722.5 Valve Body, new and ready to install. Fits the 722.5. Ships fast from the USA.
The 722.5 is the five-speed member of Mercedes-Benz's 4G-Tronic automatic transmission family, built from 1990 until the fully electronic 722.6 replaced the whole line in 1996. It is not a simpler cousin of the 722.6 this site also sells - it is an older, mostly hydraulic design with an electronic overdrive bolted on behind it, and the valve body reflects that split design. If yours is shifting hard into 1-2, flaring soft on 2-3 or 3-4, or slipping when cold, this new valve body is built to the 722.5's specification.
Mercedes built the 722.5 by taking the 722.3/722.4 four-speed and adding a separate overdrive housing behind it, so the valve body you are looking at is really two systems sharing one casting. Gears 1 through 4 and reverse are controlled hydraulically, the same way they are on the 722.3 and 722.4, while fifth gear - Mercedes called the overdrive clutch and brake the "S" elements, for schnell, German for fast - has its own electronic control. That split design is why the 722.5 carries more internal parts than either four-speed it is built from: four gearsets, four brakes and three clutches, against three gearsets, three brakes and two clutches in the 722.3 and 722.4.
Superior's own shift-correction kit for this family (p/n 86800K) is built to fix exactly the harsh 1-2 and soft 2-3/3-4 symptom set above on 1980-1995 gas-engine 722.3, 722.4 and 722.5 units, which tells you how common these particular complaints are on this casting. Before you order, pull the transmission code stamped on the case or pan rail and confirm it reads 722.5 or W5A 030, rather than 722.3, 722.4 or the later 722.6 - the four units share a family resemblance but the valve bodies are not interchangeable. If your car turns out to carry the later, fully electronic 722.6 instead, our 722.6 common problems guide covers that unit's failure points instead.
This valve body is built to the 722.5 (W5A 030) specification Mercedes-Benz offered as a factory option on 4G-Tronic-equipped models from 1990 through the mid-1990s, before the 722.6 replaced the whole family in 1996. Confirm the transmission code on your case before ordering rather than going by model year alone, since Mercedes ran the 722.3, 722.4 and 722.5 in parallel across the same model lines during this period. The 722 transmission parts collection carries the rest of what we stock across the 722.3 through 722.9 family if you need to cross-check.
Because the 722.5's first four gears are hydraulically controlled, most of the shift-quality complaints above trace to wear in the hydraulic bores and spool valves rather than a solenoid - which is why a fresh valve body, not just a solenoid swap, is the usual fix. Change the fluid and filter at the same time you install it so contamination from the old unit's wear does not carry over, and torque the valve body bolts to spec in the factory sequence. Pair the swap with a 722.5 governor pressure solenoid if your original complaint included erratic shift points at different speeds, or a 722.5 planetary if you are already deep into a rebuild and the gearset shows wear.
| Fits | 722.5 |
| Part type | Valve Body |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | Superior |
| Reference | K722A |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
The 722.5 controls its first four gears hydraulically and only the fifth-gear overdrive electronically, while the 722.6 is fully electronic end to end. The two valve bodies are not interchangeable.
Harsh 1-2 upshift, soft or flaring 2-3 and 3-4 shifts, slipping or flaring on the 2-3 shift when cold, and delayed or missing 5th gear overdrive engagement.
Check the transmission code stamped on the case or pan rail. The 722.5 is also known as the W5A 030. Do not go by model year alone, since Mercedes ran these units in parallel.
New.
A governor pressure solenoid if your complaint included erratic shift points at different speeds, or a planetary if you are already into a rebuild and the gearset shows wear.
From 1990 until 1996, when the fully electronic 722.6 replaced the whole 4G-Tronic family.
