M117 Gearbox

[SELfor50]

As it says.

I'm contemplating scooping this up for the price (under $200) as a spare...

Thoughts people? I guess you wouldn't really know how good / bad it would be until connecting it..


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1978-450-se-sel-Mercedes-Benz-Gearbox_W0QQitemZ330241663293QQihZ014QQcategoryZ33727QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Styria]

Hi SELfour50, the price certainly seems right, and there is every chance that if you fitted the gearbox "as is". that it will work satisfactorily. It becomes a matter of trusting the seller's description.

There are some things you can service and perform checks on which are inexpensive and relatively quick. Initially, I would remove the sump and valve body which can be cleaned in petrol and blown clean with compressed air.

You can also service the front pump by installation of a new oil seal and rubber 'O' ring, and check the adjiustment and clearance of the No. 3 band, which is the one closest to the front of the box. It partially controls operation of reverse. It is also possible to check free movement of Bands 2 and 1 (middle one) which should have free travel of 4mm, This measurement is obtained by means of compressed air inserted into orifices that are part of your servo units. However, to adjust the free travel of those bands it is necessary to remove the servo units and use different length adjustment pins.

With the front pump off, and the valve body still removed, you can wash out the box with petrol and let it drain out as best as possible. Once the front pump housing is refitted, you can also turn the box upside down and again expel all excess petrol.

Clutch packs and Bands can only be examined by further stripping of the box. Regards Styria

 

[SELfor50]

Hi SELfour50, the price certainly seems right, and there is every chance that if you fitted the gearbox "as is". that it will work satisfactorily. It becomes a matter of trusting the seller's description.

There are some things you can service and perform checks on which are inexpensive and relatively quick. Initially, I would remove the sump and valve body which can be cleaned in petrol and blown clean with compressed air.

You can also service the front pump by installation of a new oil seal and rubber 'O' ring, and check the adjiustment and clearance of the No. 3 band, which is the one closest to the front of the box. It partially controls operation of reverse. It is also possible to check free movement of Bands 2 and 1 (middle one) which should have free travel of 4mm, This measurement is obtained by means of compressed air inserted into orifices that are part of your servo units. However, to adjust the free travel of those bands it is necessary to remove the servo units and use different length adjustment pins.

With the front pump off, and the valve body still removed, you can wash out the box with petrol and let it drain out as best as possible. Once the front pump housing is refitted, you can also turn the box upside down and again expel all excess petrol.

Clutch packs and Bands can only be examined by further stripping of the box. Regards Styria

Great advice Styria!! My current gearbox is still going OK, but i'm sure after the amount of strain it will experience over the coming months that it will be good to have a spare.

The items you've mentioned above would be partly reco-ing the gearbox yeah? Obviously a full re-co would be changing the whole guts of it yeah?

 

[Styria]

Hi Cam2, I suppose one could describe it as a major service which would probably only take about four hours 'bench time'. As you can guess, boxes can get pretty filthy and travel stained on the outside, and one needs to be just so careful when cleaning outside and then inside to ensure absolute cleanliness. You'd go through a fair bit of petrol just washing things out.

However, I would feel a lot more comfortable cleaning the box thoroughly rather than just fitting a second hand, untried unit. Regards Styria

 

[SELfor50]

Hi Cam2, I suppose one could describe it as a major service which would probably only take about four hours 'bench time'. As you can guess, boxes can get pretty filthy and travel stained on the outside, and one needs to be just so careful when cleaning outside and then inside to ensure absolute cleanliness. You'd go through a fair bit of petrol just washing things out.

However, I would feel a lot more comfortable cleaning the box thoroughly rather than just fitting a second hand, untried unit. Regards Styria

Cool... It's something i'd definitely wanna do before fitting the gearbox. Just to be comfortable with where it's at. My current gearbox is still holding up (even after the workout it's received to date) but it would definitely be nice to replace it with something that I know is up to the challenge moving forward.

If I do acquire this gearbox, I'll prob be looking for some more advice regarding the reco of it..

Cam2.