I looked for the bolt and found the bolt I outlined in the picture. The small bolt that is in the other pic was attached to the end of the bolt that the adjusting nut is on. As i tried to unscrew the small bolt, it broke off with little pressure,like it was already half sheered. I figured I had better stop and find out where to go from here. I have 2 part 300d's and both of them have no outer bolt like the one that sheered off. They have probably sheered off long ago. Do I tighten the nut for the adjustment or tighten the bolt some way to make the adjustment to get reverse back. Hopefully the pis'c help everyone out. Ray M

sorry here are pics mentioned above RAY M

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Ray,
That is very interesting. I was wondering how you were supposed to turn the adjuster with no slot or hex, only the "nipple" , apparently left over when the adjuster sheared off of my bolt years ago. This answers that question. Maybe Admiral Rick will get back to us soon with the spec from the book. Meanwhile, could you show the broken off view of that bolt? It looks like it was designed to break off if you torqued it too much. Mine was loose enough so that I could turn it in with a screwdriver on the flats of the locknut. Don't think I got it locked down too tight, though.

PETE

I finally got to it today. I had to loosen the solenoid that was in the way to get a 19mm on it. The nut would not tighten. When I tried to loosen the nut the screw like stud backed out with nut. Question is when you tighten the nut is the stud suppose to come out or go in. I retightned the nut which retightned the stud to it's original position and no reverse still. I can't figure how to break the nut loose th adjust the stud if it is the stud that needs to be driven inward. Does anyone know if the stud can be removed all together so I can get to it to adjust it or will my trans ruin if I remove it. Help, Need Reverse. Ray

You are on the right track. The bolt is the adjuster. The nut is just to lock it and keep it from backing out as did mine and others. If yours was locked down already, and it sounds like it was since it broke off when you tried, then I wonder what tightening the adjuster will do. Still no word on the proper adjustment procedure.
My locknut was also tight to the adjuster, and this allowed me to turn it with my screwdriver, but I couldn't get a wrench to turn the nut and lock it down well. Does it leak fluid when you remove the solenoid?
Do all your forward gears work properly?
Was reverse working well previous to this problem? Mine faded away slowly, assumedly as the nut continued to back itself out.
Have you done all the normal things already, like check the fluid level, perhaps dropped the pan and changed the screen, checked the linkage, etc.?
Still like to see the part of that bolt where it broke. Does it look like it was machined to break away?

PETE

OK guys, here's the little gem of wisdom I have for you direct from the ATSG manual on adjustment: " Tighten adjustment screw 0.5 mkp and then back off by 1.75 turns. Lock adjustment screw by means of counternut"

DON'T ask me what an mkp is.

RayM.- I would be very reluctant to remove the adjustment screw. There appears to be a separate pin that rides between it and the band that could very well slip off and end up in the case. Tread lightly here.

__________________
80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I had no choice but to remove it slowly. Even after removed I couldn't adjust the nut on the bolt.
I found this:My 300SD wont go into reverse
message 6 gives a great direction. I tried it but no luck. I could not get the nut off of the bolt or budge from its position on the bolt. I removed it all together and replaced it with another from one of my parts cars. I tightened it all the way the tried it at every 1/2 turn up to 4 full turns. ( raise car ,turn ,lower and start) No luck. I'm beginning to believe i need to remove it again and file a 1/16 to 1/8th off the end so that when I replace it ,it will tighten in farther.I'll put a pic on the post to show what i mean. In side the inner cylinder it is about 1/2 deep. at the base it looks like a pin has worn down a 1/8 inch depth indention. I'm thinking that if i shave off 1/8 inch off the length of the bolt It would tighten down to the correct position to back out and achieve reverse. I don't know. Does anyone know any better to guide me. The frustration level is mounting. Thank goodness it goes forward, even if it goes forward now in Park & Neutral. Seems to be no 1st.gear. It feels like it starts in 2nd. And L is like park. Darn But it still goes FORWARD and has for 3 weeks now. I'm tempted to leave well enough alone until I get better direction. RAY M.

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Guys-

Here is a through-section shot of what the business end of that adjuster does. This is a 722.1xx parts tranny I have under my bench. ( The bellhousing has been removed and you are looking through where it would normally be into the case from the front of the car). The right side of that stud touches a strut that contracts the B3 band around the drum. By cranking that thing in you are adjusting for wear of that band. The servo that compresses the band acts on the other end of the band from the other (driver's ) side of the case.

The band is that vertical bit on the right. Yes, there isn't anything to grab on to to adjust on this tranny either.

Rick

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__________________
80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

On mine I just cranked on the nut until it was tight, and that gave me reverse. I think the bolt just went along for the ride. The nut was likely frozen on the bolt just as yours is. A couple of weeks ago I did a search on eBay and found an adjusting bolt that looked just like the one on the picture. I think the key works I used were "722.1" and "transmission". You might give that a try.

It is also possible there is more wrong with your transmission than just the adjustment of the band. If you can find a good Mercedes mechanic they might be able to figure it out for you.

Hope it works out for you.

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Sedecrem

82 300SD 290k(needs engine swap)
79 240D 354k with new heart transplant w/220k
82 240D w/auto tranny soon to be manual 4 speed

Good info, Rick. Thanks again.
The picture also clears up what can't be seen on the exploded diagram. Looks like the pushrod, or 'strut', can't fall into the pan. It is shown as a separate part, however. Does it look threaded? I'd like to remove the bolt to cut a screwdriver slot in the end, but wouldn't want to risk losing that pin.
Can't understand the logic of the shear-off style adjuster. If you overtightened it enough to shear it, you couldn't back it out the 1.75 turns...

PETE

This info helps but help me with these thoughts.
question? As it tightnes is it tightening on the push pin inside and stopping or on the end of the bolt that is stopping on something? If it is stopping at the blot then because on the indention made by the pin inside of the bolt, it isn't then stopping on the pin. Thats what made me think of shortening the bolt so it would stop on the pin instead of the bolt. Darn I don't know.
I'll look for the rod with a mirror but I don't know what I'm looking for.
I didn't check how much fluid came out when I removed the solinoid because i drained all the fluid before.
I do need to drop the trans oil pan and filter. By screen i think you meen the filter,Yes.
The linkage seems ok. bushings great. You know from all the symptoms i've thought for a while that all has gone out of sink with it going forward in park and neutral. st gear seems not to be there and the lowest geat"L" is like park it isn't there. I may pull the shifter and check it out. You can see i'm searching now,but i'll try anything about this point.
You said this"Have someone move the lever while you observe. You could put it in reverse by hand, and jump the solenoid from the connector on the wheelwell (Have someone in the car to apply the brakes!), and start it in reverse." I don't quite understand jumping the solinoid from the connector on the fly wheel, Greek to me. Will that allow you to start in reverse. Where are the jump points located.
I'll copy and paste this to the post on the forum. I'll try again on mon or thurs . i'll get back . Thanks for those sugestions Ray M A lost Cajun. Does anyone think it could all have shifted one posithion in the gear changes because of a miss alligned linkage. "yes,no"? Searching still.

Can the "servo that compresses the band acts on the other end of the band from the other (driver's ) side of the case" be changed or replaced in some way maybe correcting all of my shifting problems. .
I can see that it would be of no use to shorten the bolt stud.

If your reverse is slipping, you need to find a way to increase the force on that strut, either by turning in the threaded portion of the stud ( the one that doesn't ever seem to be with a head) or by replacing the strut with a longer one, or possibly by adding something between the stud and the strut.

I do not believe that the strut is threaded- it is just a solid piece like a finishing nail . It may fall into the case if you remove the adjuster, but maybe not. Ray seems to have a picture of it in place.

Ray- it is possible that your problem may be at the servo end-or it could be something else....

Rick

anyone figure out what an mkp is?

__________________
80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

mkp is German for kgm, basically.
Kilogram-meters, like our foot-pounds, a measure of torque (which you knew). The German translates as "meter-kilopond", and they are equal. They equal 7.233 ft./lbs, or 86.796 in./lbs.
Newton-meters are different. Approx 1/10th.
1 nm = .73756 ft./lbs., or 8.851 in./lbs.
So, the band adjuster gets tightened to 3.6 lbs./ft. (or 43.4 lbs./in.), then backed out 1-3/4 turns and locked.
Lots of luck getting a torque wrench on that!
I'm surprised the book didn't say some thing like, " turn the adjuster bolt until it shears off, the find a way to back it out 1.75 turns..."

PETE

It's off the ground so i can check it easier. How do I *(jump the solenoid from the connector on the wheelwell (Have someone in the car to apply the brakes!),*
The shifter was shot when I removed it. I replaced it with a good one and it moves more solid. Didn't help. I compared linkage positions on both of my 80 300d's and the look the same. I took pic's of each position and thay looked the same. I started over again form a fully tightened adjustment bolt and tried it at each 1/2 turn up to 2 1/2 full turns. The only change i got was that when i shift back into park and release the brake it gives a tapping or grinding noise until i apply the brake again then it locks into park and doesn't go in forward like it use to. There are 4 wires that is attach to the box where the shift linkage attaches to the trans. Could that have any thing to do with the shifting. If I replaced that box could it help or will I ruin the shifting. Is it complicated to replace. I'll put a pic on the post to show the wires and part . If the part in the pic is replaced easily I have a replacement one. Could that help. RAY M

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