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W116 300SD 3-speed transmission?
Hey guys,
My car doesn't appear to shift into 4th gear. I have to limit my speed to around 60 mph (speed limit is 75 mph here) because I don't want to risk over revving it. It was around 4000 rpm at 80 mph and that seems WAY too high for a diesel. My Lotus does that but 4000 rpm isn't even half of it's redline. Any ideas? Other then that the transmission is the best I've felt on a older diesel Mercedes. It's super smooth and operates great besides the fact it won't shift out of 3rd gear. Any ideas? I don't think the 300SD is normally a high revving car on the freeway... my 83 wasn't this way. Thanks!
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1982 240D 2001 Ford Powerstroke (SVO converted) 2005 Lotus Elise 2008 Lexus IS-F |
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Its going into 4th. If it makes you feel any better mine revs almost that high as well... its just normal for these diesels...
If you put it in L you'll find that there is a first gear you never knew you had. Also, I imagine your kickdown functionality doesn't work. There is a box that is supposed to kickdown the tranny into first whenever you take your foot off the brake from a complete stop (otherwise it starts in second, to prevent brake creep at lights and such). The kickdown has never worked on either of my W116s... I even replaced the solenoid on the current one.
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John Robbins '05 E320 CDI - 240k '87 300TD - 318k |
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Is it safe to run these things at 80 mph? It didn't feel/sound like it was struggling... the RPM just looked way too high to be safe for a 28 year old diesel. I put it in L gear and it didn't seem to make any difference. It accelerates GREAT from a dead stop (never thought I'd say that about an old diesel) so maybe the kickdown switch is working? I need to find another W116 to compare against. Finally my last question is... can we swap the ratio in the rear differential to bring the RPM down a bit on the freeway? I wouldn't mind sacrificing a bit of acceleration for lower rpm on the freeway.
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1982 240D 2001 Ford Powerstroke (SVO converted) 2005 Lotus Elise 2008 Lexus IS-F |
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Yep. Search for "i've found the MB easter egg" or some such... there is a thread about doing just that. Keep in mind it will make your speedo inaccurate. Personally, I want that acceleration
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John Robbins '05 E320 CDI - 240k '87 300TD - 318k |
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Thanks again
I did a search right after posting and found a lot of info but it's all on the W123 cars... do you know if the W116 has the same differential? I also need to jack it up and check the flex discs before I take it on a longer trip. I don't mind the slow acceleration... I have another car for going fast I asked about the reliability at high RPM because the force inside the engine increases exponentially as the RPMs rise... I haven't heard any horror stories about the cars flying apart at moderate to high RPM but you never know...
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1982 240D 2001 Ford Powerstroke (SVO converted) 2005 Lotus Elise 2008 Lexus IS-F |
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W116 + Speed
If your car is well maintained and has speed rated tires you can enjoy 80mph. If fact the W116 is one of the best at a high rate of speed. I use mine only for Highway and have found of all the cars I have enjoyed over the years my 79SD is the best at covering the miles at 75-80.
I have also pondered how or what rear-end ratio would work. For now enjoy your car as she can be a great alternative to Airlines . Happy Motoring
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2dieseljohn 1979 300sd (283,000+) Road Trips 1983 240D 4-speed (350,000+) Daily Driver 1967 E-TypeS1 in bits and pieces Last edited by 2dieseljohn; 04-17-2007 at 04:00 PM. Reason: spelling |
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All that said... I wouldn't mind an overdrive to keep the noise down a bit
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John Robbins '05 E320 CDI - 240k '87 300TD - 318k |
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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi |
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It's like a driving a go kart compared to piloting an ocean liner.
I love them both the same though. The 300SD is WAY more comfortable on the freeway (at lower speeds ). It's nice not having the aluminum tub resonating exhaust/road noise from a high-strung gasoline engine in my ears the whole time. I would sure love to keep the Benz as the freeway cruise by lowering it's RPMs on the freeway though. Then it would be perfect.
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1982 240D 2001 Ford Powerstroke (SVO converted) 2005 Lotus Elise 2008 Lexus IS-F |
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I have cruised at around 100mph for over 10 miles before in my SD....and it was around 4600-4700rpm at those speeds. Handled it fine. Most of the time I go between 75-80. On my recent trip to Florida I went almost the whole way both there and back at 85-90, just to keep up with traffic. It did fine with that too.
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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life- '15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800) '17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k) '09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k) '13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k) '01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km) '16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k) |
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What color is yours.
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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi |
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Excellent! Thanks for the good news guys. I took it home at 70 mph again today because I'm a wuss Ara: My Elise is starlight black. Yes she's quick... an Elise won at the SCCA nationals in 2006 against the Z06 Corvettes and the Porsche GT3s... hugely outgunned horsepower wise but they handle beautifully
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1982 240D 2001 Ford Powerstroke (SVO converted) 2005 Lotus Elise 2008 Lexus IS-F |
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