722.6 Sprag Clutch, used and ready to install. Fits the 722.6. Ships fast from the USA.
This listing is named as a sprag clutch, but the part is a used, genuine Mercedes-Benz intermediate gear clutch drum and shaft assembly pulled from a 722.6 five-speed automatic in a W220 S-Class. The donor fitment is the V8 S430 and S500, listed for 2002 through 2006, including 4Matic versions. Buyers land on this page when a teardown of a big-engine S-Class transmission turns up a cracked or heat-damaged drum, chewed splines, a scored bushing journal, or a sprag race that has started to slip, and a new assembly is either unavailable or priced like a whole used transmission. A used original part that matches your unit is often the most practical way to finish the rebuild.
The 722.6 builds its five forward gears and two reverse ratios from three planetary gearsets, three multi-plate clutches (K1, K2 and K3), three multi-plate brakes (B1, B2 and B3) and two freewheels, F1 and F2. There are no bands. The center and rear part of that gear train is where this assembly lives. In the ATSG rebuild manual the K3 clutch housing is described as a component of the center and rear planetary gearset, and the F2 sprag rides on the K3 hub and rear sun gear. A drum here holds a clutch pack, carries the apply piston and its seals, and transfers torque between gearsets through its splines. If the drum cracks, the piston bore is scored, or the shaft journal wears, pressure bleeds off and the gears that rely on that pack start to slip.
The S430 and S500 use the large-core W5A 580 version of the 722.6, rated at 580 Nm for eight- and twelve-cylinder cars. The six-cylinder small-core W5A 330 shares the layout but not the parts, so an assembly from a V8 car is the one to match against a V8 transmission.
Many 722.6 shift complaints are electrical or hydraulic, not broken hard parts. Conductor plate speed sensors and solenoids set codes and force limp mode with a healthy gear train, and worn valve body bores cause flare that feels just like a slipping clutch. Scan the transmission, check the fluid level hot, and inspect the pan for metal before pulling the unit. Our 722.6 common problems guide covers the electrical and valve body faults, and the E-Class shift problems guide explains how to tell a hydraulic flare from true clutch slip. Buy this drum once the transmission is apart and you can see the damage.
The donor listing covers W220 S430 and S500 sedans, rear-drive and 4Matic, from 2002 to 2006. Be careful with years: Mercedes service material notes that the rear-drive W220 moved to the seven-speed 722.9 from 2004 while 4Matic cars kept the 722.6. A 2004-2006 rear-drive S430 or S500 may not have a 722.6 at all, so read the transmission tag before ordering. ATSG also shows that clutch plate counts in this section vary by transmission model number, so compare this assembly side by side with the part you removed: spline count, overall height, piston and bushing location. This is a used part; inspect it, clean it, and fit new seals before installation. Send us your year and VIN if you want us to check it. Browse everything for this family in the Mercedes 722 collection.
While the valve body is out, renew the electrical side with the 722.6 conductor plate and filter kit so a failed speed sensor does not send the rebuilt unit into limp mode.
| Fits | 722.6 |
| Part type | Sprag Clutch |
| Condition | Used |
| Brand | OEM |
| Reference | W220 |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
Not as a separate part. It is a used genuine Mercedes intermediate gear clutch drum and shaft assembly from a W220 722.6. Compare it with your removed part before ordering.
Only if your car has the 722.6. Mercedes moved rear-drive W220 cars to the 722.9 seven-speed from 2004, while 4Matic cars kept the 722.6. Check the transmission tag or send us your VIN.
No. This came from a V8 S-Class, which uses the large W5A 580 core. Six-cylinder cars use the smaller W5A 330 with different internal parts.
No. It is a used assembly as removed from the donor transmission. Plan on new seals and inspect or replace the clutch plates during the rebuild.
Use an ATF approved to MB 236.14 for the 722.6, and do not mix it with 236.15 or 236.16 fluids, as a Mercedes Star Bulletin warns.
