Marc's response:
Hi Glen
Yes. We are also curious. We will document the build with photos and an explanation.
Marc
Sun Valley Mercedes Transmissions
Rebuilt Mercedes Benz Automatic Transmissions
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OWNER Glen (199)
- Thread starter Glen
- Start date
Quote of the day from Marc:
"This transmission is amazing"
More:
"It is hard to believe this is the original transmission. We have a lot of photos documenting it's condition.
It will take some time to put the analysis together. Hang in there!"
"This transmission is amazing"
More:
"It is hard to believe this is the original transmission. We have a lot of photos documenting it's condition.
It will take some time to put the analysis together. Hang in there!"
Last edited:
Picked up the car yesterday morning 
Nothing really to say other than it shifts great and reverse now engages instantly. Marc said the trans internals looked great and will have pictures and commentary shortly. The reverse seal was still intact, only the clutches had worn down completely.
As for me, I'm very happy with the results and great service by Sun Valley.
Mileage as of yesterday just before leaving the shop: 649605.
Nothing really to say other than it shifts great and reverse now engages instantly. Marc said the trans internals looked great and will have pictures and commentary shortly. The reverse seal was still intact, only the clutches had worn down completely.
As for me, I'm very happy with the results and great service by Sun Valley.
Mileage as of yesterday just before leaving the shop: 649605.
Hi Glen and Jerry
yep even Stuttgart cogs and metals have a limited lifetime. Thanks Glen for spending the $$$ to get the trans fixed! 490k out of the 500k was in "D" - I always hated the reverse -- my wife scolded me for driving to the outer end of the Stater's (or other) parking to avoid the reverse. I am contemplating writing an official letter to the MB board - only 1.1Mio km for a single transmission???
yep even Stuttgart cogs and metals have a limited lifetime. Thanks Glen for spending the $$$ to get the trans fixed! 490k out of the 500k was in "D" - I always hated the reverse -- my wife scolded me for driving to the outer end of the Stater's (or other) parking to avoid the reverse. I am contemplating writing an official letter to the MB board - only 1.1Mio km for a single transmission???
Glen, age is nothing but a number, as longer as one stays young at heart. Resesitate that inner hooligan of yours - lower your average MPG
Everything in moderation
Here we go...
The initial inspection of the transmission after removal indicated a typical high mileage transmission. A few external leaks from the selector seal and the Reaction Valve seal.
The Transmission number matches the EPC number listed for your VIN. Definitely the original transmission.
The initial inspection of the transmission after removal indicated a typical high mileage transmission. A few external leaks from the selector seal and the Reaction Valve seal.
The Transmission number matches the EPC number listed for your VIN. Definitely the original transmission.
Attachments
As you can see from the grind marks on the Reverse Piston and the Spring Retainer, the Piston and Retainer was rubbing on the Front Drum. This all due to worn Reverse Clutches. The case seal for the Reverse Piston was hard and cracked causing the reverse delay and slip condition. Unfortunately the photo of the seal didn't come out clearly.
Attachments
It was amazing just how clean the passages were in the case and Valve Body. The bores for the B1 and B2 pistons were amazingly straight with little to no taper. The Governor bore was clean and no wear detected as was the Governor.
Normally, the splines in the case for the Reverse Clutches are worn. Your case was immaculate. The Planetary Gear Thrust Washers are worn, however minimal. Normally they are paper thin or missing from the carrier.
In conclusion, it is hard to believe this is a transmission with over 600K miles. We found no evidence that it had been opened before. Bolt wrench marks and other telltale signs of a previous rebuild were not there.
This transmission is a perfect example of a well maintained transmission using the proper fluids and filters throughout it's life allowing for such a long service interval.
Normally, the splines in the case for the Reverse Clutches are worn. Your case was immaculate. The Planetary Gear Thrust Washers are worn, however minimal. Normally they are paper thin or missing from the carrier.
In conclusion, it is hard to believe this is a transmission with over 600K miles. We found no evidence that it had been opened before. Bolt wrench marks and other telltale signs of a previous rebuild were not there.
This transmission is a perfect example of a well maintained transmission using the proper fluids and filters throughout it's life allowing for such a long service interval.
Attachments
Hi GlenYes, rebuilding the original.
thanks for the rebuild! I have talked to limo owners when I lived in the Bay Area (mostly Cadillac and Lincoln Towncars) before and they were complaining that their high-mileage limos (>500k miles is the rule they indicated) did not die because of engine problems but always because of transmission breakdowns, usually after max. 200k. It is of course comparing US built ones with ZF originated ones but still....having a transmission go 650k before rebuild might still be noteworthy.....
Yep I had the reverse time delay already when I owned the car. I justified to my wife going to the extreme end of supermarket parking lots by having to do exercise but the real reason was not having to go into reverse....
I think DrP averaged close to 40K miles per year. Me, only about 9K/year since I've had it.
10 years!
Today is my tenth anniversary with the high miler. I’ve driven about 85,000 miles in that time and it’s never left me stranded away from home.
I recently did its first trans service since the rebuild at Marc’s 18k mile recommendation. Fluid was clean as expected and the trans continues to shift great. Late last summer I bought some used front seat cushions from a fellow member and reskinned my seats but other than that nothing really to report.
Current mileage as of today…
Today is my tenth anniversary with the high miler. I’ve driven about 85,000 miles in that time and it’s never left me stranded away from home.
I recently did its first trans service since the rebuild at Marc’s 18k mile recommendation. Fluid was clean as expected and the trans continues to shift great. Late last summer I bought some used front seat cushions from a fellow member and reskinned my seats but other than that nothing really to report.
Current mileage as of today…
Just got back from a 9 day road trip to southern Oregon. Drove up the 101 to SLO before heading north east to Klamath Falls, Crater Lake, Lava Beds Nat'l Monument (actually in California). Had a great time and the car performed great!
Interestingly, a few weeks before leaving, the a/c started shutting off randomly. Pressure switches tested fine as did the fan relays. Air would blow cold when it worked but the system would shut down after 5 to 10 minutes and then not work until the next day or sometimes late in the evening. The refrigerant was a little low so I added about half a can just in case. Per Gerry's thread, I cleaned the air gap on the compressor (it was fine) and also tried swapping the PBU from the wagon. Same result so then I swapped the Base module from the silver car and that resolved it. The a/c worked flawlessly during the whole trip. I'll have to check all the solder connections on the bad Base module, hopefully I can repair it.
On one stretch of the trip from Klamath Falls to Sacramento, I got the best gas mileage ever on either of my 500s...21.7. That was with keeping speeds below 75 most of the time. Other times, when we cruised at 80 and sometimes 90 MPH on long stretches of open road, mileage dropped as low as 16 to 17...still not bad, IMO. These cars are fantastic highway cruisers, easily covering hundreds of miles a day...personally, I prefer to keep daily stretches to less than 500 miles but more is easily doable if you are so inclined.
Overall we drove just over 2300 miles in 9 days and spent about $470 in gas. Current mileage is 669061.
Interestingly, a few weeks before leaving, the a/c started shutting off randomly. Pressure switches tested fine as did the fan relays. Air would blow cold when it worked but the system would shut down after 5 to 10 minutes and then not work until the next day or sometimes late in the evening. The refrigerant was a little low so I added about half a can just in case. Per Gerry's thread, I cleaned the air gap on the compressor (it was fine) and also tried swapping the PBU from the wagon. Same result so then I swapped the Base module from the silver car and that resolved it. The a/c worked flawlessly during the whole trip. I'll have to check all the solder connections on the bad Base module, hopefully I can repair it.
On one stretch of the trip from Klamath Falls to Sacramento, I got the best gas mileage ever on either of my 500s...21.7. That was with keeping speeds below 75 most of the time. Other times, when we cruised at 80 and sometimes 90 MPH on long stretches of open road, mileage dropped as low as 16 to 17...still not bad, IMO. These cars are fantastic highway cruisers, easily covering hundreds of miles a day...personally, I prefer to keep daily stretches to less than 500 miles but more is easily doable if you are so inclined.
Overall we drove just over 2300 miles in 9 days and spent about $470 in gas. Current mileage is 669061.
Glen,
Thanks for sharing.
Hope you can get your base module fixed. If not, I have a few spares you can try. Not sure of their condition, but worth a try.
Regards,
Thanks for sharing.
Hope you can get your base module fixed. If not, I have a few spares you can try. Not sure of their condition, but worth a try.
Regards,
re: the "bad" Base module...it's currently installed in my silver car and I drove around today for a good half hour and the a/c worked fine. Granted, it was in the low to mid 70's today so not very warm. I'll test it more in the coming days but with luck, maybe all it needed was to be re-seated in the CAN box.
Glen,
So glad to hear about your great trip. Seems like you came pretty close to me in the San Francisco Bay area. Next time, let's connect!
I just completed a trip to Utah and back with our son. You're right, these cars are great for travel.
I experienced a very similar AC problem. It was the GM module, for me.
So glad to hear about your great trip. Seems like you came pretty close to me in the San Francisco Bay area. Next time, let's connect!
I just completed a trip to Utah and back with our son. You're right, these cars are great for travel.
I experienced a very similar AC problem. It was the GM module, for me.
@Glen, I would also recommend checking the three-prong connection on the top of the A/C compressor, to make sure that the pins are making good contact. In any case, that area collects a lot of dirt/detritus/moisture/oil from the tandem pump and such, so a thorough cleaning (shooting the area with brake cleaner) and inspection of the plug would not be a bad thing.
Glen,
Before cracking open the module, you might want to inspect the pins. Noth sure what material these pins are made of, but always suspected that with age, they might build up some sort of film/corrosion, for lack of a better word.
Not sure how one would clean those contacts.
Before cracking open the module, you might want to inspect the pins. Noth sure what material these pins are made of, but always suspected that with age, they might build up some sort of film/corrosion, for lack of a better word.
Not sure how one would clean those contacts.
Wire brush, or steel wool, and some electrical contact cleaner.
Oops! Showing my ignorance. Maybe in 400,000 more miles I'll be better!
No, I didn't repair mine but I may look into that eventually. I've changed caps on the LH module so if it's that sort of issue I might be okay.
GM (General Module) and Base/Basic Module (BM) are different names for the same component. I'm not sure why there are two names. I'm not sure if this module can be repaired with capacitor replacement, or if there are many capacitors to replace.
Currently the BM/GM is still available new from MB for ~$500 discount (one of the few modules not yet NLA!), and they are relatively cheap & plentiful used on eBay thanks to low demand / low failure rate.
At the risk of repeating myself, I highly recommend buying one of all 6 modules , and testing each one to verify it's a known-good spare. These don't have to be identical part numbers, i.e. the 036 E-GAS is impossible to find, but an 034 E-GAS is functionally equivalent. You can swap out one module at a time and if the spares test ok, you can leave them in the car and keep the originals safely on the shelf. This can be invaluable when troubleshooting in the future...
Currently the BM/GM is still available new from MB for ~$500 discount (one of the few modules not yet NLA!), and they are relatively cheap & plentiful used on eBay thanks to low demand / low failure rate.
At the risk of repeating myself, I highly recommend buying one of all 6 modules , and testing each one to verify it's a known-good spare. These don't have to be identical part numbers, i.e. the 036 E-GAS is impossible to find, but an 034 E-GAS is functionally equivalent. You can swap out one module at a time and if the spares test ok, you can leave them in the car and keep the originals safely on the shelf. This can be invaluable when troubleshooting in the future...
Also note that a W140 E-GAS module can and will work (for an LH engine W140) in the E500E or 400E420 models, albeit without having cruise control functionality. These units are even cheaper than W124 LH-specific units and are an excellent choice for testing purposes.
The six computer modules that the @gsxr refers to, for having as spares, for all long-term owners include:
The six computer modules that the @gsxr refers to, for having as spares, for all long-term owners include:
- LH module (fuel injection computer) / different for 5.0 and 4.2 liter cars & model years
- BM/GM module (OVP, AC and other functions) / same for all years and cars
- E-GAS module (ETA throttle-by-wire control computer) / T-LLR module for non-ASR cars
- ABS/ASR module (braking control computer) / ABS module for non-ASR cars
- EZL module (ignition control computer) / different for 5.0 and 4.2 liter cars & model years
- DM module (diagnostic code & CEL control computer) - only for North America market cars
After thinking about it, my a/c system would shut down predictably as temperature went up. It seems logical to me that there's a bad solder joint(s) somewhere in the module that opens up when it heats up. So, if the issues shows up in the silver car I'll open the module and take a look.
Hi, Glen! Looks like you were spotted by the DubClub...
www.vwvortex.com
The "Best Car Spotting of the Year" Award goes...
Last night, I'm driving home from work when I see a grey W124. Flared fenders, lower-than-normal ride height, but no badges. I catch up, see the driver and passenger are two older women. The car switched lanes to get off the freeway and I followed. We exited and, several...
It’s strange to me how many older women love these cars. Aside from guys I know, there’s always an older woman driving the car. My mom loves driving mine. But then again she always loved the W126 cars and this feels like one of those, just better.
I’ll be off in another part of the world and get the call, “Hey are you in town??” Me: “No, I’m in [Hawaii, for instance]. You probably saw Mom tooling around in the 500.” “Yeah, she had her foot in it too; thought it was you” Me: “Yeah, she does that.”
;-D
maw
I just did.
Cool!
Would that forum not let you post ANY hyperlink at all? I've found that BaT may block/moderate URL's posted, but if you use a shortener like TinyURL, Bit.ly, etc those often slip through. Might not help at the vWortex though.
I've been a member for 9 years but have never posted and they don't allow posting links for 1st time posters.
THAT is outstanding!
