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Lately has been really busy at work, stupid COVID Haven't had time to update the build thread. Last month, there was about 2 weeks in where I live was like -40 degree. I think the super cold weather cracked my transfer case seal. While I was driving, I can hear the "hmmm hmmm" sound, every time I let off the accelerator. At first, I was suspected it was something to do with my suspension, but it turns out my transfer case was leaking and the transfer case fluid was low and it black! My mechanic helped me topped up the fluid and the noise was gone. My mechanic quoted me 10 hours labour plus the rebuild kit for the transfer case. The bill to fix the transfer case is probably gonna be around $1500(parts and labour). My mechanic suspected the seal cannot seal good during extreme cold weather, but it should be fine once the weather returns normal. I decided to try the AT205 product. It has some decent reviews on YouTube and Amazon. Although some reviews reported that the product actually makes leak worst, but I decided to give a shot. So far, I didn't see any leak after I changed the fluid. I will probably check again on my next oil change. Here are some pictures I took when I did the transfer case fluid change.
I got the transfer case fluid from FCP euro. I guess from now on, my fluid change parts will be free. I got a box of washer and the product AT205 from amazon. This is my transfer case. It looks pretty clean, it doesn't look like it leaking anymore. Hopefully it will stay the same. I think from now on, I will change the transfer case fluid more often The generic washer is little thicker than the OEM. but it turns out ok when I installed When install the plugs, make sure the washer are sitting in the center This pump is pretty amazing. It came with 2 different type of seal for different kind of fluid. I got it from FCP euro as well. Black seals for ATF and Diff fluid Grey seals for break fluid I really hope this AT-205 re-seal works. For $25 CAD, it really worth a shot The ML350 transfer case still use the red fluid. I wonder if I can use the new blue fluid, don't know if that will make it better or worse, but for now, I used what Mercedes recommended, the red fluid.
My ML350 now almost has 230 000km, it started to have issues here and there. Hopefully nothing too major and make it to 300 000 without a super expansive bill
Last edited by GLK Super Fan; 03-23-2021 at 03:36 PM.
Reason: add more details
Recently, I have a CEL and the car was run like **** once a while. it really random. I ran my scanner and it got the following codes
I spoke with my mechanic regarding with the CEL, he suggested me to change the fuel filter and run some injector cleaner to begin with. Honestly, this is what I found from online and there is a post about a software update, which I really hope i don't have to go to the dealer for that update
By the way, the CEL codes was 13ba00 and 16b400.
This is where i found the CEL was due to software issue
Special thanks to Bhellis2. i didn't follow the dealer advice and use the Amsoil Cetane, instead, i changed the fuel filter and ran some injector cleaner
Because i changed the filter before and I got the filter from FCP euro, so even if the filter is defective, i don't have to pay for another one with their life time warranty program, but i have an issues when i submitted the claim recently. I don't know if it due to the holiday . I sent them an email, hopefully they will reply soon So tired of the Mercedes stupid fuel clamps. I even purchased the tools to remove and install the Mercedes clamps, i just don't like it. These aftermarket one works just fine and I got it from Amazon. it works amazing
The hoses clamps that I used was 12-14mm and 14-16mm. It worked perfectly fine. The only thing i hated about change the fuel filter is i have take off so many parts to get to the fuel filter. For my GLK 250, my god, take off the engine filter, then i can access the fuel filter. Here are a good video to learn how to change the fuel filter on OM642
Overall, changing the fuel filter wasn't hard. Do yourself a favor, get the fuel clamps set and do not use OEM. Be prepare to take off the the engine air filter, every single time i changed the fuel filter,i cannot get the turbo intake back, so i have to take the engine filter off to fit the turbo intake back. And stupid me , every single time i forgot to secure the turbo intake seal clamps( I think it 7mm socket). it like it happened to me like 3 times already
So far drove the car for like 500km, no check engine light came back....
Oh.. and i filled some expansive fuel
This is stupid I don't know if i can afford V-power every single time
The last time my vehicle changed the front and rear differential oil was at 150 000 km and now my vehicle is almost at 230 000 km, i guess it the time to change the fluid. And on top of that, i drove the my car really hard , like pushing to the red line every time i can. This is a good post to get the information how to change to the change fluid on W166, post number 8, special thanks to brakingbadly! Really helpful information
Rear Differential (14mm Hex socket, if you don't have it, forget it)
My god! those bolts are ***** to take off!! It was hard to take off Maybe i am old and weak, but man, it was rusted so bad,i was worry that if i will break it and have to drill it out Thank god it came out good after i used a long pry bar. And for those of you looking at this post and think that you have a 14mm hex socket, no you don't At least i don't have in my tool set. Ordered one from Amazon and this is my set up
oh, dont kid youself. this little wrench wont break the bolt i have to use my jack handle attach to the wrench to break the stupid rear diff drain the fill bolt. Be sure to break fill bolt first!!
Other than hard to break the bolts off, it wasn't hard to change the oil. Oh! no one ever take the picture of drain bolt of and fill bolt
Let look at the fill plug that i took off
This is the rear diff fill plug. Again , it a ***** to break off. Maybe mine was so rusted and didn't changed for 80, 000 km
Let look at the new plugs and old plugs differences
Now you can see how rusted my old one was
I torqued mine at 37lbs of ft of torque, i think that is the correct torque. As long as it doesn't leak, i am happy
Last edited by GLK Super Fan; 04-03-2021 at 04:40 AM.
For the front diff, it wasn't hard, it just you need the tools and little creative
This is the front diff, it just beside the engine drain bolt. the only problem is the the front diff fill bolt has limited clearance, be sure to lose that, before you loose the drain bolt
Hi GLK Super Fan. Your post is really helpful and makes me want to try doing some of the maintenance. A few questions if you do not mind. I have a 2015 ML350 bluetec, around 98k km.
-when changing the fuel filter, i am planning to change the turbo red seal and the green manifold o ring. Did you change the other small red seal that is socket into the y intake and the black o-ring at the other end of the manifold tube?
-i am also planning to use FCP, got sold on the lifetime parts. I am located in calgary, who do you use to ship the parts back? not sure if it make sense, since we pay for shipping to get the part, pay import duty, and then pay shipping to ship it all out. I bought a whole bunch, engine oil, engine filter, fuel filter, cabin carbon & pre filter, transmission kit...lol.
-i changed my front diff and the fluid was still good. as you said, that darn hex on the rear diff is obnoxious. I guess they made it that way just because. I am wondering how was the fluid when you first change it out. On a slightly off topic, a friend with bmw X5 said his diff fluid was still clear when changed out at 180k km. so i assume we should be good then, maybe...
-my transfer case fluid was bad, and am surprised the volume is so small. planning to change yearly, got sold on royal purple product, using synchromax.
-did you change your coolant? there are past posting stating the fluid is good for something like 10-12 years.
-when you go into service mode, what model does it show on your system? mine shows W166-14, which i assume it is likely 2014 model, since the car was sold on Apr 2014 according to carfax. Just wondering what year to select when sourcing parts.
-What brake pad are you planning to use? i get a lot of brake dust.
-when changing the fuel filter, i am planning to change the turbo red seal and the green manifold o ring. Did you change the other small red seal that is socket into the y intake and the black o-ring at the other end of the manifold tube?
I did changed mine when I replaced my fuel filter last year. My fuel filter was supposed to last me another year before I have to replace it. Because of the CEL, that the main reason I replaced mine. This time, i didn't brother to order a new set of seals (i really should, since all seals are covered with life time warranty) Anyway, here are the parts you will need:
Mercedes Crankcase Ventilation Line Seal - Genuine Mercedes 6420940580
Mercedes Engine Air Intake Tube O-Ring - Reinz 0149976445 (This is the part to replace the OEM green ring. I couldn't find the OEM part from FCP euro. This is the only aftermarket part that they listed for replacement. So far, this replacement part worked fine, no issues)
Mercedes Air Distribution Duct Seal - Genuine Mercedes 6420940280 (I will also recommend you to replace these two seals as well. These are the red seal that attached to your engine air filter. When I replaced mine, mine was way overdue. It was very hard compare to the new one, nice and soft)
-i am also planning to use FCP, got sold on the lifetime parts. I am located in calgary, who do you use to ship the parts back?
· Canada post ( For small package, it normally around $40 and for big package, it around $100) For example, I recently shipped back the transmission fluid kit and a fuel filter, which it cost me $100 .
not sure if it make sense, since we pay for shipping to get the part, pay import duty, and then pay shipping to ship it all out. I bought a whole bunch, engine oil, engine filter, fuel filter, cabin carbon & pre filter, transmission kit...lol.
· I personally think it will be still cheaper in a long run. And the price of the items are way cheaper than the dealership. I don't know if we have any retail stores sales euro parts in Calgary. For smaller items and light weight items, 100% worthy! Like last time I claimed few oil filters and my OEM engine air filter, I got my money back. Can't imagine buying a new one from the dealership every time.
-i changed my front diff and the fluid was still good. as you said, that darn hex on the rear diff is obnoxious. I guess they made it that way just because. I am wondering how was the fluid when you first change it out. On a slightly off topic, a friend with bmw X5 said his diff fluid was still clear when changed out at 180k km. so i assume we should be good then, maybe...
· My front and rear fluid looked ok, but when it comes to the end of the drain, i can see a dark tint on the fluid when draining out from the diffs. It not hard to do, it just painful to remove those plugs. I got those plugs from FCP euro as well, so i guess i will never pay for another diff oil change since all those parts are life time warranty. For the diff fluid, 100% worth to use FCP euro since they are like $50 CAD per bottle at the dealership
-my transfer case fluid was bad, and am surprised the volume is so small. planning to change yearly, got sold on royal purple product, using synchromax.
· I just used the OEM red fluid. Make sure you change them often before it leak. I think mine is fixed now with the AT205. last time i changed the trans fluid, i didn't notice any leak
· What is the royal purple product ?
-did you change your coolant? there are past posting stating the fluid is good for something like 10-12 years.
· Not yet, planning to do when my car hit 250 000km, wana come and give me a hand since i never changed coolant before :S Hopefully it not gonna be too hard
-when you go into service mode, what model does it show on your system? mine shows W166-14, which i assume it is likely 2014 model, since the car was sold on Apr 2014 according to carfax. Just wondering what year to select when sourcing parts.
· I entered mine as 2013 model. I think there are website we can check the parts based on our VIN
What brake pad are you planning to use? i get a lot of brake dust
· If you read this post #72, i documented down the rotors and pads I used when i changed my front brake. Watch for that caliper sensor bolt, mine fuking broke. Took me a lot off effort to remove
GLK Super Fan
Thanks for the awesome fast reply. Hope all is well with you and your family.
-thanks on the p/n. I never thought about changing the intake seal but it makes sense. i guess FCP it is, lol....
-thanks on the comment on canada post. i was searching how to ship and came accross netparcel and secureship, do not know if it is legit. Did you have to use any form to get it pass the border? i assume you claim it as "warranty" and any HS code used? I tried asking FCP to ship the replacement as warranty too, so we skip the taxes & duty, but its a no go. If only they open a branch within canada.
-the royal purple product used was synchromax. Got sold on their synerlec "technology", not sure how valid, ion charged oil so it sticks to metal or just snake oil. One thing, not all RP product have synerlec tech.
-i don't mind helping on the coolant, as long as we are not opposite ends of the city. i could get some learning. New to car wrenching treat me as green horn apprentice
-thanks on the brake pad comments. totally forgot that.
GLK Super Fan
Thanks for the awesome fast reply. Hope all is well with you and your family.
-thanks on the p/n. I never thought about changing the intake seal but it makes sense. i guess FCP it is, lol....
-thanks on the comment on canada post. i was searching how to ship and came accross netparcel and secureship, do not know if it is legit. Did you have to use any form to get it pass the border? i assume you claim it as "warranty" and any HS code used? I tried asking FCP to ship the replacement as warranty too, so we skip the taxes & duty, but its a no go. If only they open a branch within canada.
-the royal purple product used was synchromax. Got sold on their synerlec "technology", not sure how valid, ion charged oil so it sticks to metal or just snake oil. One thing, not all RP product have synerlec tech.
-i don't mind helping on the coolant, as long as we are not opposite ends of the city. i could get some learning. New to car wrenching treat me as green horn apprentice
-thanks on the brake pad comments. totally forgot that.
When you ship back your items, make sure you pack them the way they sent it to you. And make sure all the old fluid goes into the original packaging bottles (cant use a random containers). In terms for shipping, i just tell Canada post that is for warranty claim for auto parts. So far no issues
There are a lot of fine scratches on chrome part of my door handles, so i decided to get them wrap and put carbon fiber on it Here is the kit i got from AliExpress. They are pretty good quality and it about $30 CAD. You also need to get some gloss black vinyl wraps The carbon fiber came with double sided tape This is where you un screw the door handles For the driver side only, you have an extra connector to disconnect Two tiny torx screws in order to remove the chrome part Here is the other tiny torx screw Let get the wrap start Now apply the carbon fiber I love the Mercedes logo on the carbon fiber 1 down! The reason why i wrap it because it will not show anymore chrome Time to put it back Done! And i also wrapped my window trims. It turned out great
I recently changed my Transmission Fluid. This is my second time doing it on the 722.9 transmission. I did it once on my GLK, but I didn't drain the torque converter at that time. This time I did drain the torque converter. Honestly, it was very very satisfied to see extra 3L of dirty fluid coming out. Draining the torque converter was a lot more easier than I thought with the ML. All I have to do is use a 27mm socket to rotate the engine and the access hole are very easy to get to. I didn't know that there is a washer for the torque converter drain plug, so I didn't ordered an new one. I re-used the old one. Hopefully there will be no leak. The other thing is I didn't really do a good job this time since I got a call for overtime halfway while i was changing the fluid. I rushed and finished the job. I didn't even use the torque wrench to torque the 6 bolts properly. Oh well, when i did a final check, there was no leak, but i guess i will go check it again whenever I have time and not super cold. And i even invested buying one of the expansive torque wrench that has the digital display with audio alarm sound when I reach certain torque, just way too tired that day.
I used 10 Liters of fluid to do this job This OEM Tools pumps really makes the job easy. And it comes all different type of adapters I can't remember how much I spent on it, but I really like it. Well worth the money. The is the torque converter drain plug. You see the washer there. No one ever mentioned to get a new washer You have to take the engine cover and the shield off in order to access to 27mm bolt to rotate the engine. This is where you rotate your engine with the 27mm socket. The shield is secured with 2 8mm bolts This is the torque converter access hole. Very easy to access. And rotating the engine is a lot more easier than I thought.
Another thing I wasn't able to do is to flush out the old fluid from the oil cooler return line. I tried to use the pump to push the fluid into the oil cooler return line, but it wasn't successful and i got fluid all over me . Then I tried to use a extraction pump to push the fluid in, again, no luck and made a big mess. Oh well, i guess I will do more research next time and try again. I think i just need to make a tube that with a rubber head to plug the return line properly to create enough pressure to push the old fluid out.
So far I put approximately 500km on my car. The car shift a lot more smooth than before. I don't know if I ever mentioned in here. When I got my car, my car was shifting little bit rough, and the used car dealer offer me to take my car to the Mercedes dealership to look at it. Mercedes dealership indicated no fault codes stored in the transmission and they did a software update, which made the car shift a lot better. So i guess with the new software update and the transmission fluid change, my car is in a lot better shape now. I am really happy that I am able to drain the torque converter I honestly don't know why the dealership don't do it and charge like $600 for just drop the pan and replace the filter and 5 liters of fluid. It takes maybe 30 mins more to drain the torque converter. If anyone needs help, feel free to PM me.
THIS IS AN AMAZING WRITE UP! Thanks for taking the time to help us out.
I have a 2013 Mercedes Benz ML350. I wanted to know what transmission fluid I should use for the change. I’m not sure if the old fluid is red in color and I’m not sure if the new fluid comes blue? I read that ATF 134 is the correct application but I wanted to reach out to you on this question along with where you purchased the manual ATF fill pump. Thank you!! 👍👍
THIS IS AN AMAZING WRITE UP! Thanks for taking the time to help us out.
I have a 2013 Mercedes Benz ML350. I wanted to know what transmission fluid I should use for the change. I’m not sure if the old fluid is red in color and I’m not sure if the new fluid comes blue? I read that ATF 134 is the correct application but I wanted to reach out to you on this question along with where you purchased the manual ATF fill pump. Thank you!! 👍👍
The fluid in your transmission are suppose to be blue. I believe model after 2011 are all blue transmission fluid, double check with your V.I.N with fcp euro or your dealer. When you drain your old fluid, you gonna see black if you never service your transmission before, and they smell. The ATF pump i cant remember where i got it, it either from fcp euro or amazon. Make sure you get the one are specific for Mercedes
This is the problem- one container says red, other says blue 🤦♂️
I will double check to be sure, thx!
The red fluid used on our ml 350 are for the transfer case, not transmission.
You only need 1L of the red fluid to do the transfer case. I don't know how handy are you, but i would recommend get your front/rear diff and transfer case done at the same time with your transmission
I just thought of another question.
I purchased the transmission filter and gasket.
I purchased the transmission fluid for the transmission fluid change. Pentosin 1089216 ATF 134 FE
I haven't purchased the front diff, rear diff., or transfer case fluid yet.
Any suggestions? Thanks
Anthony
I just thought of another question.
I purchased the transmission filter and gasket.
I purchased the transmission fluid for the transmission fluid change. Pentosin 1089216 ATF 134 FE
I haven't purchased the front diff, rear diff., or transfer case fluid yet.
Any suggestions? Thanks
Anthony
Check this thread post #101 for transfer case, post #103 for rear diff and post #104 for front diff
How many liters did your transfer case hold?
How many liters did your front diff hold and your rear diff hold?
I'm doing the same service this week.
Great write up and thank you!
How many liters did your transfer case hold?
How many liters did your front diff hold and your rear diff hold?
I'm doing the same service this week.
Great write up and thank you!
This is what you need to order from FCP euro
Make sure you get some rubber gasket for your front diff drain and fill plugs
I'm concerned I purchased the wrong stuff.... Any thoughts? Thx!
Anthony
The transfer case fluid, u got the updated one. But somehow Mercedes still recommend the red fluid over the blue for the transfer case.
For the diff fluid, there are huge debate in the forum. Some people say it ok and some say it doesn't meet the MB requirements. I personally wont screw around with any of these fluid since the parts are expansive to replace
Just recently did a routine service on my ML @235 000 km. The car now has just over 240 000. It still running strong except the transfer case seal still leaking I don't know if it because I just topped up, the leak seems more serious lately. Like now I can notice a drop on the garage floor. So far, no weird noise from the transfer case. Last time when the transfer case fluid was low, I can hear the "humm hummm humm" noise from the transfer case. I guess that will be my signal to top up my transfer case
I just realized I mixed the 0w 30 and 5w 30 :S I normally tried to use 0w 30 in the winter and 5w 30 in the summer. Don't forget to the oil change beer additive. It makes the oil change much smoother Really not much complaint about the vehicle @235 000km I was reading on the forum and noticed people were complaining about their vehicle burnt oil in between oil change. My picture is kind of out of focus, but you can still see the oil are in between max and min after approximately 15 000 km. So my engine does not burn any oil
I got a box of windshield fluid when no frills was on sale for $2.5 each. I think it a good deal. Top it up! I really don't mind doing the routine maintenance, it just it really boring. Thank god i have the beer additive to make the process little bit more fun. Fun fact, no low windshield fluid on my ML :S, but I have that on GLK No idea what services 2 3 nor 15 means.... I am just doing an oil change Of course it a full services! I even topped up the windshield fluid so my ml recommend services in between 15 000, but my glk will display the same message, but it will immediately drop 3k, which down to 12 000. I think I may have a glitch in my GLK
This is where my transfer case is leaking. The top seal. To replace this part and 2 other seals in the transfer case. I was quoted $1500 parts and labor You can see where the transfer case fluid were leaked to the exhaust pipe. My plan right now is too keep topping it up on every oil change since the transfer case are super easy to access. This is a picture to remind myself that the transfer case is H8. Don't forget to replace the washer
03-23-2021, 02:50 PM
Haven't had time to update the build thread. Last month, there was about 2 weeks in where I live was like -40 degree. I think the super cold weather cracked my transfer case seal. While I was driving, I can hear the "hmmm hmmm" sound, every time I let off the accelerator. At first, I was suspected it was something to do with my suspension, but it turns out my transfer case was leaking and the transfer case fluid was low and it black! My mechanic helped me topped up the fluid and the noise was gone. My mechanic quoted me 10 hours labour plus the rebuild kit for the transfer case. The bill to fix the transfer case is probably gonna be around $1500(parts and labour). My mechanic suspected the seal cannot seal good during extreme cold weather, but it should be fine once the weather returns normal. I decided to try the AT205 product. It has some decent reviews on YouTube and Amazon. Although some reviews reported that the product actually makes leak worst, but I decided to give a shot. So far, I didn't see any leak after I changed the fluid. I will probably check again on my next oil change. Here are some pictures I took when I did the transfer case fluid change.
