs necessary). It took full 1L of fluid (keep in mind that hand pumps can’t get the full bottle emptied). Both diff fluids were pretty dark with 90k miles on them. Not a bad idea to flush them with with the 2nd transmission service.
10 year transmission mount was a bit softer and had a bit more play then then the new OEM from corteco (that got replaced as well).
The GLK front differential doesn't have fill plug. The drain plug is identical to transmission plug so we used the same screw-in adapter to pump about 550ml in (500ml came out from the front diff), then unscrew adapter and quickly plugged. Took 20min.
Rear diff was non-event with drain and fill plugs like in many videos (no crush washers and replacement plugs necessary). It took full 1L of fluid (keep in mind that hand pumps can’t get the full bottle emptied). Both diff fluids were pretty dark with 90k miles on them. Not a bad idea to flush them with with the 2nd transmission service.
10 year transmission mount was a bit softer and had a bit more play then then the new OEM from corteco (that got replaced as well).
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Hi, I bought a 2011 GLK350 4Matic at 70k miles. I don't think the gear oil has been changed before. I just changed the rear differential fluid and want to do it for the front differential and transfer case. Is there a write-up or video indicating how to access the fill and drain bolts of the front differential and transfer case in the 4Matic car? Thanks.
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Joined: Apr 2019
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From: Bay Area, CA
2010 E550 Base & 2011 GLK350 4Matic
I just called the dealer and they told me that transmission was serviced at 40k miles. Since Marek mentioned that transfer case is part of the transmission, I assumed that the fluid inside the transfer case got drained as well, right? I will service the transmission again since it reaches about 71k today. This is a great forum. Appreciation to all the people who helps out others!
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 379
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From: Jersey Shore
2012 GLK
From reading the forum here, it seems like more often than not, most dealers will not do the TQ. At 40k since service it wouldnt hurt to do it between now and the next 10,000 miles. Inspect your pan closely near the the drain plug, if there is bubbling under the paint, order a new replacement pan for when you do the service. Servicing the front and rear diff are pretty simple as outlined in the other thread.
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From: Bay Area, CA
2010 E550 Base & 2011 GLK350 4Matic
Any one try flushing their ATF as Tasos advised? I didn't quite catch the whole process...Should we run the engine to pump out the old fluid a little (say 1 quart) at a time, and fill in new fluid from the drain bolt little at a time?
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From: Northern NJ
GLK 350 / Porsche 993
Any one try flushing their ATF as Tasos advised? I didn't quite catch the whole process...Should we run the engine to pump out the old fluid a little (say 1 quart) at a time, and fill in new fluid from the drain bolt little at a time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knZvcZ-Ev0A&t=127s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knZvcZ-Ev0A&t=127s
That will get most of the old fluid out. If you repeat this in 50k miles you will have pretty fresh stuff all the time, and much fresher than what MB recommends.
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2019
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From: Bay Area, CA
2010 E550 Base & 2011 GLK350 4Matic
Can anyone share the crankshaft bolt size of M272 and M273 engine? I didn't have the right size socket and ended up using a Flathead screw driver to pry the flywheel, in order to get access to the drain bolt of torque converter. Thanks.
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From: Northern NJ
GLK 350 / Porsche 993
some big bolt...might be 26mm. Socket works best.
