Product Description

ACS-Solutions GmbH from Saarbrücken has developed an innovative ultrasonic measuring solution for Mercedes-Benz that sets new standards in the accurate and efficient determination of transmission oil levels.

The Mercedes-Benz 9-speed automatic transmission (9G-Tronic) represents a major technological advancement over the previous 7-speed generation, delivering fuel savings of up to 6.5% while ensuring lower engine speeds and significantly improved smoothness and driving comfort.

Since September 2013, the transmission has been deployed across rear-wheel-drive models as well as all-wheel-drive, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and continues to be systematically optimized. It was the world’s first 9-speed automatic transmission with a hydrodynamic torque converter in the premium segment and is a proprietary in-house development by Mercedes-Benz.

Traditionally, transmission oil levels are adjusted using a mechanical tube with an overflow opening at a precisely defined temperature of 40 °C. This process requires intentional overfilling, followed by a subjective evaluation of a so-called drip pattern to determine the correct oil level. The procedure is time-consuming and prone to errors, as temperature-dependent oil expansion between 20 °C and 80 °C can cause level fluctuations of up to 20 mm. Especially in warm climates, this often necessitates oil level measurements in air-conditioned environments after extended waiting periods, significantly impacting service efficiency.

With the objective of enhancing serviceability while simultaneously increasing measurement accuracy, Mercedes-Benz sought a more efficient and reliable solution. To meet these requirements, ACS-Solutions GmbH was commissioned to develop a next-generation measuring device enabling faster, more precise, and significantly less error-prone transmission oil level determination.

The resulting solution stands out for its simplicity and robustness: a specially designed ultrasonic sensor is connected directly to the transmission oil pan via a bayonet coupling. An integrated damping tube within the oil pan ensures stable and reliable measurements even under vibration or slight vehicle inclination. The measured oil level is automatically evaluated in conjunction with the current oil temperature and compared against the target value in the diagnostic system. This approach completely eliminates the former complex procedure, delivering fast, accurate results with minimal effort while reliably removing previous sources of error. As a result, Mercedes-Benz service centers benefit from measurable time savings, reduced costs, and consistently high measurement accuracy.

Additional advantages become evident during oil level correction or complete oil changes. The transmission is filled from below using a pump station to the specified oil change volume. After engine start-up and transmission preconditioning via the diagnostic system, the correct oil level can be set quickly and precisely. Thanks to the innovative ACS-Solutions measuring device, the process is completed significantly faster, while preventing overfilling and eliminating the need for subsequent corrections.

ACS-Solutions GmbH is proud to have been selected as the development partner for this demanding project. Mercedes-Benz expressed a high level of satisfaction with the solution, which is already in use in more than 1,300 authorized service workshops worldwide. The measuring device is also successfully applied to the current 8-speed dual-clutch transmission of the MFA-2 platform, underlining its versatility and future readiness.

Application

After switch ON the device and applying some couplant to the ultrasonic probe connect the probe to the car gearbox by turning the bayonet connector and compare the displayed result to the value correlating to the measured oil temperature from the diagnosis instrument.

Specification

Delivery set

• Ultrasonic Measuring Instrument with safety strap
• Ultrasonic probe
• Probe cable for connecting measuring instrumentwith the ultrasonic probe
• USB cable
• Calibration block
• Charger 
• User manual
• Service book
• Hard case

Download

• Firmware
• Firmware installation
• User manual | English
• App Software User manual
• Flyer | English
• Android APP for download