My 1983 240-D automatic trans has a problem with changeing gears. I have posted threads before , but this one will be more detailed. I got the 240 about one month ago it had a minor problem with trans then, or what I thought was a minor problem. It would not engage the reverse gear untill it had been driven for a few mins, or had been idleing for maybe 5 mins, untill the engine warmed up basically. I had a cranking problem one day so I changed the glow plugs and it fired right up. I was happy to have fixed the glow plugs so I wanted to go for a spin around the block, but I didn't want to wait for the reverse gear to warm up so that I could back out of the drive way, so I put the car in reverse and revved up the engine with my foot on the brake. I didn't think it would engage really, but it did. No big deal right? I just back out and put it into drive. I was thinking that its was running funny but I didn't know for sure untill I pulled out onto the main road. I couldn't get it to change into 2nd gear. I took it home and did some searching here on this site and got some possable causes but none seem to fit. I tryed changeing the filter, but I'm not sure it did any good. After I change the filter I refilled the pan "5.6 quarts". I checked the fluid with the engine running like my book said. The dip stick showed it was over filled "way over". I thought maybe the dip stick had been replaced with the wronge stick. So I proceeded to go for a test drive and nothing. So now I'm mad as hell. so I gunned it, and to my surprise it changed, but only when revved up to the point the engine sounded like it was about to blow up. I went though all the gears like this. 1st gear 0-25 2nd gear 25-45 3rd gear 45-60 4th gear kicks in at about 60-65 miles per hour. these are estimates. what I remember. Now that I'm sitting here thinking about it, the fluid level may mean a bad pump but I don't know. Thank you for reading this and for any suggestions.

__________________
Two 240-Ds cool cars right

ironhead let it sit a day or two. its only been a couple hours on a sat. nite.

__________________
currently
[1981 300 td tdidi 165500 dark brown/palamino-Brownie-mine-3k miles of ownership
1983 240d 162+++ Anthricite grey w/ henna red interior and hella lights-wifes car-Red

the above two cars are for sale
and can be seen on the cars for sale thread here. pix also available.


240d-144+ Manilla Yellow w/ palmino interior-greasecar kit-Blondie-the college kids car

23" gt 21 speed still on original tires-still got the nubs
21" khs tandem

Hmmm. Did you drain the torque convertor? That 5.6 quarts is for torque convertor and pan. If you didn't, the pan only holds a little over 2 qts.

If this is the case, you have a major overfill. Probably the easiest to do is drain the pan and add 2 qts and see how the level is.

I, myself, was surprised at how little fluid is in these transmissions.

__________________
Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

Get that fluid out of there, make certain you are not overfilled.
That tranny cannot operate correctly overfilled.

__________________
Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

can also be contributed to a massive loss of vacuum. If you pulled a line loose or happened to knock the cap loose on the modulator it will shift at very high rpms. Check the vacuum to the tranny and make sure nothing got knocked off by accident.

Filling an MBZ tranny is something between science and magic in my mind. I have neve gotten it at the right level the first fill. I leave it a little low now and then drive it, then check it and add, then drive it, then check it and add, then drive it.... I think you get my point. A little bit of fluid climbs the stick fast when you are topping off.

__________________
'99 S420 - Mommies
'72 280SE 4.5 - looking to breathe life into it
'84 300SD Grey - Sold
'85 300SD Silver - Sold
'78 Ski Nautique

The way I fill em is to measure the amount that I remove if it was at the correct level and refilling it with the same amount. I use old gallon plastic bottles to measure how much is removed.

__________________
Jim

Do a search for Trans-x ......
Did you change to new fluid ( I presume ) ?
You can not use some capacity chart to make sure you have the correct amount of fluid... and it makes a LOT of difference to be either over or under ... if over you can be foaming your fluid... which causes two things.. transmission trying to operate on foam instead of fluid...and the really rapid oxidation of the fluid... causing the working life to be measure in hours instead of thousands of miles..
You have to put about the right amount in, be sure the car is at operating temperature, test drive, add fluid, test drive...