trans-x worked for me!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

10fords · #1 03-21-2010, 11:45 PM

My recently purchased for $350 1985 300sd had a problem getting into fourth gear. After much searching of this forum I thought I would give the trans-x treatment a try. At first the third to fourth wouldn't work at all. After about 100 miles I could get fourth gear intermittently if I really worked it. After about 250 miles I would get fourth about half the time if it was under light throttle and downhill. Then at about 300 miles it started getting fourth everytime just like it should!

Needless to say I am thrilled to have avoided a rebuild for the time being. I am going to continue to put some miles on it and see what happens before I call it a useable vehicle, but so far it just keeps getting better.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

JimmyL · #2 03-22-2010, 12:00 AM

Leathermang has been extolling the benefits of Trans-X on here for years.
Glad you got it shifting...

barry123400 · #3 03-22-2010, 12:17 AM

Can take up to 1500 hundred miles for a seal expander to be effective. Dried out internal seals where pretty common on old gas mercedes automatic transmissons sitting around too much

pawoSD · #4 03-22-2010, 12:41 AM

I suppose on a cheap car like that it is worth a shot, but I'd never pour it into a car I paid decent money for....or had a lot of work into.

leathermang · #5 03-22-2010, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I suppose on a cheap car like that it is worth a shot, but I'd never pour it into a car I paid decent money for....or had a lot of work into.

Have any facts to support that opinion ?

10fords · #6 03-22-2010, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I suppose on a cheap car like that it is worth a shot, but I'd never pour it into a car I paid decent money for....or had a lot of work into.

I'm not sure what you are getting at. Even if I had paid $10,000 for the car what is the difference? Point is it worked and I thought I would pass it along to maybe help out someone else with the same problem.

pawoSD · #7 03-22-2010, 06:59 AM

Because seal-swelling additives are only a temporary fix....I like being able to trust the vehicle to be working properly.

barry123400 · #8 03-22-2010, 09:42 AM

I still have a 1972 250c that was very late shifting because of the seals sitting unused for so long originally. The car is seldom used once again but the seals have remained tight for about twenty years now with the additive.

It may have had something to do with the composition or mix of the materials in the seals back then. Plus I imagine some of the additive acts to loosen up other things like vanish etc if it occurs.

Of course it is not a cure all but in my case I doubt the transmission is any less reliable. If I had knocked it down or had a shop do the set of seals it may have been no more reliable. There would be very little actual wear in there. Car was too low in milage.

The problem was not worn out seals just partially dried out seals.Possibly todays materials are less problamatic in that way. The replacement transmission I put aside for this car just still sits there. The car I purchased to get that automatic out of was a story itself. The automatic had been rebuilt though.

It may be a good ideal not to let an older automatic transmission sit too many years with out getting the fluid circulating . This car was given to a son by his father.

The young fellow had what I would consider to be minor issues dealt with by a dealer. He gave me the bills after describing why he had never driven it for all the following years. The amounts on those bills would make almost anyone park the car in a garage and cover it up. The bill for doing the front brakes looked like an engine job until I read it carefully. Fifteen hundred for doing the front brakes and what fooled me initially was the parts listed included two pistons. The other bills where all the same type of thing. They saw him coming and really victomised him.

He had parked the car when the engine had a delayed response to the accelorator pedal. Seemed like 1/2 minute between pressing the gas pedal and the engine picking up any revs. Then the car would really respond. The transmission was late shifting after sitting all those years as well. I found the ignition points where closed up and I treated the transmission.

Car was very good then. Cost was probably twenty dollars for the needed part and additive. I can only imagine what his dealership bill might have been. Remember twenty five five years or so ago he could have purchased a new car for what they charged him for what were basically a few minor issues.

tangofox007 · #9 03-22-2010, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10fords

I'm not sure what you are getting at. Even if I had paid $10,000 for the car what is the difference? Point is it worked and I thought I would pass it along to maybe help out someone else with the same problem.

Lots of "solutions" work. But lots of them also have undesirable side effects. Trans X is a strong solvent. Works great when it comes to dissolving sludge and varnish. Also dissolves the adhesive on the clutch disk friction material. Cut your filter open next time you replace it. Odds are it will be full of friction material.

barry123400 · #10 03-22-2010, 03:01 PM

The solvent action may be tollerabe because of the massive dillution. That portion of any type of transmission rejuvinator may wear out quickly. It is the petroleum product portion of the rejuvinator that slowly swells the rubber composition seals.

Modern transmission fluids are probably far more active with additives than the earlier ones were as well. Plus as already mentioned todays internal sealing material compositions may be less problamatic in general.

Once the transmission is normal again one could change the transmission fluid and filter to get rid of any possibility of further unwanted/needed activity by the additive.

pawoSD · #11 03-22-2010, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry123400

The solvent action may be tollerabe because of the massive dillution. That portion of any type of transmission rejuvinator may wear out quickly. It is the petroleum product portion of the rejuvinator that slowly swells the rubber composition seals.

Modern transmission fluids are probably far more active with additives than the earlier ones were as well. Plus as already mentioned todays internal sealing material compositions may be less problamatic in general.

Once the transmission is normal again one could change the transmission fluid and filter to get rid of any possibility of further unwanted/needed activity by the additive.

Massive dillution? I would not call 1 quart in 6 massive....pouring a 12oz bottle of injector cleaner into a 20 gallon fuel tank, that is pretty good dillution. But not a 1/6 quart ratio. That means the fluid in there is around 15% trans-x!

barry123400 · #12 03-22-2010, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

Massive dillution? I would not call 1 quart in 6 massive....pouring a 12oz bottle of injector cleaner into a 20 gallon fuel tank, that is pretty good dillution. But not a 1/6 quart ratio. That means the fluid in there is around 15% trans-x!

Well you are right on that. I am also not an additive believer in general. although all additives should not be totally ignored.

I think we have all been scammed or attempted to be on a regular basis. Engine friction reducers for example seem to have run their course now. They were pushed very hard for at least ten years.