Thank you so much for this detailed, comprehensive guide. Quality human presence keeps the world working as well as it is! Responding to the questions also, BIG THANKS!
Just watching the video again , and i have to say it's very informative , the bit towards the end , the gear shift to get the trans fluid circulating , i would've never thought of that , Thanks 👍
4:30 I have seen people get more of this oil out by poking a screwdriver at 2:00 in the drain hole at an angle and knocking the pipe off the drain spout
great video, I will have to do all this on my 270 W163. Everything is still fine, sometimes I scale gear alone but very rarely, however it has 190k Km and I want to change, I have to buy the measuring rod, tell me how the right level must be. I think he has already lost some oil. Greetings from Italy
Ciao! Thanks for watching. My Ml320 is at 187k kms as well and I've realized that more routine maintenace I am doing, the better it gets. Transmission was a huge improvement and now recently I did the throttle body cleaning that made my fuel economy improve a lot. Those measuring sticks are cheap on ebay and they have measuring marks at the very end of the stick to be precise. I suspect the fluid loss might be from the 13pin connector plug. If you haven't changed that part before then I would highly recommend it as a lot of people have reported the item failure on the forums. Goodluck!
@jaylanhowrll3839 the solenoid is suggested only because it does leak overtime (if it's not leaking now) saves the trouble of messing with it all over again later. But upto you completely, if it's not leaking you could potentially get away without doing it for now, however it's a gamble I personally wouldn't take.
I have changed it twice in two months just to make sure I get most of the old fluid out, a lot of fluid gets stuck in the torque convertor and replacing twice or may be three times gets most of it refreshed. I think on higher mileage ML's it's recommended to be changed around 30k miles or two years roughly!
@Big_Island_Boi Dealers are unreal with their rates and shop times. Nothing is cheap at the shops, unfortunately. It's a fairly straightforward job and doesn't take too much time.
@JoshuaLivingston you could use a fluid extraction pump from the dipstick and suck it out that way. Or change the fluid and drive a little and change again. That way you can replace the fluid in the torque convertor with the freshly added and that gets the most of fluid refreshed. Hope it helps.
Where did you purchase your dipstick? I noticed it was the correct length. The one I purchased is too long and is meant to be used on multiple different models. . You are supposed to insert to when it bottoms out. Can you tell me the length on your dipstick? Thanks
Hi Fajry, I used Fuchs Titan ATf 4143. I drained my transmission and then measured it with a measuring cup, could probably use the baking ones as they have pretty good measurements on them. I had roughly over 2 litres of fluid out because about a litre of it stays in the torque converter. I am going to change the fluid again soon so the torque converter fluid can also be refreshed a bit. I put in the exact amount that came out and then measured it to make sure I didn't over fill. Hope it helps. Cheers
Were you able to get the trans filter to click in? When I did this job the filter seemed kinda loose when I was finished. Couldn't get it to click or anything. Thank you for the great video.
Hey bud, yes mine went in without any issues. As long as it stays on, it should be fine I rekon. Click might be subjective to the brand of the part. Did you use OEM filter or aftermarket like mine! Hope this helps. Cheers.
Hello Emmanuel, thank you. No my transmission runs great. I have been lucky and had no slips at all. The suv pulls like a freight train. I am going to install new motor mounts soon and can do some pulls if you wanna see how it runs now.
@@Rookiemisteak I would start with oil change and see if it makes any difference bud. That's a cheaper way to start fixing the issue. Check the oil for metal shavings and see how it looks in general. A lot of high mileage ML's do get problems with the conductor plate and replacing those fix the slippage problem usually.
The engine is slightly bigger, and the exterior and interior has slight changes. 2002 had better headlights and slight hp increase. Earlier 320s had a bit better gas mileage than the 350s.
Mine doesnt have the drain plug for the torque convertor, only pre face lift had the option to drain. From what I know, you have to change the fluid a few times to make sure it circulates and replaces the torque convertor fluid too or drop a line through the filler tube and empty with a suction pump of some sort!
@@gasNgears I flushed mine by taking of the return line from the oil cooler and let it pump 1L then adding 1L. Think you have about 4,5L in the converter..
Hi, in your video you mention the plastic plug, the one you remove and replace. Can you tell me the name of this sensor so that I can purchase a new one before I do the oil change. Thanks
Hi Allan, it's called the 13 pin transmission connector plug. Here is the link for it www.fcpeuro.com/products/mercedes-auto-trans-connector-2035400053#fitment Cheers
Thank you very much for getting back to me. I’m in Scotland so shipping would be considerably more than the part itself. Thanks to your description, I was able to find on eBay for much the same price. Thanks again
@@allanbarbour2879 no worries mate. I am glad to be of help. Hope the job goes smooth for you. Be careful when you install the plug, make sure it lines up properly. Tight workspace makes it hard to see if all the pins are lined up in the connector. It's really easy to cross thread the fine thread on the connector screw so be really patient. Any damage will lead to a new conductor plate. Cheers
Yes, it helped immensely! I don't have the jolty shifting anymore. It used to be unpleasant but now it works very well and I am going to change the trans fluid once more which will hopefully make it perfect. Cheers
Is this the same process for the ML320 2001? If you have more links to the stuff that you buy for this project, please bring those too (I already look up the link in the description)
Yes sir, it's exactly the same transmission I believe. Procedure should be the same for the 2001. I'll update the links for you today when I get a chance. Cheers 👍
Just like bmw life proof fluid, no need to change and then suddenly upon mechanical failure, they'd be happy to sell you a new transmission for 7 grands or more. I've put on roughly 10k after the fluid change, and it's been fantastic. I don't think any fluid would last transmission life term, to be honest.
@@gasNgears right brodie i’m in the midst of doing mine. just bought the same car two days ago. EXTREMELY NICE CONDITION. was hoping if you could send me some links to get the fluid and transmission kit. also the larger rear seat in the back won’t slide back or forward so i’ll need help with that if you can. i’ll take down a number or email bro. i’ll send all the pics i can🙏
@jaylanhowell3839 I ordered my fluids from germanparts.ca and the transmission electronic plug was from Amazon. Your seat release pins might be stuck so I would spray some lube or pb blaster in there to see if it releases the seat bud!
@@gasNgearswe think the lever got stuck or loose or something so we’ll try that, and i looked up the part you sent and it’s only like 13$. the solenoid is around 80 to 100$. i’m assuming doing this, i won’t have to change the actual solenoid just this connector like you did?
I wasn't able to get all the fluid out myself because of the torque convertor. Roughly half the fluid sits in the torque convertor and it will rotate through over two or three fluid changes or you could try running a hose down filler tube and use a suction pump to drain all the fluid from the torque convertor.
hello my ml has a problem with the automatic shifting i go to the first gear the car doesnt move i shift and shift the car still doesnt move it just stops only drive works what do you think is causing the problem
What year and model is your Ml bud? I am just taking a guess here, i think it could be your conductor plate, which is a common wear item at high mileage ML's or it could be stuck in limp mode which can be caused by a few different things like speed sensor or conductor ! I would try to disconnect the battery and see if that makes it work and then try reading the codes and so on. Good luck 👍
I used the Fuchs Titan 4134, you could Pentosin ATF 134 but I would stay away from the cheap stuff because if it may cause issues and end up being an expensive repair bill than the oil itself bud.
From my knowledge, around 8 litres including the torque converter. The first time I changed mine using the above method, I removed 4 litres. I then drained the pan on each 5000km and refilled. This will hopefully fully refresh the fluid over time.
My transmission slips under sudden power, so i simply pull over turn engine off for half a minute if that & restart engine & drive off...sure the filters dirty & the solenoids need changing but who has money these daze for that...?
Thank you so much for this detailed, comprehensive guide. Quality human presence keeps the world working as well as it is! Responding to the questions also, BIG THANKS!
You are very welcome. I am glad the videos are of help to you. Cheers!!
Thanks to you this 26 year old got it done
Just watching the video again , and i have to say it's very informative , the bit towards the end , the gear shift to get the trans fluid circulating , i would've never thought of that , Thanks 👍
Thanks so much for the tutorial it was a great help 😃
Glad to be of help.
4:30 I have seen people get more of this oil out by poking a screwdriver at 2:00 in the drain hole at an angle and knocking the pipe off the drain spout
great video, I will have to do all this on my 270 W163. Everything is still fine, sometimes I scale gear alone but very rarely, however it has 190k Km and I want to change, I have to buy the measuring rod, tell me how the right level must be. I think he has already lost some oil. Greetings from Italy
Ciao! Thanks for watching. My Ml320 is at 187k kms as well and I've realized that more routine maintenace I am doing, the better it gets. Transmission was a huge improvement and now recently I did the throttle body cleaning that made my fuel economy improve a lot. Those measuring sticks are cheap on ebay and they have measuring marks at the very end of the stick to be precise. I suspect the fluid loss might be from the 13pin connector plug. If you haven't changed that part before then I would highly recommend it as a lot of people have reported the item failure on the forums. Goodluck!
also do i absolutely have to replace the solenoid when i do my trans change??
@jaylanhowrll3839 the solenoid is suggested only because it does leak overtime (if it's not leaking now) saves the trouble of messing with it all over again later. But upto you completely, if it's not leaking you could potentially get away without doing it for now, however it's a gamble I personally wouldn't take.
@@gasNgears what’s the actual solenoid part called?
@@jaylanhowell3839 13 pin transmission harness connector.
@@gasNgears ok and did you have to replace all 9 quarts or you just filled halfway? does doing it the way you did it release all or some of the fluid?
@@jaylanhowell3839 About half......
Great video. Wonder how often to perform this fluid change. Thanks a lot.
I have changed it twice in two months just to make sure I get most of the old fluid out, a lot of fluid gets stuck in the torque convertor and replacing twice or may be three times gets most of it refreshed. I think on higher mileage ML's it's recommended to be changed around 30k miles or two years roughly!
Do it every 60-80000 km, whatever that. Is n miles….
Thanks for the info. Will need to change the fluid.
Crazy that the dealer and some independent German car shops want $900 to $1000 to do this fvcking job. Insane.
@Big_Island_Boi Dealers are unreal with their rates and shop times. Nothing is cheap at the shops, unfortunately. It's a fairly straightforward job and doesn't take too much time.
I going to do my ML430 save me 500$ ..in NZL !
Good evening, please share the on line store you purchased all the parts filter etc..
Wondering how to drain the rest of the fluid from the radiator and torque converter
@JoshuaLivingston you could use a fluid extraction pump from the dipstick and suck it out that way. Or change the fluid and drive a little and change again. That way you can replace the fluid in the torque convertor with the freshly added and that gets the most of fluid refreshed. Hope it helps.
Super Video
Thank you.
Could I get a parts list somewhere?
Where did you purchase your dipstick? I noticed it was the correct length. The one I purchased is too long and is meant to be used on multiple different models. . You are supposed to insert to when it bottoms out. Can you tell me the length on your dipstick? Thanks
I purchased it off Amazon bud and it's 122cm. Mine bottom out perfectly though. Hope it helps.
I thank you for your helpful video
Tomorrow I try it on my ML400 too.
Wish me luck that’s only the oil and not the turbine🫣
Them turbos are pretty reliable so hopefully all goes well for you bud. 👍
@@gasNgears sry My English isnt percfect😅
I mean I am afraid about the converter clutch
@Nico-xo7rd 😆 fair enough bud. I thought you had the European Diesel ML with a turbo.
@@gasNgears hello. Ok update. It wasn’t the gearbox or the clutch. It was the propeller shaft, or better say the universal joint.
Hii, very usefull video, thankks!! Btw, what oil did you use? What kind? And how much oil do you fill up? And how to measure?
Hi Fajry, I used Fuchs Titan ATf 4143. I drained my transmission and then measured it with a measuring cup, could probably use the baking ones as they have pretty good measurements on them. I had roughly over 2 litres of fluid out because about a litre of it stays in the torque converter. I am going to change the fluid again soon so the torque converter fluid can also be refreshed a bit. I put in the exact amount that came out and then measured it to make sure I didn't over fill. Hope it helps. Cheers
In doing this procedure would reset the limp mode
Were you able to get the trans filter to click in? When I did this job the filter seemed kinda loose when I was finished. Couldn't get it to click or anything. Thank you for the great video.
Hey bud, yes mine went in without any issues. As long as it stays on, it should be fine I rekon. Click might be subjective to the brand of the part. Did you use OEM filter or aftermarket like mine! Hope this helps. Cheers.
@gasNgears I used aftermarket brand beck/arnley. Thank you for quick reply.
Hello Friend, great video. What worries me the most is the metal shavings, has the transmission slipped at anytime when driving?
Hello Emmanuel, thank you. No my transmission runs great. I have been lucky and had no slips at all. The suv pulls like a freight train. I am going to install new motor mounts soon and can do some pulls if you wanna see how it runs now.
Mines slips on from 3rd to 4th. About 500rpm slip when changing. Should a service be enough to fix it or the tranny is gone?
@@Rookiemisteak I would start with oil change and see if it makes any difference bud. That's a cheaper way to start fixing the issue. Check the oil for metal shavings and see how it looks in general. A lot of high mileage ML's do get problems with the conductor plate and replacing those fix the slippage problem usually.
@@gasNgears yes it is showing its age, coming up to 400xxxkm
wHEN DO YOU UNPLUG THE CONNECTOR? BEFORE OR AFTER YOU REMOVE THE PAN?
You can remove the plug without removing the pan. It does makes it easier with the pan off though.
I'm looking at a w163 ml 320 1999 would a 2002 be better , I'm not sure .
The engine is slightly bigger, and the exterior and interior has slight changes. 2002 had better headlights and slight hp increase. Earlier 320s had a bit better gas mileage than the 350s.
Thanks for the Reply 😊 @@gasNgears
I'd be interested to know what you think about the w163 ml 270 cdi ?
Thanks
Forgot to empty torque converter??
Mine doesnt have the drain plug for the torque convertor, only pre face lift had the option to drain. From what I know, you have to change the fluid a few times to make sure it circulates and replaces the torque convertor fluid too or drop a line through the filler tube and empty with a suction pump of some sort!
@@gasNgears I flushed mine by taking of the return line from the oil cooler and let it pump 1L then adding 1L. Think you have about 4,5L in the converter..
@Bjørn Eric Wang that's quite a bit more than I expected but thank you for sharing the info bud.
Hi, in your video you mention the plastic plug, the one you remove and replace.
Can you tell me the name of this sensor so that I can purchase a new one before I do the oil change.
Thanks
Hi Allan, it's called the 13 pin transmission connector plug. Here is the link for it www.fcpeuro.com/products/mercedes-auto-trans-connector-2035400053#fitment
Cheers
Thank you very much for getting back to me. I’m in Scotland so shipping would be considerably more than the part itself.
Thanks to your description, I was able to find on eBay for much the same price.
Thanks again
@@allanbarbour2879 no worries mate. I am glad to be of help. Hope the job goes smooth for you. Be careful when you install the plug, make sure it lines up properly. Tight workspace makes it hard to see if all the pins are lined up in the connector. It's really easy to cross thread the fine thread on the connector screw so be really patient. Any damage will lead to a new conductor plate. Cheers
Did this help improve your shifts?
Yes, it helped immensely! I don't have the jolty shifting anymore. It used to be unpleasant but now it works very well and I am going to change the trans fluid once more which will hopefully make it perfect. Cheers
@@gasNgears thanks mate, much appreciated
What year ml350 are you working on in the video. I’m going to give it a try on my 2012 and I’m just trying to research it a little befor😅
Where do you get all the bits and pieces from ?
@@Leo70780 www.autohausaz.com/pn/1633230220KIT
Hi thankyou for this video it's very helpfully😮
Glad to be of help bud.
Is this the same process for the ML320 2001? If you have more links to the stuff that you buy for this project, please bring those too (I already look up the link in the description)
Yes sir, it's exactly the same transmission I believe. Procedure should be the same for the 2001. I'll update the links for you today when I get a chance. Cheers 👍
i’ve read the manual and it says that changing the sealed fluid can do more harm then good. what you think about it? think it’s true??
Just like bmw life proof fluid, no need to change and then suddenly upon mechanical failure, they'd be happy to sell you a new transmission for 7 grands or more. I've put on roughly 10k after the fluid change, and it's been fantastic. I don't think any fluid would last transmission life term, to be honest.
@@gasNgears right brodie i’m in the midst of doing mine. just bought the same car two days ago. EXTREMELY NICE CONDITION. was hoping if you could send me some links to get the fluid and transmission kit. also the larger rear seat in the back won’t slide back or forward so i’ll need help with that if you can. i’ll take down a number or email bro. i’ll send all the pics i can🙏
@jaylanhowell3839 I ordered my fluids from germanparts.ca and the transmission electronic plug was from Amazon. Your seat release pins might be stuck so I would spray some lube or pb blaster in there to see if it releases the seat bud!
@@gasNgearswe think the lever got stuck or loose or something so we’ll try that, and i looked up the part you sent and it’s only like 13$. the solenoid is around 80 to 100$. i’m assuming doing this, i won’t have to change the actual solenoid just this connector like you did?
hey i drive a jeep grand cherokee 30crd is dis the same gearbox 5speed automatisch
uleiu din CONVERTIZOR cum curge??
How much oil liter was in the gearbox i make the same job but in my gearbox was 2 liter ml w163 270cdi 2002
I wasn't able to get all the fluid out myself because of the torque convertor. Roughly half the fluid sits in the torque convertor and it will rotate through over two or three fluid changes or you could try running a hose down filler tube and use a suction pump to drain all the fluid from the torque convertor.
hello my ml has a problem with the automatic shifting i go to the first gear the car doesnt move i shift and shift the car still doesnt move it just stops only drive works what do you think is causing the problem
What year and model is your Ml bud? I am just taking a guess here, i think it could be your conductor plate, which is a common wear item at high mileage ML's or it could be stuck in limp mode which can be caused by a few different things like speed sensor or conductor ! I would try to disconnect the battery and see if that makes it work and then try reading the codes and so on. Good luck 👍
So 3 litres came out?
Yes bud, the torque convertor holds the rest of the fluid. Changing the fluid twice would be the best idea.
My pan did not have a magnet in it. But the I think it should. I have a 2001 ML 320.
Fairly certain that there is supposed to be a magnet to catch any metal shavings in the tranmission pan.
You can always add one to the outside.....FWIW my '99 didn't have one either.
Trips me out that all these videos don't utilize the drain plug that screams drain me here.
The dip stick I have can’t go all the way in. Where did you purchase the dipstick?
I bought mine from ebay bud. Did you try twisting it! Mine sometimes gets stuck too but twisting the handle clears it. Hope it helps.
@@gasNgears ok thx
The dip stick on many models does not have to go all the way in ,,just push it down until it stops, wait a few seconds then check it.
What ATF did you use? I see Fucks Titan? what kind? 4134? Pentosin? What generic cheap stuff can I use to save?
I used the Fuchs Titan 4134, you could Pentosin ATF 134 but I would stay away from the cheap stuff because if it may cause issues and end up being an expensive repair bill than the oil itself bud.
The small medal pieces that you took out probably did more harm then good...
in all how many liters does this gearbox carry
From my knowledge, around 8 litres including the torque converter. The first time I changed mine using the above method, I removed 4 litres. I then drained the pan on each 5000km and refilled. This will hopefully fully refresh the fluid over time.
"I don't stand for messy pp.... Jobs" 😂
Yeah it’s life-time-filling for the gearbox, but the lifetime expands enormously when. Change the oil every 60-80000 km….
Ml 350
My transmission slips under sudden power, so i simply pull over turn engine off for half a minute if that & restart engine & drive off...sure the filters dirty & the solenoids need changing but who has money these daze for that...?
Sounds like your transmission plug adapter is bad. $10 part off Rock Auto. Common issue, the electrical plug as mentioned in this video.