Dear Steve,
Are the 1980 300SD's different from the 79s as far as shifting into first at take-off?. I remember my 79 stayed in second when stopped and as you pushed the gas it downshifted to first, this downshift however was contrlled by a rod connected to the throttle/transmission, not by a solenoid. Could rickjordan's problem be a rod out of adjustment? Just curious.
Thank you and best regards,
Joe Brasileiro