I've got a small oil leak from the connector sleeve on my 2001 4.0 XKR (Mercedes gearbox). Does anybody know if I have to drain the gearbox fluid before changing the sleeve?

I'd rather just change the sleeve and do a gearbox oil and filter change another time if possible.

 

The fluid will leak from the opening while you are replacing the sleeve. If that is unacceptable, then drain the fluid.

The procedure is documented in TSB 307-10. Here is a recommendation from the TSB.

"Clean the area around the transmission drain plug. Remove the drain-plug
from the transmission fluid pan and allow the fluid to drain into a thoroughly cleaned
container so that it can be reused."

bob

 

Thanks Bob. If I have to drain the fluid I don't want to reuse it, so I will do the oil and filter change at the same time.

 

Not all the fluid is going to come out just from removing the drain plug, or even taking off the pan. Just 2-3 L. Yo will also need a special dipstick. So you know the amount you put back in is correct.

note: you might want to do a search of recent threads on the type or brand of fluid used. Not all 722.6 transmissions call for the same fluid specification. The regular 4+ flip day that works well in most of the 722.6 's used in most of the Chrysler cars will not give good service in your XKR. I found that out the hard way.

As far as parts go , again , don't make my mistake and buy the connector sleeve or any other 722.6 part from eBay sellers. Mine was supposed to be a genuine Mercedes Benz part but was a Chinese knock off, and it leaked worse than the one I was replacing . I then bought the real MB part from pelicanparts.com and that was the end of the leaking. They are a quality parts source for the 722.6 transmissions found in the early XKR's.


Z

 

more 722.6 information from an earlier post. Sorry if you've already seen this:

Don't use the Chrysler ATF +4. It's not the correct specification for the 722.6 used in your car. Not all 722.6 Mercedes transmissions are built the same, there are low performance 722.6's and higher performance 722.6 transmissions. Your car has the high performance one, and specs for the fluid are not the same. The only Chrysler's with the 722.6 that used the high performance fluid like your XKR is the Crossfire. The other Chryslers do use the ATF +4

don't be concerned about all the different opinions on the internet. The only one you should listen to is the manufacturer of the car / transmission. They made the thing, which puts their recommendation a little more than opinion, in my view. Going against the manufactures recommendations usually turns out badly

Yes, once you have 8-10 liters of the correct fluid in hand, get it changed ASAP. I did mine myself, but next time I'll probably take it to a shop I trust. They have the specialized equipment that makes go a lot faster and easier too.

The XKR's which have the Mercedes sourced 722.6 transmission are pretty particular regarding the correct fluid. Putting in a Mercedes spec approved.fluid DOES make a difference.

I first tried the Mopar brand ATF +4 fluid. It led to several nagging transmissions issues, including clunking, and delayed engagement when going from neutral to D.

So I researched the fluid spec'd by Mercedes for the varients of the 722.6 transmission.

I found this one is approved by Mercedes, and easy to find on ebay: The Fuch Titan 4234

The Fuch Titan 4234 fluid. is less costly than the Mercedes branded fluid, and is one of few fluids meeting the Mercedes specifications.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Liter-Fuchs-TITAN-ATF-4134-Automatic-Trans-Fluid-Mercedes-Dodge-Jag/151595797513?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid =p2057872.m2749.l2649


NOTE: many Dodge and Chrysler cars also use the 722.6 transmission , but most of them are set up to use the +4 type fluid. Only the more performances oriented Chrysler Crossfire uses same the Mercedes spec. fluid as is used in the 722.6 Jaguar applications.

Z

PS: 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

 

Thanks Z - there isn't a huge amount of information on the forum about the 722.6 gearbox, due I hope to the relative reliability compared to the ZF - I had already seen your post in the other thread, so bought Fuchs Titan 4134 and a Febi Bilstein sleeve. Time will tell if the Febi sleeve cures the leak - if not I will get a genuine Mercedes part next time.

Just over 3 litres drained out from the drain plug, which I then replaced with new fluid. I didn't change the pan gasket/filter in the end as one of the pan bolts' head is damaged from a previous change, so wouldn't accept my torx bit. The rest of the bolts were all good, just one that needs more work to get out - so that is a job for another time. New MB bolts appear to have a different design head, so I am guessing this is also a common problem on the 722.6.

For anyone else tackling this in the future, this youtube video has good instructions for changing the sleeve on the XKR - I don't know if he is a forum member but thanks for putting this up:-


I also found that the heatshield for the connector was crumbling, so I will see if I can source a replacement and I realised that the engine earth strap is badly corroded so a new one of those is also on order.

Over all it was easy enough to swap the sleeve, just very restricted access under the car to get to it.