pointman

noticed a small puddle of red fluid in the garage. located front end of car, close to middle. red in color... what is it?!? Roadside charge for this????

Kar don

def trans fluid... could be a leaking trans cooling line.

pointman

damn. Thanks Al! guess i gotta wait another three weeks to bring it in.

saturnstyl

Most likely you will find the transmission connector leaking. We have a bad rash of them right now. Very easy to fix, roadside won't do it though.
Speaking of which, I just started doing roadside for the first time. And it snowed. I have been driving my *** off in the worst possible weather/traffic combo. Every time I sit down, I get another page..... Big money in this though!
BTW... The ML350 has worse brakes, and it handles funny with all that wieght in it. Of course, is there anything you wanted to know about your ML, such as how much air you can get crossing a speed bump?

pointman

thanks Saturn! i hope the dealer takes me in quick about this one.

Darkmann

driver's side rail were pretty wet. It was diagnosed several days later as tranny line needing new crush washers. The RO also said the leak was coming from a washer on bell housing bolt. The initial diagnosis consisted of running a dye through the system and the truck was returned to me to drive for a few days. The nailed it when I brought it back. As far as labor, it depends whether or not you have to go through the dye thing. If Saturnstyl is right, it should be an easy fix. Take a look under the truck - the pan should be quite wet by now.

pointman

thanks Darkmann. there is also a metal on metal sound coming from the truck. i am worried. plus i have to drive home which is a 30 mile trip one way.... damn.

Darkmann

I hope it's not from the tranny That'll be bad. If it's not the tranny, not the brakes and not motor related, it could be a whole bunch of things. My immediate thought would be a loose suspension component. I hope for your sake that it's as simple as that, otherwise you will not be doing that trip back home in the ML. You may just have to have it checked tomorrow, for peace of mind. Keep us posted.

pointman

thanks, im a little worried. i was gonna bring out my other car today, but since the light snow i decided to take the ml... waht a mistake.

Kar don

that sucks pointman. What is the metal on metal coming from? When the trans shifts?

00ML430 Bulldog

Damn.....Metal on metal does not sound good....when the tranny makes that kind of sound it is tearing itself apart internally. On the bright side you have warrranty coverage. Do not drive it... have it towed to the dealer for repairs.

pointman

No, on regular startup... a clanging noise.

pointman

hey guys! thanks for all the help! I had it flatbedded to the dealer this morning. supposedly it was a o-ring that got warped. as the dealer told me, it is supposedly a regular complaint on the ml's. so after a new o-ring and some tranny fluid i am a-okay. supposedly no damage was done. we'll see. i have a 100k warranty, so im not too worried.

saturnstyl

It was the tranny connector, which is common on ALL mercedes with a 722.6 transmission. 2 O-rings must be replaced, and there have been various styles of o-rings, and connector modifications over the years.

Darkmann

Cool dude. I'm glad that was painless - well, sort of!!! So what happened to the metal-to-metal noise at start-up?

pointman

hmm, interesting. so it sounds like this could be a repeat problem then?

pointman

according to the dealer it was "probably cause its cold outside, i wouldnt worry." So i say, "excuse me???!!!" he says "bring it back if it gets worse!"

I didnt feel like fighting today so i just left.

greenm

Saturnstyl is correct. My wife's 05' ML500SE had this leak at 5,000 miles. It was an electrical connector in the trans. housing. Dealer replaced it, no more leaks.