auto tranny oil change mistery

[redc36]

well its a mistery at least to me
my manual says 6.6qt for tranny oil change and 7. something for new fillup.
but when i emptied oil from the tranny only 2 quarts came out. i know u fill it up from the top through dipstick tube. but after 2 quarts it went back to maximum. mechanic tried to explain me that rest of the oil is wutever is called i forgot.
now is it true? i did fill up 4 quarts thinking previuos owner didnt take care of it but actually it went over the max limit by a lot i had to drain it right away. is there a secondary drain plug or something. the one we opened uses i think like a hex key.
thanks

[VaC280]

To get it all out you have to drain the torque converter as well. That is where most of the fluid is.

[max2105]

Use a 5mm Alllen wrench to access the torque converter screw. You need to line it up first by moving the converter by hand (using a screwdriver). Make sure that under no circumstances you overfill the tranny. It will spill out creating a thick smoke barrier.

[redc36]

did it last nite.
i dunno but it took only 5.5 quarts for me . now it stood overnite so i will check again in the morning to see if i need to add it. my mechanic told me i need to have the car running when checking the tranny oil. is that true?

[max2105]

What I do is put about 4 qts of tranny oil and then run the engine for about 30 seconds going through each gear (P-R-N-D-3-2). Then go add another qt until the converter actually engages (too little fluid and when you put it in drive you don't go anywhere). Then go for a short drive and add fluid until you are between the HOT line indicators. Your mechanic is correct:tranny fluid should be checked with the engine running. It's explained in your owner's manual.

[redc36]

actually thats wut we did after 4 quarts. went through all the gears then left the car running and added more oil until > < indicators. still not 6.6 qt though :-)
well i'll check it 2day. is there a tranny oil indicator on the dashboard. why dont mercedes have a computer display with messages when stuff like that comes up. an avg miles gallon would be nice too. now i have no idea how much it eats until i my gas tank is empty and i fill up and calculate then. damn i only get around 15mpg. i know i floor it couple of times but 15? thats bit too low. oh well i enjoy it !

[max2105]

I've never put more than 6 qts. I guess even after draining the torque converter, there must be some fluid left in the tranny.
As far as mileage goes, my wife's ML430 (4.3L V8) averages 13MPG. 15MPG seems a bit low for a W202, even for a C36.

[redc36]

but does ur wife floor it at lot?
i know specs says it suppose to be 18/22mpg
which in reality means more like 15/18 b/c those test guys must be rolling in neutral in the city or something. my best friend has a 2000 s4 and he is averaging 16mpg mind this is 6 speed and it suppose to average like 20 or something.
maybe my oxygen sensor or spark plugs are old. i dont have a check engine light but spark plugs might be old already. should i got plaitnum +4 or get regular stock ones?

[max2105]

How many miles do you have on your plugs? MB does NOT recommend platinum plugs for models older than 1999. I would replace them with the SAME ones you have now.
How many miles on the O2 sensors? BOSCH recommends replacing every 100K miles.

[redc36]

yeah i have 98k on it. my model is 1995 hence i will stick to stock plugs. as far as O2 sensor goes. do i replace them both or only after the cat. i dont have any check engine lights but if its close to 100k i will then. is it hard to replace it?