Gearbox Oil

[Paul Rushton]

My father-in-law has had the dreaded leaking radiator into gearbox problem. Thus he now needs a new torque converter etc. A friend of his is a merc mechanic and has asked us to get hold of the parts. We are going to try a flush first with new radiator and new gearbox oil before forking out for a new torqueconverter.

My question is:

What type of gearbox oil do we need. I beleive we need 8 litres but with not having much experience of gearbox oils what rating or type do we need. I assume they are similar to engine oil with ratings and types.

The car is a W203 2002 C180 Automatic

Thanks in advance.

 

[panason1c]

Only use MB atf fluid.......buy it from the MB dealer, Do NOT use any other type of oil.

 

[Paul Rushton]

We've just been to the oil refinery near us and they've looked in their books and have the exact model listed and bought 10 litres from them. That's got me a bit worried now. Why should we only use MB. This is to the same standard as MB surely there's no difference?

 

[Richard Moakes]

Can't say I am convinced about MB proprietary fluids, they don't make them, someone else always does.

I needed ZH-M fluid for my R129, an absolute fortune from the dealer, some research turned up that it is made by Aral Vitamol, and that Febi Bilstein resell it via German and Swedish. Saved myself a tidy sum, and got the real stuff.

If the specification of what you put in your gearbox matches the requirements stated by Mercedes, then it surely can't be wrong? I guess the problem maybe finding out the exact MB specification, rather than just a part number.

 

[panason1c]

We've just been to the oil refinery near us and they've looked in their books and have the exact model listed and bought 10 litres from them. That's got me a bit worried now. Why should we only use MB. This is to the same standard as MB surely there's no difference?

There probably are alternative oils out there that match MB's specification, but at circa £8 per litre for the 'proper stuff' it really isnt worth putting anything else into your very expensive transmission, in my opinion, and putting in the MB oil brand gives peace of mind should a problem develop that you will know that it isnt anything to do with 'wrong' spec oil.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

If you can source cheaper oil for the test its worth doing but I would only run MB auto fluid in the long term. Try MB parts online for a discount.

http://www.mercedes-benz-parts.co.uk/

 

[Shawny69]

Hi,

I am having the same problem & have just got the glycol test to confirm the problem, so I would be interested if you can say whether this new rad & flush works at all, was it a genuine radiator or third party?

Any other thoughts on where best to take the car for the work would be appreciated, I am in Cheshire

 

[television]

It is imperative these days that you use the correct oils these day owing to the additives in them

The list is here

722.600/601/604/605/606/607/608/609/611/614/616/617/618/629/634/639/660/661/662/664/665/666//661/662/664/665/689/695/699/996.

for new box 7.5 litres (+0.5)

MB 236.10 ATF A001 989 2303...MB 236.10 001 989 2103..........

Shell ATF 3403-M 115

 

[hmang]

It is imperative these days that you use the correct oils these day owing to the additives in them

The list is here

722.600/601/604/605/606/607/608/609/611/614/616/617/618/629/634/639/660/661/662/664/665/666//661/662/664/665/689/695/699/996.

for new box 7.5 litres (+0.5)

MB 236.10 ATF A001 989 2303...MB 236.10 001 989 2103..........

Shell ATF 3403-M 115

what does that shell atf cost malcolm ?
i just got some merc atf A 001 989 21 03 10 for my 722.6 equiped cars at under £7 / litre from my dealer.

how does that compare ?

 

[Mr Teddy Bear]

I think you did a reasonable deal there bearing in mind that Shell Lubricants are expensive too and rarely discounted. The sticking point for me is that the 722.6 box fluid is claimed to be a Fully Synthetic Product, although the bottle doesnt mention that of course...................

There is a thread on here somewhere that discusses this issue in depth with a posting from a Merc Techician in the States showing various examples of sump contents to be used as a Go-nogo gauge?

TB

 

[nickcc101]

Can someone advise please. All the info on specific 7226 gearbox's does not include my box 722615. What is the spec and capacity for my box. I am also looking to fit a seperate oil cooler to remove the risk of coolant contamination, if any member has done this mod i would be grateful for any advice. My car is a late 2001 C180 W203 estate non turbo.

 

[television]

The list is here for the box fluids

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=25558

Do a google search on oil coolers and you get things like this

http://www.speedflow.co.uk/help06.htm