Can't get to torque converter drain plug, what to do?!

[zeronero]

I'm about to service the transmission on my '92 400E and would like to very much to, but it seems as if the exhaust pipe is in the way. I have no problem getting to the pan, but it's the bell housing that is the problem. Since this car has a V8 the exhaust pipe on the passenger side connects to the drivers side right under the bell housing where the opening for the torque converter is, making it impossbile to reach it.

I really don't want to have to remove the exhaust pipe in order to complete this task, but don't see any other method of reaching it. I searched some alternative ways of draining the transmission, with removing a cooling line being the best. Anyone have any answers, I just can't believe MB would design something like this.

When you park the car the TC drain plug may not align with thw drain slot. In that case, you may have to turn the crank to reposition the TC drain plug to align with the slot. The shaft is easy to turn if the rear wheel are raised of the ground.

[Stan Pittman]

You have to remove the pipe

[zeronero]

Originally Posted by Stan Pittman

You have to remove the pipe

Well, that sucks. The only hesitation that I have with removing the pipe is that when it goes back together it might leak since the original seal will be broken.