There are a lot of clutch pack combinations/version for the 722.6xx series, and maybe for the W5A 580 we have the stronger ones. But there are even stronger versions, ie the W5A 900 and even the W5A 1000 (being 900nm and 1000nm).

 

Just an update: I have changed my oil to Mobile 134, and while at it also swapped the solenoids (easy job). Am very pleased, it gives more confidence with the amount of extra power I have, so am very pleased. You do feel the gear shifting slightly more, but very acceptable. Let’s see how it will behave over a longer time.

 

Glad to see you like the "blue tops". It is true that North American enthusiasts like to feel a definite shift as compared to other markets. As the blue tops are also used in the AMG series, you will no doubt remain pleased with them.

Crisper shift=less slip=less heat

BTW, the Valvoline Maxlife Dex/Merc is less than $20 for 5 liters.

 

When it comes to oil, here in the EU all seems much more expensive... Valvoline maxlife atf would be here about 8 to 10 euros per liter. I intentionaly went for the newer 236.14 spec, and then Mobil 134 was the best choice imho.

 

ouch

 

I use AGIP Dexron III. It meets M.B. 236.1, 236.5, 236.10, 236.11, 236.12.

 

An oil supplier may say it is compatible, but as long as it has not been approved by Mercedes, its not on the list. Here you can check for each specification what suppliers/oils are available:
MB 236.10 - Automatic transmission fluids (ATF, Specification 236.10) - Mercedes-Benz Specifications for Operating Fluids

Agip isn't approved for 236.10 and 236.12 as you can see, but please note that doesn't have to mean it isn't good.

 

"very pleased".....now for you to say that, it must be a good update! where did you find them Andre? and how much did you pay for them??

 

Thank you, and yes, there is nothing to be sure nowadays. I hope Agip does not want to play on dangerous waters. Anyway I still won't use my car for months, because it is under rebuild. I just drained the oil, and cleaned the pan. Maybe Agip Dexron III. will be recommended by MB until then.

 

@Sean, I will give an update by the end of the week or so when I have driven more, than I will be able to give a more detailed view, but so far I am pleasantly surprised, I was afraid it would be too harsh, which it luckily isn't (would have swapped them out then). You can get these with any Mercedes dealer, at about 150 euros per solenoid iirc.

 

Oke, have driven some more.


So far I am still pleased (very can be take off), the shifts feel indeed a little firmer, and at full power it almost feels as if the ***** are a little shorter too, but couldn't tell how much that would shave of in time.


The only drawback (for which the very has been taken of), is on very light torque form the engine conditions during a shift, than the shifts are more bumpy like. So on very slow driving (can't remember but below 30mph), or on coast downs (again low engine torque). It's minor, and for me the benefits of the shifts during higher torque levels outweigh this drawback.

 

You might want to consider whether clearing and resetting the transmission adaptations would be helpful in reducing low rpm harshness.

BTW, Mopar Performance offers a performance TCM for their version of the W5A580 as well as the upgraded steels and clutches which you probably already have from the factory.

 

The US luxury buyer wants imperceptible shifting -- Lexus has perfected this.

The slip built into the old Cadillac 400's was unbelievable.


The early 210's were criticized in the US for the shift characteristics. With the huge US market - things get changed to fit this market

 

@Plums,
Although 2 companies have said they could do the custom TCM tuning I wanted, they were both wanting $1.500 to $2.000, and it isn't worth it to me. Not sure if anyone can just tune the TCM from our cars, as they are again specific for our cars, and iirc you need to have some sort of base map before you are able to create changes. In other words if you can do a Chrysler, you aren’t able yet to do a Jaguar or Mercedes specific tune. At least this is what I have been told.

You can indeed have the stronger internals form the 900nm versions, so lots of headroom with this unit ;-)

Am not sure yet what the effects are of a re-adaptation, as it could also affect the shifts under power which I wouldn’t want to change, so therefor I haven’t tried that one, but of course I looked into this.

Ideally re-programming the TCM would be best, as then you can also take out torque reductions outside gear changes (happens only on a small area to smoothen the torque curve), but I am not willing to spend $2.000 or so on this.

 

One point to consider is that in the adaptation procedure the specified training rpm's are at the low end. Part of the procedure is a off throttle coast down. It would seem that the adaptation is targetted to part throttle operation as there is no full throttle training.

The adaptation is saved every 10 minutes, so the car must idle for 10 minutes after training or the adaptations are lost. The other option is to use the "save adaptations now" option.

 

Thanks for thinking with me, but here is what I am unsure about. Just like with open and closed loop, the ECU learns A/F ratio from part throttle, and uses that to alter full throttle conditions, and I would not be surprised if the TCM would do something similar. Will try to delve into this, but it would be great if you could also find something.

 

Try section 9 on the page below as a starting point:

100 Challenger Tips and Tricks

Other sources include benz, mopar, jeep, and sprinter forums.

The trick is to search with w5a580 and some other filtering term such as torx, solenoid. That leads you to posts from people who are in the guts of the transmission.

 

Had a look, but nothing new, or more detailes about adaptions anmd TCM strategies. They use the newer EGS52 or 53 TCM, whereas we have the EGS51.

 

Another update, am almost very pleased again.

I have tested another TCM on my car, which I had as reserve for a couple of years, and I think the memory was gone, which worked like an adaptation reset.

The results are that in very low torque shifts, it is perfect (so not bumpy), but the higher power shifts are less firm then before. But still firmer than the original solenoids.

So I can definitely recommend it for the few under us that have (or want to) increase the performance significantly. Then all that is needed is a TCM tune to take full advantage of the new solenoids

 

I wonder If I could use my durametric from the Turbo to reset adaptations on the Jag trans....hmmm