722.6 Clutch Module 1996-2000, new and ready to install. Fits the 722.6. Ships fast from the USA.
If you are rebuilding a first-generation 722.6 five-speed out of a 1996-2000 Mercedes C-Class (W202), E-Class (W210), S-Class (W140), SL (R129) or G-Class, and the old unit was slipping, flaring on upshifts or coming out of the pan with black, burnt fluid, this is the friction set it needs. It is a new 722.6 friction module, reference R78119, which interchanges with Raybestos RCP96-024. The module is the early version built around the large inside-diameter K2 clutch pack, which is the detail that separates it from the later modules we carry.
Mercedes designed the 722.6 without bands. It uses three planetary gearsets controlled by three multi-plate clutches (K1, K2 and K3) and three multi-plate brakes, plus two one-way freewheels. Each gear is a particular combination of those packs held on by hydraulic pressure from the valve body. A friction module gives you the lined friction plates for all of those packs in one box, so every clutch and brake goes back together with fresh material at the same wear point. On the early cars this matters because by now most 1996-2000 units have well over 150,000 miles on their original frictions, and a rebuild that replaces only the worst pack tends to come back with the next-weakest one slipping.
The 722.6 has two common faults that feel like slipping clutches but are not. A worn valve body, specifically the working-pressure regulator bore and the overlap control sleeves, causes the same 2-3 and 4-5 flare; Sonnax and Transmission Digest both document it and a vacuum test confirms it. A failing conductor plate (speed sensors and solenoids) also throws the transmission into limp mode with perfectly good clutches. Pull codes, check the level hot, and drop the pan. Lots of friction material in the filter and pan means the packs are done. Our 722.6 common problems guide walks through separating these, and if your car is a W202 the C-Class 722.6 guide covers the fluid level check on that body.
This module is listed for the 722.6 from 1996 through 2000 with the large-ID K2 pack. During those years Mercedes also introduced a thicker K3 friction, so a 1998-2000 transmission may need the 1998-up thick-K3 module instead, and units built from 2001 moved to a small-ID K2 friction. The safest way to match is to compare your old K2 frictions' inside diameter and your K3 plate thickness against this set before you start assembly. If you are not sure, send us your year and VIN, plus a photo of the K2 frictions if the unit is already apart. Everything else we stock for this transmission is on the 722.6 / 722.9 parts page.
| Fits | 722.6 1996-2000 |
| Part type | Clutch Module |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | OEM |
| Reference | R78119 |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
This R78119 module uses the large inside-diameter K2 friction with the standard K3. The 1998-up R78119B keeps the large-ID K2 but uses a thicker K3 friction, and the 2001-up R78119C switches to a small-ID K2. Compare your old plates before assembly.
No. A friction module is the lined friction plates. Reuse steels only if they are flat and show no heat discoloration; replace them if the old frictions burned.
Not necessarily. Stuck in second is the 722.6 limp-home mode, and it is often triggered by a conductor plate speed sensor or solenoid fault. Scan for codes and check the fluid before you buy plates.
Use an ATF approved to MB 236.14 for the early 722.6 unless your car's fluid sheet calls for something else, and do not mix 236.14, 236.15 and 236.16 fluids.
The 722.6 was also used in supercharged Jaguar XJR/XKR and later Porsche 911 models, and this module type is used across those units. Match the K2 inside diameter and K3 thickness, or send us the year and VIN before ordering.
