A good gearboox specialist?

Fergieman

Hi There,
Looks like my mercedes automatic transmission needs an overhaul.
Who is the best out there with mercedes automatic trannys? What should I be spending on an overhaul including Torque convertor. Looks like it will have to be someone in Dublin. There is noone down south doing this work.
Thanks.

vw4life

what model and year is it?

El Guapo!

A & M Gearboxes on James' St. (in Dublin) is the best place I know. The main guy in there is called Sean. Don't have a number for them I'm afraid but they'll be in the Golden Pages.

Rovi

There's also Tom McManus in Automatic Transmissions Ltd.:

http://www.goldenpages.ie/detailsSearch.ds?detailsListingId=IE_10149985_9999_1504
Automatic Transmission Ltd
St Georges ave Clonliffe rd 3 Co. Dublin
(01)8363155

It's a few years ago now, but he rebuilt a couple of Range-Rover autoboxes for me, and did a sterling job.

trad

Conway Transmissions in Walkinstown, I've had them overhaul a good few merc transmissions when I was in the trade and a nice guy as well.

What's the fault? Have you had the transmission filter changed ever?

Fergieman

It's a '01 Mercedes ML 270CDI (for anyone thinking of purchasing one,stay well clear!)
The gearbox was fine up to a few weeks ago. I was driving home from work a few weeks ago and I stopped at the lights. I felt a slight judder when I pulled up and when I went to move off it was bearly moving.
Limped around a corner and discovered a trail of oil behind me. Followed this back to where I felt the judder at the lights where there was a larger pool of oil. She was obviously limping along in safe mode due to loss of oil.
Anyway,long story short, I've had it up on the hoist. Seems the oil is leaking from a mushroom shaped breather hole in the top of the gearbox. Nobody knows why. I drained the oil. Sent a sample away to be tested for glycol contamination, came back negative. This was a common problem with merc autos of this era. Engine coolant was making its way into the gearbox oil and the antifreeze would then strip the lining off the little clutches in the auto box.
The oil looks like it has not been changed in long time(should be every 36,000 mls). Greeny blacky colour. No burnt smell.
Next the pan was removed. No metal filings present looked pretty normal.
Removed filter and broke it open to examine, also looked quite normal.
Next replaced filter and put in new fluid. Was driven down the road. Drove fine through all gears. Tiptronic worked fine also. But when it returned to the yard it started leaking oil again from same spot! (mushroom shaped thingy).
Back up on hoist, oil drained, pan off. This time though, little fiberous particles were discovered in the bottom of the pan.
In my own personal opinion, and I'm not a specialist just practically minded, These particles are the broken down clutch lining. As a result of slippage these little clutches are heating up thus causing the oil to heat up and blow out the top of the gear box through the breather hole.
Anyway sorry about the long winded post but most people like to know the full details.
I feel I have done as much investigation as possible and now its time to turn it over to the pro's. I have heard a lot of good things about McManus on Clonliffe Rd.
I'm still interested in someone giving me an idea of how much an overhaul will cost. I'm guessing a couple of grand?

Rovi

Fergieman wrote: »

I feel I have done as much investigation as possible and now its time to turn it over to the pro's. I have heard a lot of good things about McManus on Clonliffe Rd.
I'm still interested in someone giving me an idea of how much an overhaul will cost. I'm guessing a couple of grand?

A figure of €1400 seems to stick in my mind, but it was a few years ago at this stage, so don't take that as gospel.
That was for a full overhaul on a ZF HP22 as fitted to Range Rovers during the '90s.

Tom's a nice guy and was very interested in getting the job perfect, to the point of constantly apologising for not being able to get the gearbox casings as sparking clean as the ones he had in the workshop that had come out of various cars.
He had put the casings through the cleaning process a few times, and couldn't quite shift the external staining off the metal to his satisfaction. I explained that they were used in off-roaders, and spent much of their time caked in muck or submerged in bog water, and that the dull finish was cooked into them and didn't matter one little bit. He still wasn't happy that he wasn't being dazzled by them.

They've done a good few miles since (much of it under 'extreme' conditions) without a hiccup of any sort, so I'm very happy with the job he did.

Fergieman

Tom's a nice guy and was very interested in getting the job perfect, to the point of constantly apologising for not being able to get the gearbox casings as sparking clean as the ones he had in the workshop that had come out of various cars.

Sounds like my kind of man. I think i will give him a buzz.