Hello, I'm going to be changing the ATF fluid and filter on my new to me 2000 XJR.
So far I've purchased a Transmission Plug Wire Harness, a Filler cap and lock clip, and a dip stick.

I still need to get the filer and the pan gasket, and the fluid itself.
Would this kit work for our cars, it says its for a MB 722.6xx trans?

https://www.amazon.com/Mercedes-Benz.../dp/B00EZAKFKG

It seems everyone here says to only use the Mercades Benz 236.14 fluid, is this correct? And its 7qts right? Anyone got a good online source to find it at a reasonable price?

As for the solenoids, it seems it is just two of them, correct? Does anyone have a Jag/Merc/Lincoln part number for them?

 

You can use Shell ATF 134, best price I found is Ryder Fleet Products on line.
Vector

 

My indy has advised me against changing my fluid, which surprised me. He said it wasn't meant to be changed. From someone who is constantly maintaining his vehicles, this was a bit of head scratcher. He was a dealer mechanic in Ireland and in the US for a bit, and now has his own shop here, so I'm not going to doubt him. Plus when he told me the Merc fluid was like $53 a quart, I had to catch my breath.

 

I found a couple of merc service u-tube videos on this trans. They talk about the don't change the fluid argument but in the end changed the fluid and made a good argument for why. The coupler housing and solenoid plate were all they changed after removing the valve body.
I picked up the parts to do mine but the coupler wasn't leaking so I left that job for another time. I did change the filter and pan gasket and there are lots of places to get those.
I also used a Castrol fluid, even though a lot of people seem to think only the merc stuff will work. This trans was used in all sorts of mercs, chryslers, and our jags so there seems to be lots of info available on line about them.
A quick search on the 722.6 transmission will yield a lot of material.

 

This is real "old school" thinking and I believe most of it can be blamed on using the wrong fluid or over/underfilling the tranny. Of course, if you service a tranny with 180K on it and it breaks in few months, it is easy to blame it on the fluid change, not the lack of service in the first place.

No dipstick means you never have to check it, right? Right. Runs low, you don't know, then stuff starts to wear and clunk.

Even Mercedes has backed up and now recommends changing the fluid every 60K or so in the 722.6. (It is the same tranny used on the Sprinter delivery van)

The Shell ATF 134 is about $6-8 a quart or less if they have a special.:
Shell ATF 134 Mercedes Benz Transmission Fluid 236 14 236 12 1 Quart 5080660 | eBay

"Sealed for life" and "good for life" means until the factory warranty runs out, after that, it is not Jag's problem, it is YOURS.

When you see and smell the condition of ATF that has been run hard for 100K+ you will find it hard to believe that it should not be changed.

They say the same thing about the supercharger, "sealed for life." 8 oz of lubrication for an assembly that spins much faster than the engine without an oil filter or cooler in the system. Right.

Video from another "Should I change my tranny fluid" thread:


Vector

 

Valvoline Maxlife Dex/Merc is listed in a Mercedes training bulletin.

That's what has been in mine for five years. Sourced from Walmart.

I agree with changing the coupler the first time, and the filter,
but do not see the need for changing the solenoid plate at all
unless there is some symptom pointing at it.

The filler cap is perfectly reusable if you do not care about
having a lock tab in place.

 

Thanks for the info. I found 6 qt of the shell ATF fluid on Amazon for $50 with free shipping so I've ordered that, but I need 7qt correct? What is the fluid capacity for these trans.
I'm also looking to replace the shift solenoids, it clunk when first putting it into drive and occasionally that will trip a "transmission fault, restricted performance" warning on the dash. I still haven't found a part number for these and ones I find don't list the XJR as a compatible vehicle.
There are only two shift solenoids in the trans correct? I found one listing that was selling 3 suggesting three where needed?

 

Scooby, I think the transmission takes 8 qts when completely drained. I'm not sure how you'd do that in the car though. If you wanted a complete exchange of fluid you could swap in fluid at the cooler near the radiator (fluid to the cooler dumps into a bucket and new fluid is drawn in the return line to the transmission. This would take more than 8 qts to complete though.
If you do a google search on "722.6 transmission" there are videos that show the solenoids as well as the conductor plate replacement. To be honest it seems the wiring harness connector (seal in the connector) and conductor plate that holds the solenoids and a couple speed sensors are the main issues for shifting and speed mismatch faults. I didn't find anyone that reported needing to replace the solenoids but I'm sure they could fail as well.
There are places on amazon & ebay that sell the parts you need to replace the connector and conductor plate.
Mine was shifting hard, having trouble going into drive from reverse, and had pulled a speed mismatch fault causing mine to go into limp home with a restricted performance message displayed. A fluid (4 qts) and filter change was all I needed to do to have the old girl shifting smoothly again. I have the parts for the connector and conductor plate in case the issue comes back but I think my issues were low fluid from a leaky pan gasket and possibly old fluid. My fluid was brown but not burnt so I'm not sure how much of an issue that was. I was down almost 1 qt before I started though (took out ~ 3 qts/ needed 4 qts to hit the correct mark on the dip stick).
I know you're pat of the way there by removing the pan but watch the videos, removing the valve body is messy...

 

After a certain year they did away with the drain plug in the torque converter. The OP might be lucky and still have it. If you don't have it, when you drain from the pan you only get half the fluid out, about 4 quarts, which only gives you a 50% change.

I did 3 drain and fill cycles, which requires 12 quarts of fluid. To be precise, the first time I drained from the pan, cleaning out the pan and changing the filter, and the 2nd and 3rd times I extracted fluid via the dipstick tube.

3 cycles gets you an 8:1 ratio of new fluid to old.

 

Yeah that was my thinking, since I'm in there, might as well change the solenoids, and what i read on some chrysler forum posts people seem to report smoother shifting after doing that, although that could also be because of fresh fluid and filter after doing the solenoid replacement.
I guess I'll just change the fluid for now and see how it does after that.

I'll try that if I don't have the torque converter drain, I've got six quarts of the stuff, trying to source two more quarts locally, but I guess i'll just go head and order another case of six, then i've got 12 to flush it three times.