I just bought my 1980 300sd a couple of weeks ago. Since I bought it, it has had a hard shift. AS it shifts through the gears it gets progressivley harder. 1-2 is normal, 2-3 is sometimes normal and sometimes slightly hard, then 3-4 is very hard. It feels as though there was a bad mount because I could feel something moving hard with the clunk from 3-4 gear. I changed the passenger motor mount last night since it was visibly shot and thought to be the culprit of the hard shifting. Shifting seemed to get a little better but we still have a shift harder thatn the normal hard shift our cars have.

When I bought the vehicle I soon noticed that it lacked the vacuum module on the top back of the IP. I pulled one from my spare parts motor and attached all of the vacuum lines correctly. Still hard shifting. Maybe slightly better.

Along with the hard shifting there has been the no shutting off problem which would lead to a vacuum leak. Also, the doors don't lock and unlock automatically. The Climate control seems to work normally vacuum-wise. I have double checked all vacuum lines and connections under the hood and at the transmission and everything is visibly soild.

I now get around to assuring the transmission fluid is correctly filled. It seems to be 1/2 inch high when cold in park with the engine running. I am going to correct the fluis level tomorrow.

I am wondering where to start here. I dont want to tear apart all of the door panels if not neccessary. Will a leak at a door lock cause a hard shift and a no shut off? I am also thinking that there is a vacuum pod or something on the ignition that may be leaking. Would this cause the shut off and the hard shift?

I will buy a mityvac when possible but is there a direction I should head until then?

Thanks fellow mb diesel friends!!!!!

__________________
1998 E320 150,000
1980 300SD 240,000
1965 190D 79,000