From what I know, there were three types of transmissions in XK8/XKR:

ZF 5HP24 - in all XK8 1997-2002
Mercedes W5A 580 - in all XKR 1997-2002
ZF 6HP26 - in all XKR and XK8 starting from year 2002 (lift version)

Is this correct?
So, my XKR MY2002, before lift, has Mercedes W5A 580 transmission? Is it certain?
I am asking, because I have noticed the plate on what I think is a transmission casing.

 

Hi powell,
worry not:- that is your steering rack housing.

 

O.K., thanks, that was a quick peek at the bottom of my car and I did not recognize this properly.
So are my assumptions about transmission correct - I do have Mercedes W5A 580 in my car? Were there not any exceptions? I am thinking about ordering the filter and oil for my transmission, I do not have any build sheet for my car and Google search shows me the 5HP24 all the time

 

Just to be sure, your 2002 MY 4.0 Ltr XKR was fitted with Mercedes W5A 580 transmission from Factory.

As additional confirmation, the last 6 digits of your VIN should be between A24196 -to- A30644.

 

The list below is from one of the Mercedes forums, and details the Mercedes approved fluids. I use the Fuchs Titan 4134 and it is working very well. When I first got my XKR I tried using a fluid not in this list. The end result was a transmission that did not know its own mind, and the list of shifting anomalies is WAY too long to detail here. Putting the correct fluid in the transmission “fixed” everything.

Z

IIRC, from one of the Mercedes forums:

What Fluid Can I Use For The 722.6 Transmission?

The short answer is that you just use the genuine Mercedes ATF for the 722.6 or the 722.9 transmissions. You will not lose any sleep during the night and there are three different fluids you can use in the W210 722.6 transmission. (These fluids cost approximately $12 - 15 per liter).

MB 236.10 sheet - ATF 3403, aka 722.6 fluid (MB Part # 001-989-21-03-10)

MB 236.12 sheet - ATF 3353, aka 722.9 fluid (MB Part # 001-989-45-03-10)

MB 236.14 sheet - ATF 134 or 4134, aka "new" 722.9 fluid (MB Part # 001-989-68-03-10)

Mercedes always recommends the latest fluid for the 722.6 transmission but there is nothing wrong to use the older fluids (your car came with the 236.10 fluid).

The intermediate answer is that you can also use whatever is on the official Mercedes approved list for each spec sheet. However these fluids are not easy to find in the USA, although more vendors are starting to carry them now. Here are the ones on the (current) official approved list for each spec sheet: (These fluids can be found as low as around $10 - 12 per liter).

MB 236.10 sheet

MB 236.10 Flüssigkeitsgetriebeöl (ATF) A 001 989 21 03 Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz Getriebeöl Blatt 236.10 Daimler AG

Shell ATF 3403-M 115

(So there is only one non-Mercedes fluid on this current list).

MB 236.12 sheet

Aral Getriebeol ATF M12

Fuchs Titan ATF 3353 Fuchs

MB 236.12 ATF 3353 A 001 989 45 03 Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz Automatik-Getriebeöl Blatt 236.12 Daimler AG

Mobil ATF 3353

Shell ATF 3353

(So there are four non-Mercedes fluids on this current list).

MB 236.14 sheet

Fuchs TITAN ATF 4134

Fuchs TITAN EG ATF 134

MB 236.14 ATF NAG2VSport A 001 989 68 03 Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz Automatik-Getriebeöl Blatt 236.14 Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz Getriebeöl Blatt 236.14 Daimler AG

Mobil ATF 134

Shell ATF134

(So there are four non-Mercedes fluids on this current list).







Z

 

For anyone else reading this thread, the easiest way to tell what gearbox you have is to look at the gear lever. If the manual side has 2-3-4 you have a 5 speed box - ZF if its an XK8 and Mercedes if its an XKR. If the manual side says 2-3-4-5 you have the 6 speed ZF.

 

Yes, this is what I've learnt before, but I just wanted to be sure

 

Has anybody developed a circuit to indicate which gear the ZF 6 speed is actually in?

If so, should be grateful for details.

Thanks.

Brian

 

To my knowledge, nothing like that has been developed directly, but, just like other seemingly unavailable data points, "everything" is available over one or more of the car's digital data buses. An example is the actual water temp (not the flattened temp reported by the gauge) available over ISO-9141 OBDII. To my knowledge, the gear the trans is in is available over CAN, as a proprietary message (outside of OBDII). I believe the specifics might have been discovered already by a forum member, so it is quite possible a generic mobile device application like TorquePro (in conjunction with an ELM327 device) could be supplemented with this custom PID and shown in a widget on a screen, by itself or with other live data. There is likely tinkering/time involved, and, as in everything digital, will need to be exactly right to work.