Torque converter USED vs NEW ?

[Roma_500E]

I m currently working on my spoiled baby 500E.

For now waiting for my new tranny and waiting for the Redline oil .

I need to know if I really have to replace torque converter or just use my old one ?

The price for the torque converter is sky high and absolutely unreasonable. So I do not feel good paying for that metal donut big $$.

I m seeking facts , experience, opinion and advice from board of happy owners of 500E.

Why torque converter might be bad ?



All inputs are highly appreciated.

 

[gsxr]

Dealers and trans rebuilders generally like to require a new or rebuilt converter in order to honor the warranty. They are afraid your old, blown-up transmission might have dumped debris (metal shavings, clutch particles, moon rocks, whatever) into the fluid stream and therefore into the converter. They don't want that stuff sneaking out of the old converter and messing up their nice shiny rebuilt transmission.

The reality is, unless you had a catastrophic transmission failure, with evidence of debris in the converter, usually there is no problem re-using the old converter. It can be flushed with clean ATF if desired (there's a FSM procedure for this).

Bottom line, it will depend if the dealer will honor the transmission warranty with the old converter. If not, you're screwed, unless you want to give up the warranty.

 

[Roma_500E]

moon rocks

Dealers and trans rebuilders generally like to require a new or rebuilt converter in order to honor the warranty. They are afraid your old, blown-up transmission might have dumped debris (metal shavings, clutch particles, moon rocks, whatever) into the fluid stream and therefore into the converter. They don't want that stuff sneaking out of the old converter and messing up their nice shiny rebuilt transmission.
Bottom line, it will depend if the dealer will honor the transmission warranty with the old converter. If not, you're screwed, unless you want to give up the warranty.

Yup that is what they recommended me to do. However, they said it is up to me. Also they still give the warranty unless they will find out that old trq. converter caused the tranny to fail.

The reality is, unless you had a catastrophic transmission failure, with evidence of debris in the converter, usually there is no problem re-using the old converter. It can be flushed with clean ATF if desired (there's a FSM procedure for this).

Where can I find that procedure ?

 

[gsxr]

Where can I find that procedure ?

See pages 9 and 10:

http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/transmission/trans_removal.pdf

 

[samiam44]

If there is much metal its better off to get a core. And rebuild the core. If you are doing a software rebuild. TC xust needs to be flushed.

M

 

[Roma_500E]

If there is much metal its better off to get a core. And rebuild the core. If you are doing a software rebuild. TC xust needs to be flushed.

M

I do not trust rebuilds, plus I was told they will cut the TC and then welded back, do not want to deal with that. Either new or my old factory one. New donut is $1570 which is ridiculous.

See pages 9 and 10:

http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/transmission/trans_removal.pdf

I ll flush and see how it goes . For some reason I have a bad feeling of an extra $2k spending

 

[Ron500E]

I believe originally they were furnace welded.

Ron

 

[samiam44]

I'll say this again via stu ritter's advice.

Core transmissions are CHEAP. Do you have pictures of the debris in the bottom? If there was a metal problem, then you'd need hard parts- gears and the like. Stu generally would pull the pan and if there was metal, he'd get a core transmission and build(from memory). After pulling the transmission, he'd put the TC to start flushing and then go back and tear down the transmission.

All the questioning is really- what did they find and replace? If there was something other than clutches, orings, bearings, bushing etc.. ? then I would look to different TC. Is the Torque converter the same between SL/E/S class and 420/500's?

Michael

 

[samiam44]

I believe originally they were furnace welded.
?

you mean Furnace brazed?? Maybe a bad translation from german?