2007 E63 722.9 Valve Body Clean DIY
05-31-2020, 03:38 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
2007 E63 722.9 Valve Body Clean DIY
Hello there all!! Before I attempt to fix the Rear Main Seal in my E63 NA, I was thinking that I might have the Tranny rebuilt since in addition to the Rear Main, I'll be replacing both Flex discs, all rear Subframe Bushings, install new hubs, Flanges Rotors, Brakes, Airsprings and shocks! But after speaking with a Mercedes Transmission Specialist, I was persuaded against this attempt of preventative maintanence. As he said, since I don't really experience any problems now, there's no guarantee that one wouldn't rear its ugly head if he were to open up the box and, say, just replace the K1 Clutch, for example, since doing so would require STAR/DAS to reevaluate, and due to my not being sure the STAR/DAS I received from Shardul has this option ( when I tried to access these parameters it appeared in "Simulation Mode"), I decided against it, for now.
Never one to try avoid trying to improve while "I"m there", I instead decided to deep clean the 722.9 Valve Body. When attempting to remove it, don't be fooled by those videos that tell you simply to shake it back it forth gently!!! For one, the VGS Conductor Plate Electrical Connection, on the front passenger side, that sticks up through a hole out of the Tranny will most likely require more than just a little persuasion by way of a plastic lever. I ended up nixing the lever and instead pulled hard back and forth as well as pulling/pushing in a circular fashion to loosen its fitting to the hole. But while your doing this, be mindful of shifter detant on the rear Driver side! You'll notice a slightly curved fork-like thingy with a roller bearing attached between its tongs that itself is "locked" on the bottom side of the Shifter "Gear?" Above this is a manual (ROD) Shift receiver with a grooved slot in it which allows it to be controlled back and forth within the Valve body by a pin which extends horizontally from that same shift gear, only facing inboard! I mention this because above this, extending rearward above the pin and attached to the plastic VGS Conductor Plate is a part of the magnetic sensor which detects a change in presumably Park, R, N, Drive. So when your gently prying out the Electrical connection, Do NOT just yank it downward as you MUST also have a hand on this driver-side rear corner of the Valve body to negotiate downward from that Pin but also, after doing this, twist the Valve body slightly driver's side up in order to clear the magnetic sensor!!
I recommend bracing the driver-side rearward corner of the Valve Body to prevent it from being pulled down whilst you pry the electrical connection loose! It will happen suddenly, so also prepare for not allowing this to pop all the way downward too!
If if you looked at the video to rebuild the VB, it's pretty straightforward. I had bought 3 bottles of MAP Spray Cleaner but only needed 2. I took a picture of the Valve body solenoid, but after laying them out in identical pattern to left of the Valve body sitting in a Large Aluminium cooking sheet, I was easily able to reposition them appropriately upon rebuild. I also had a toothbrush and a few capfuls of Tranny Fluid to act as a cleaning agent to the Valves themselves. I wasn't comfortable blasting them with MAP Cleaner, so instead I wiped each off with blue shop towels, used MAP Cleaner (Brakleen would have sufficed for this) to rub off metallic residue from the body of each Valve and then wiped off the bottom screen by simply rotating the Valve with one hand on the finger of my other hand aside the towel to remove dirty residue. Then soaked the Valve in Tranny Fluid whilst gently using the toothbrush to clean not only the bottom screen but also the screen seen going around the perimeter of the Valve. I had a magnifying glass to help see if there were any metallic fragments in the screens.
After setting the Valves aside, I removed the VGS Conductor Plate first. I cut off a piece of a box and made a diagram of the placement of the VGS attachment bolts, inserted the bolts in holes cut in the box. I might mention all these bolts have washers on them, different from all the others on both side of the VB. Once removed, I gently cleaned it with the MAF cleaner and set aside.
Next thing to remove is the manual Shift Rod that has that slot in it that connects to the Gear Pin which is governed by the Shift inside the car. This rod has a magnetic head that resides in a slot below the white magnetic Gear selector on the VGS Conductor Plate. Slide this rod carefully out and clean off the magnet which will most likely be corroded with metallic residue.
Then I turned over the Valve body to remove that fork-like Shifter thing on the bottom! It appears to be connected by two bolts, BUT it's important to note here that it's only one small bolt, the forward side is connected by way of a dowel pin recessed in the Valve body!! Once the fork is removed, keep this dowel in there for now as it's the same that acts as a positioning guide for both halves of the upper and lower Valve body. Remember this fork will be the last thing you install so note how that the dowel fits perfectly in the recess of the fork. Fit it in there first and position the bolt through the hole while you push the dowel in and line up the bolt and tighten! I had forgotten about it! After cleaning and putting all back together I was scratching my head as I could see the one bolt but didn't remember this dowel. It was confusing because the dowel was fully retracted. Only after using a magnet did the dowel come out and then I realized how it fit in the recess of the fork thingy! I could have easily lost this dowel while cleaning if I hadn't set aside, not now, but while your about to separate the Valve Body halves later.
Then remove the 30+ bolts on that side before flipping it over topside again to remove the 4 bolts only that still keep it together. All of these bolts are the same, so no need to be careful separating them. NOTE: before removing any bolts, I marked several, then untorqued it and measured how many inch lbs it took to tighten them to the same mark! The video mentions 85 inch lbs, BUT I measured approximately 60! More on this later!
Once all bolts are removed and the Valve body is sitting topside, being that there is a dowel (the same dowel that attaches to the fork!) you rotate the upper Valve body around the dowel while holding the metallic Gasket in place and on top of the lower Valve body which hold ALL the 14 steel ***** as well as 2 rubber *****! You don't want to lose these! So after removing the Upper Valve body, I cleaned it thoroughly with the MAF Cleaner and set it aside.
Next up is the Lower Valve body, so you remove that dowel and set it aside and slide the Gasket off being careful to keep it Level while you do so as you don't want to pull up and mistakenly cause one of those steel ***** to pop out somewhere! Once the Gasket is removed I thoroughly cleaned it with MAF Cleaner (Brakleen could definitely have been used here as there obviously are no Valves to worry about).
I was able to find online a diagram of the positioning of all the 14 steel ***** and two rubber *****. With this on my iPad I watched that video and paused every time they guy was inserting the *****. I can confirm the diagram is legit! So I removed all the ***** with a magnet. No need to scribe a mark where they came out with the diagram in hand. Once it's all clean, it's way more obvious than it is when filled up with dirty oil! After removing all *****, I thoroughly cleaned with MAF Cleaner. This part of the Valve body was obviously the dirtiest but is easily cleaned with MAF.
Since I didn’t replace any valves, this doesn’t mean I didn’t inspect a couple that are “easy” to get to. All I can say is that after 14 years, some 100k mi, these valves are pretty buff! The springs seemed to be just fine and the valve themselves, at least those I saw, were not corroded! I took a straight pick to contract all that I could and then see how they click back in place due to the spring. All seemed to work as they should.
Rebuilding is straightforward. Insert all steel ***** carefully as well as the two rubber/plastic ones according to the diagram ( I couldn't attach diagram from iBook??). Position the now clean Gasket on top of the Lower Valve body and insert the now cleaned and lubed dowel pin in the lower half. Remember this dowel is the same used in the Shift Fork thingy!! Position the Upper Valve body on top off the Gasket aligning it on the dowel and install those 4 bolts only hand tight. Flip over the Valve body and insert all bolts hand tight (by hand tight I mean gently drive them home with your hand drill to gently to snug them in place. Then starting from the center snug them further tighten all bolts going gradually outward, say to 25 inch/lbs. I did this rather than torquing them all to spec at first. After this I torqued them all to about 60 inch/lbs. in fact, while doing this, I experienced some bolts that wouldn't allow my Torque Bar to click!! So rather than ignore it I would only go a little further and then stop. On one bolt in particular it was clear it was stripped but it still held the bolt! I was thinking of using locktight on it but thought against it as I was concerned of it perhaps contaminating the box however a new Valve body is probably going to be installed at next Tranny Oil change!!
Then flip the VB over again and tighten those 4 bolts topside. Again, for me, I tightened to approx 60 ft/lbs. My version of WIS has no info on torque settings nor any info on removing/installing the Valve body whatsoever, so prepare to measure for yourself! Now on to the rest. First insert that Shift rod with the magnetic head by lubricating it with Tranny Fluid and making sure the slot points down and the magnetic head points up and within the slot it should reside once the VGS Conductor Plate is installed next. Attach the VGS Conductor Plate on top by connecting the Outboard Sensor which has a notch in it which specifically allows it to connect and be supported structurally below. After positioning it into its slot, align it over the Valve Holes of the Upper Valve body and you'll notice the VGS itself has a plastic dowel protuding on its underside for Alignment purposes. Once aligned use those bolts ( as set aside above ) to attach same to Valve body. Make sure the magnetic shift rod sits in its slot below the VGS Conductor Plate as mentioned. Tighten accordingly.
Next up is re-inserting the Valves. One at a time, I relubed each and insert them carefully in pairs along with each pairs locking bracket. I inspected each as well and saw no rips nor disfigurement of each rubber seal, but I had not ordered such kit to begin with?? Once installed, tighten each bracket accordingly. At this point you'll have that shift fork thingy ( remember it's dowel is recessed in the VB ) which needs to be installed. You can do this any way you like but I chose to position the VB vertically on its nose, if you will, as it's the end which is positioned forward when installed. The Outboard sensor, which protrudes rearward and, with it being plastic, negates the possibility of flipping the VB on this end. So I flipped the VB on its side, the now exposed shorter flat solid side and carefully balanced it this way against my chest while using a magnet to pull out that dowel pin only so far as to affix the Fork thingy firmly to it while retracting it into its bore with the one short bolt at the ready to tighten once fully retracted. This sounds more complex than it really is. If your doing this sort of stuff yourself, you’ll be well served to pay close attention to every little thing while your taking it apart so you can remember how it all goes back together. This guide should serve as a detailed reference, but it pales in comparison to noting things for yourself, but then again, it’s more information than you would find in WIS!
The last thing you should have is the plastic tube piece that's about 2 1/2 inches long which has sealing rings on each with with a skirt in the middle that enables you to switch between Sport, Manual and Conservative Mode. The skirt points upwards towards the VAlves up top. The other end fits into the Tranny at the front where there's a hole just off center on driver's side. When attempting to mount the VB, I tried, for more minutes than I care to admit , to install with that plastic piece connected to the VB first. Bear in mind, I had already repaired the Rear Main Seal and thus had installed the transmission, so I was on my back under the car while attempting this! I may have been better served had I just flipped the Tranny Upside down to mount the Valve Body! The problem I was having was that once I got the Shift rod lined up (Bear in mind, you may have to manually shift from Park to Neutral to allow for the Gear Shift Pin to be drawn rearward enough to allow for the TCM Board to first clear the Gear Shift Pin and then make sure to manually align the shifter Rod, that is in the Valve Body, to the Gear Shift Pin, it’s obvious they are meant to fit together!) along with making sure the Outboard sensor is carefully positioned in its spot, I was unable to drive home the Electrical Connection, not even close as this tube was butting up against the forward side of the hole it was to align with, keeping me from being able to properly seat the VB! So being that I was on my back on a Creeper and admittedly loosing strength I gently pulled out the VB and decided to remove this tube piece from the the Valve Body and instead shove it in the hole of the Tranny first with its "skirt" pointing upwards! I then went through all the points mentioned to align things up and once I got my head in place from below to push upwards carefully lining up the VB with both that Tube and the Electrical Connection and then gently pushed it upwards and it engaged No Problem!! Of course I don't know for sure until I get it on the road again,as there was no way to see it go into its bore of the VB, but it felt smooth and certain, if you get my drift. (Ok, I’ve driven her and with the 3.06 Gears in the diff as well as with the reprogramming and addition of “A” Mode, I can say it performs amazing! So this method definitely worked!). Of course I lubed this fitting on both ends first with oil and also fully cleaned the electrical Connection hole first and then lubed it with Tranny Fluid. Then keeping pressure on the VB from below with one hand, I hade all 10 attachment bolts at the ready and hand tightened first and the used the drill to drive them snug. Two first loosely on one side then same on the other. Then put all the others in place and do same snugging gradually again making sure the Shift detant in in place in its Pin and the fork on its Gear and proceed tightening to approx 60 inch/lbs and then some.
Then you connect the Oil Filter by lubing it up first and then attach (snap) the plastic Tranny Oil Level tube to the drain hole. Then attach the oil pan being sure to clean the edges of the Tranny where the pan Gasket affixes to. WIS Calls for 4Nt/Mt + 180*
I hope this helps those of you that perhaps might never attempt to try doing this for yourself!
Never one to try avoid trying to improve while "I"m there", I instead decided to deep clean the 722.9 Valve Body. When attempting to remove it, don't be fooled by those videos that tell you simply to shake it back it forth gently!!! For one, the VGS Conductor Plate Electrical Connection, on the front passenger side, that sticks up through a hole out of the Tranny will most likely require more than just a little persuasion by way of a plastic lever. I ended up nixing the lever and instead pulled hard back and forth as well as pulling/pushing in a circular fashion to loosen its fitting to the hole. But while your doing this, be mindful of shifter detant on the rear Driver side! You'll notice a slightly curved fork-like thingy with a roller bearing attached between its tongs that itself is "locked" on the bottom side of the Shifter "Gear?" Above this is a manual (ROD) Shift receiver with a grooved slot in it which allows it to be controlled back and forth within the Valve body by a pin which extends horizontally from that same shift gear, only facing inboard! I mention this because above this, extending rearward above the pin and attached to the plastic VGS Conductor Plate is a part of the magnetic sensor which detects a change in presumably Park, R, N, Drive. So when your gently prying out the Electrical connection, Do NOT just yank it downward as you MUST also have a hand on this driver-side rear corner of the Valve body to negotiate downward from that Pin but also, after doing this, twist the Valve body slightly driver's side up in order to clear the magnetic sensor!!
I recommend bracing the driver-side rearward corner of the Valve Body to prevent it from being pulled down whilst you pry the electrical connection loose! It will happen suddenly, so also prepare for not allowing this to pop all the way downward too!
If if you looked at the video to rebuild the VB, it's pretty straightforward. I had bought 3 bottles of MAP Spray Cleaner but only needed 2. I took a picture of the Valve body solenoid, but after laying them out in identical pattern to left of the Valve body sitting in a Large Aluminium cooking sheet, I was easily able to reposition them appropriately upon rebuild. I also had a toothbrush and a few capfuls of Tranny Fluid to act as a cleaning agent to the Valves themselves. I wasn't comfortable blasting them with MAP Cleaner, so instead I wiped each off with blue shop towels, used MAP Cleaner (Brakleen would have sufficed for this) to rub off metallic residue from the body of each Valve and then wiped off the bottom screen by simply rotating the Valve with one hand on the finger of my other hand aside the towel to remove dirty residue. Then soaked the Valve in Tranny Fluid whilst gently using the toothbrush to clean not only the bottom screen but also the screen seen going around the perimeter of the Valve. I had a magnifying glass to help see if there were any metallic fragments in the screens.
After setting the Valves aside, I removed the VGS Conductor Plate first. I cut off a piece of a box and made a diagram of the placement of the VGS attachment bolts, inserted the bolts in holes cut in the box. I might mention all these bolts have washers on them, different from all the others on both side of the VB. Once removed, I gently cleaned it with the MAF cleaner and set aside.
Next thing to remove is the manual Shift Rod that has that slot in it that connects to the Gear Pin which is governed by the Shift inside the car. This rod has a magnetic head that resides in a slot below the white magnetic Gear selector on the VGS Conductor Plate. Slide this rod carefully out and clean off the magnet which will most likely be corroded with metallic residue.
Then I turned over the Valve body to remove that fork-like Shifter thing on the bottom! It appears to be connected by two bolts, BUT it's important to note here that it's only one small bolt, the forward side is connected by way of a dowel pin recessed in the Valve body!! Once the fork is removed, keep this dowel in there for now as it's the same that acts as a positioning guide for both halves of the upper and lower Valve body. Remember this fork will be the last thing you install so note how that the dowel fits perfectly in the recess of the fork. Fit it in there first and position the bolt through the hole while you push the dowel in and line up the bolt and tighten! I had forgotten about it! After cleaning and putting all back together I was scratching my head as I could see the one bolt but didn't remember this dowel. It was confusing because the dowel was fully retracted. Only after using a magnet did the dowel come out and then I realized how it fit in the recess of the fork thingy! I could have easily lost this dowel while cleaning if I hadn't set aside, not now, but while your about to separate the Valve Body halves later.
Then remove the 30+ bolts on that side before flipping it over topside again to remove the 4 bolts only that still keep it together. All of these bolts are the same, so no need to be careful separating them. NOTE: before removing any bolts, I marked several, then untorqued it and measured how many inch lbs it took to tighten them to the same mark! The video mentions 85 inch lbs, BUT I measured approximately 60! More on this later!
Once all bolts are removed and the Valve body is sitting topside, being that there is a dowel (the same dowel that attaches to the fork!) you rotate the upper Valve body around the dowel while holding the metallic Gasket in place and on top of the lower Valve body which hold ALL the 14 steel ***** as well as 2 rubber *****! You don't want to lose these! So after removing the Upper Valve body, I cleaned it thoroughly with the MAF Cleaner and set it aside.
Next up is the Lower Valve body, so you remove that dowel and set it aside and slide the Gasket off being careful to keep it Level while you do so as you don't want to pull up and mistakenly cause one of those steel ***** to pop out somewhere! Once the Gasket is removed I thoroughly cleaned it with MAF Cleaner (Brakleen could definitely have been used here as there obviously are no Valves to worry about).
I was able to find online a diagram of the positioning of all the 14 steel ***** and two rubber *****. With this on my iPad I watched that video and paused every time they guy was inserting the *****. I can confirm the diagram is legit! So I removed all the ***** with a magnet. No need to scribe a mark where they came out with the diagram in hand. Once it's all clean, it's way more obvious than it is when filled up with dirty oil! After removing all *****, I thoroughly cleaned with MAF Cleaner. This part of the Valve body was obviously the dirtiest but is easily cleaned with MAF.
Since I didn’t replace any valves, this doesn’t mean I didn’t inspect a couple that are “easy” to get to. All I can say is that after 14 years, some 100k mi, these valves are pretty buff! The springs seemed to be just fine and the valve themselves, at least those I saw, were not corroded! I took a straight pick to contract all that I could and then see how they click back in place due to the spring. All seemed to work as they should.
Rebuilding is straightforward. Insert all steel ***** carefully as well as the two rubber/plastic ones according to the diagram ( I couldn't attach diagram from iBook??). Position the now clean Gasket on top of the Lower Valve body and insert the now cleaned and lubed dowel pin in the lower half. Remember this dowel is the same used in the Shift Fork thingy!! Position the Upper Valve body on top off the Gasket aligning it on the dowel and install those 4 bolts only hand tight. Flip over the Valve body and insert all bolts hand tight (by hand tight I mean gently drive them home with your hand drill to gently to snug them in place. Then starting from the center snug them further tighten all bolts going gradually outward, say to 25 inch/lbs. I did this rather than torquing them all to spec at first. After this I torqued them all to about 60 inch/lbs. in fact, while doing this, I experienced some bolts that wouldn't allow my Torque Bar to click!! So rather than ignore it I would only go a little further and then stop. On one bolt in particular it was clear it was stripped but it still held the bolt! I was thinking of using locktight on it but thought against it as I was concerned of it perhaps contaminating the box however a new Valve body is probably going to be installed at next Tranny Oil change!!
Then flip the VB over again and tighten those 4 bolts topside. Again, for me, I tightened to approx 60 ft/lbs. My version of WIS has no info on torque settings nor any info on removing/installing the Valve body whatsoever, so prepare to measure for yourself! Now on to the rest. First insert that Shift rod with the magnetic head by lubricating it with Tranny Fluid and making sure the slot points down and the magnetic head points up and within the slot it should reside once the VGS Conductor Plate is installed next. Attach the VGS Conductor Plate on top by connecting the Outboard Sensor which has a notch in it which specifically allows it to connect and be supported structurally below. After positioning it into its slot, align it over the Valve Holes of the Upper Valve body and you'll notice the VGS itself has a plastic dowel protuding on its underside for Alignment purposes. Once aligned use those bolts ( as set aside above ) to attach same to Valve body. Make sure the magnetic shift rod sits in its slot below the VGS Conductor Plate as mentioned. Tighten accordingly.
Next up is re-inserting the Valves. One at a time, I relubed each and insert them carefully in pairs along with each pairs locking bracket. I inspected each as well and saw no rips nor disfigurement of each rubber seal, but I had not ordered such kit to begin with?? Once installed, tighten each bracket accordingly. At this point you'll have that shift fork thingy ( remember it's dowel is recessed in the VB ) which needs to be installed. You can do this any way you like but I chose to position the VB vertically on its nose, if you will, as it's the end which is positioned forward when installed. The Outboard sensor, which protrudes rearward and, with it being plastic, negates the possibility of flipping the VB on this end. So I flipped the VB on its side, the now exposed shorter flat solid side and carefully balanced it this way against my chest while using a magnet to pull out that dowel pin only so far as to affix the Fork thingy firmly to it while retracting it into its bore with the one short bolt at the ready to tighten once fully retracted. This sounds more complex than it really is. If your doing this sort of stuff yourself, you’ll be well served to pay close attention to every little thing while your taking it apart so you can remember how it all goes back together. This guide should serve as a detailed reference, but it pales in comparison to noting things for yourself, but then again, it’s more information than you would find in WIS!
The last thing you should have is the plastic tube piece that's about 2 1/2 inches long which has sealing rings on each with with a skirt in the middle that enables you to switch between Sport, Manual and Conservative Mode. The skirt points upwards towards the VAlves up top. The other end fits into the Tranny at the front where there's a hole just off center on driver's side. When attempting to mount the VB, I tried, for more minutes than I care to admit , to install with that plastic piece connected to the VB first. Bear in mind, I had already repaired the Rear Main Seal and thus had installed the transmission, so I was on my back under the car while attempting this! I may have been better served had I just flipped the Tranny Upside down to mount the Valve Body! The problem I was having was that once I got the Shift rod lined up (Bear in mind, you may have to manually shift from Park to Neutral to allow for the Gear Shift Pin to be drawn rearward enough to allow for the TCM Board to first clear the Gear Shift Pin and then make sure to manually align the shifter Rod, that is in the Valve Body, to the Gear Shift Pin, it’s obvious they are meant to fit together!) along with making sure the Outboard sensor is carefully positioned in its spot, I was unable to drive home the Electrical Connection, not even close as this tube was butting up against the forward side of the hole it was to align with, keeping me from being able to properly seat the VB! So being that I was on my back on a Creeper and admittedly loosing strength I gently pulled out the VB and decided to remove this tube piece from the the Valve Body and instead shove it in the hole of the Tranny first with its "skirt" pointing upwards! I then went through all the points mentioned to align things up and once I got my head in place from below to push upwards carefully lining up the VB with both that Tube and the Electrical Connection and then gently pushed it upwards and it engaged No Problem!! Of course I don't know for sure until I get it on the road again,as there was no way to see it go into its bore of the VB, but it felt smooth and certain, if you get my drift. (Ok, I’ve driven her and with the 3.06 Gears in the diff as well as with the reprogramming and addition of “A” Mode, I can say it performs amazing! So this method definitely worked!). Of course I lubed this fitting on both ends first with oil and also fully cleaned the electrical Connection hole first and then lubed it with Tranny Fluid. Then keeping pressure on the VB from below with one hand, I hade all 10 attachment bolts at the ready and hand tightened first and the used the drill to drive them snug. Two first loosely on one side then same on the other. Then put all the others in place and do same snugging gradually again making sure the Shift detant in in place in its Pin and the fork on its Gear and proceed tightening to approx 60 inch/lbs and then some.
Then you connect the Oil Filter by lubing it up first and then attach (snap) the plastic Tranny Oil Level tube to the drain hole. Then attach the oil pan being sure to clean the edges of the Tranny where the pan Gasket affixes to. WIS Calls for 4Nt/Mt + 180*
I hope this helps those of you that perhaps might never attempt to try doing this for yourself!
Last edited by E63007; 01-28-2023 at 05:53 PM.
