MSG 55G

I thought working on these cars aren’t that complicated but after researching on how to check your transmission fluid takes an act of a small miracle as it seems. Pulling out and hooking up your STAR or aiming an infrared laser blaster to check trans temp to be at exactly 80c in order to get an accurate dipstick tool reading is no easy task man! Luckily you only have to do this procedure once in awhile.

SilverE5588

I didn't think it was too bad . I bought the trans. dipstick from fcp euro , checked my fluid cold & drove the car for about 20mins to get a baseline if my level was correct first. My level was spot on , caught all the old fluid (which was about 3.5qts.) and haven't had any issues. Plan on doing about 3 drain and fills with some driving in between .

kiluminati616

Thanks for the DIY - just did this today and it was pretty easy. I started with about 3.5L but after my 20min drive was still a decent amount below the 80C minimum line. Ended up adding the entire 4th bottle so about 4.25 quarts and I’m now right at the max line. I’d prefer to have it somewhere in between but should be fine. So a word to the wise - top off slowly as it doesn’t take much to bring the level up.

cannawhat

Hey guys,

I am having some issues when trying to change the transmission fluid.

When emptying the fluid, I could not accurately measure the oil that came out due to the fact that the drain plug was stripped. I did however add 3.5 qts and it turned out not enough. I could feel it was not engaging Reverse and drive easily. I came back and measured and the level was definitely low. I then added a qt, and that definitely made the shifts smoother however I am now not getting a reading in the dipstick tool.

Any ideas?

SICAMG

It will take 4.75 if you drop the pan and filter.

E55Merc

Great info, just in the process of doing my transmission. I noticed the brown fluid that came out compared to the red fluid that I got from the dealer. OP mentioned the same thing, but I’ve never seen fluid go from this red to the brown that it is. Is this correct? I know BMW uses a brownish ATF fluid on some of their cars, and there is zero hint of red in the old trans fluid so I’m afraid of mixing two different oils. Is this an issue? Does Mercedes use some brown trans oils or only the red? Thanks for your help.

SICAMG

It's brown because it is dirty/burned and that is the color it changes to as well as age/heat. Normal so to speak so no worry's.

E55Merc

Thanks SICAMG. I thought there’d still be an undertone of red in the oil but I guess not, so I’ll go with it.