My troubles with my Tip started as a leaky gasket between the engine and transmission. After doing some research, I discovered that this has been a problem that others have experienced. It is said that most who have experienced the leaky Tip also experienced a bad tranny mount before the leak occurred. I don't know if that's the exact cause, but I did have a bad tranny mount. I ordered gaskets and removed the transfer case while tranny still attached to engine. It was a pretty straight forward job until I got to the decision to replace the filter and fluid or just top up with new fluid. Against my better judgment, I decided to change the filter. I filled tranny up properly by checking temp with both an infra-red temp gun as well as a wire probe attached to my Fluke. All went well and she shifted better than ever! Two weeks later with zero warning she flared badly shifting from third to fourth and slipped 4th and 5th

After checking around and considering a 6 speed swap, I have decided to pull tranny and send to Renntec for a full rebuild and upgrade as well as converter upgrade This decision, of course, inspired me to purchase a new lift! I ordered a new Bendpak 10k asymmetrical 2 post lift a week ago. A little overkill for the Pcar, but I will now be able to install tow bars and wire vehicles to be towed behind motor homes more efficiently than the guys having to jack up the vehicles!

Myself and two employees came in yesterday, unpacked the lift assembled it and installed it. We were lifting my dually by 6:00 pm

I plan on documenting my progress with pictures along the way. I would appreciate any and all suggestions!

BTW, please excuse the messy shop as we had to clean out a rather large area to install this lift! I will have this cleaned up this week

 

Reserved for pics

 

Can you describe the tranny issue after the work was done in more detail? Also why did you choose the rebuilder you did? Can the trans be removed without removing the whole engine etc? Thanks

 

I'll be following this thread closely. Thanks for sharing your experiences..
Can you elaborate on what went wrong with the tranny? Did you not fill the fluid correctly? Do you think the K16's torque caused this? How much for the Renntec rebuild?

 

OP, correct me if I'm wrong but I bet you chose Renntec because they are the leader in Mercedes upgrades... and this is a Mercedes tranny

 

Followed.

 

When I purchased the car, cosmetically she was a beauty. Mechanically she looked and felt good. A day after the the purchase I blew out a coolant line. I had to replace wheel bearings, cv boots and all other things related to a higher mileage vehicle. Before any upgrades, I kept noticing a thumping noise when I accelerated hard. Come to find out the tranny mount was shot. I replace the mount. I installed the turbos and the rest of the package. She was running flawlessly. Then I had leave town for a few days to attend my fathers funeral in Texas. I didn't drive her for a week. I came home to find a nice stream of oil running out the back of the car on my slab. Further investigation revealed the leaky gasket between the transfer case and the transmission. I looked it up and sure enough it has happened before and people were attributing the failure to the bad tranny mount ( ihave no idea if thats the case). I removed the transfer case and replaced the gaskets. I then had to make a decision as to fill the tranny up with fresh only or go ahead and change filter and put in all new fluid. I listened to a "professional" that tried to convince me that it was a "myth" that changing the filter and fluid in a higher mileage tranny with no service history and that could have possibly been drove hard could indeed either shorten the life or destroy an automatic tranny! Against my better judgment, I changed the filter. I did have a bit of material on the magnet but I have seen worse. I measured what we drained out and refilled that exact amount. I only had to add a little from what had previously leaked. Filling is not rocket science and is actually easy, but can take a while when your ambient temp is 95 degrees! She ran and shifted perfectly for two straight weeks with no sign of any kind. Then, I pulled out of my shop at lunch and under very slight throttle, I noticed the upshifts a little sooner than normal. As she shifted from 3rd to 4th, at around 35-40, she "flared". The rpm jumped and I let off the accelerator. It shifted and as I stepped on the pedal she slipped and tried to go into 5th. I have been around automatic transmissions for years and modding engines. It is just "understood" that at some point after you go above the rated horsepower you will need to upgrade everything in the drive train. I don't think the extra HP caused the damage this quick. I have very few miles on the turbo's. Every automatic that I have had go bad due to HP increase started showing signs before the issue. But, I don't have a crystal ball and won't try to figure it out. It's not a "myth" but a gamble to change the tranny filter on a high mileage tranny that has been beat on...that much I'm sure of. I think with how much these trannies cost the filter should be changed sooner. I assure you, with how I like to drive, I will be changing at 10-15K It's not that much money! I will be installing an additional cooler as well.


Anyone with a low mileage Tip that plans on keeping and actually driving the car (not a garage queen) should service the tip (and pin or weld coolant lines) the same as all other automatic transmissions!






Choosing Renntec was suggested by Markski as well as their reputation in the Mercedes world. I called and had a long talk with the tech I feel comfortable with him.

 

Nice Lift!

ps. Upon initial info from you and doing some online research I had my coolant lines pinned during the installation of my coilovers. I'm going to the track next month for a DE event and I can now go with a clear conscience.

 

Thank you!

Good luck with your event!

 

I'm not sure I follow... You say "it's a gamble to change the tranny filter on a high mileage tranny that has been beat on...that much I'm sure of. I think with how much these trannies cost the filter should be changed sooner."

It sounds like it was a bad move to change the filter yet you recommend changing it? Can you clarify?

 

He is stating the trans should have had regular filter/fluid changes from day1.

 

EXACTLY!! I plan on pounding a lot more miles on this car! It was meant to be driven, not sit in my garage! These very expensive repairs can be avoided (or prolonged) with proper maintenance. I found out a long time ago that my Allison auto in my 2500HD with highly modded Duramax Diesel weighing in at 8000lbs likes to have both filters changed...regularly! No sense letting the sludge from clutches build up in the first place. All it takes is a small particle to block a solenoid or passageway and you day is ruined

 

Ok. You've convinced me to do a fluid / filter change. What fluid did you use? What about filter?

 

I bought OEM filter and fluid from the dealer. I didn't want to mix fluids. I will flush my system and run what the builder recommends from now on.

 

i've '07 997.1TT Tip- 24.5k miles- just had Tip filter & fluid changed few weeks back- also front/rear diff fluid. Bought fluids at Sunset Porsche- much cheaper than local dealer even with shipping to HI- figured it was good PM as i plan to keep car a long while.