late 1-2 shift @3000, w/ rattling
 

87 300D non-turbo euro version

this happens at random, there are times when my tranny shifts at 3000rpm, but even then it holds the gear for a long time before shifting... when this happens there is also a slight rattling... not sure if its from the tranny or the engine.

this morning i removed the bowden cable link to the accelerator, i noticed a much smoother ride altogether, it didn't shift late AT ALL. So it seemed that the bowden cable was heavily misadjusted.
On the way back it still drove smoothly but on 1 instance it shifted late once on the trip back home, downhill.
I
Anyway, is the link supposed to have slack? Mine doesn't have any slack. once the acce;lerator is depressed it pulls on the bowden instantly.

I think your vehicle has the 722.3, but I'm not sure. You are correct in that you want a little slack, but just a little. - At least that's the way it is with my car. Have you looked at Steve Brotherton's writeups on adjustments? - they are excellent.

ok, i'll look it up... and i'll try to put some slack...

what could be causing the rattling? anything prone to rattle in the tranny? it sounded like clutch springs that aren't bolted down tight... well that's what it sounded on my motorcycle when a few bolts loosened

I don't think it's clutch springs - those are way inside the clutch packs, all but the K1 spring plate under constant compression. Rattling can be caused by so many things. I'd start by simply going over everything underneath and move things around. Look for loose bolts, check extra carefully around exhaust system, and trans shift linkage.

Check the transmission "gear select" lever bushings, they can rattle if the rubber is worn or gone and I suppose the position of the transmission shift would then be "off" from the proper position and that could result in tendency to shift late.

ok, i know for a fact that my shifter bushings are shot, coz i've developed a play in my shifter, will that really affect gear selection? i thought the lever on the tranny "snaps" into position? maybe its as simple as that shifter bushing. :)

The trans indeed has a detent mechanism inside (spring plate, roller, rooster comb, etc) but as dieseldiehard says, those bushings missing will make rattle. You should fix that first, then anything else will be clearer.

Rattle and Shifter Bushings
 

The '84 300D T had a rattle during certain RPMs and it was the bushing. One thing I did before going under the car was to hold the shifter and apply enough pressure (I believe toward the right side) to stop the rattle. Doing this repeatedly made me certain what I would find. Once under the car, a bushing was gone. Not wanting to wait for a new one to arrive, I fabricated one and it is working. I'll be back under replacing the flex discs, support bearing, etc. so that will be my time to put the real bushing in. Keep us posted so we can learn from your experience.
Steve

i tried applying pressure on the shifter whenever the RPMs would rise and it indeed eliminated the rattling, so i guess that's that regarding the rattling.

But i still sometimes get late 1-2 shifts @3000rpm even with the bowden cable linkage disconnected.

Have fun with that shift linkage, not much room there!

You should adjust the bowden cable for proper shifting points which should occur at, or around, 2000 rpm.