1982 240d shifter shot....what to do??? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

teddyd49 · #16 12-08-2008, 03:15 PM

It's not that I don't trust him....he's the only game in town with years of experience with MB mechanical problems....fixes all MB in the area and been in business for many years.....he's overworked and always has too many cars and too few hours.....he's also a FIRST CLASS pain in the ass but a good mechanic.....CURMUDGEON would best describe him as would IRRASCIBLE!

I don't want to go through this exercise again with an underlying problem that creates yet another circumstance where this part gets shot again. It seems from all the information provided that the bushing NEED to be investigated, the linkage and anything else UNDER the shifter unit assembly to insure that all is well in Muddville......

Does this make sense to you?

leathermang · #17 12-08-2008, 03:21 PM

Someone mentioned something about the insides wearing out...
if the wrong oil is used then the synchronizer bushings... brass or bronze or something can get eaten away over time...
To me , those not working would be the first thing to look at if the shifter mechanism was bent.... someone got frustrated and tried to PUT the trans into gear when the gears were not lined up properly by the synchros...
This is what I would be checking before getting the new shift stuff.... or in addition to it as the case may be....
Greg

sokoloff · #18 12-09-2008, 09:57 AM

And if you are getting a used unit, I would still ask that all the bushings be replaced with new while doing the job. The old ones are probably either worn, missing or hardened and for about ten bucks in parts, you can have them all replaced.

teddyd49 · #19 12-13-2008, 05:11 PM

Installed used replacement shifter I got from supplier in GA several days ago. Things worked fine for about several hours and then problems started all over again...same thing....shifter seizing up now going from second gear to third gear....seems to want to go into two rather than one gear and this is what is making it seize up. There is some give on the gear shift rods but not enough to cause this problem we don't believe. If the shifter is NOT the problem, what could be making my ST act up this way.

Can shift when standing still most times into gears.....cannot shift up to third or fourth from second once I get rolling. Any thoughts out there as to what the NEXT place may be to try to get to the bottom of this? Am going to replace small black bushings on rods on Monday but don't think this will fix the problem. Also, purchased floor shift white plastic bushing but don't know where this goes....assume it must go INSIDE the shifter assembly but this does not seem like an easy task....any suggestions as to what to do with this new bushing replacement and how to install this part? Thanks.

sokoloff · #20 12-13-2008, 05:55 PM

See my post #2 again. Black rubber bushings may help some. White bushings in the shifter aren't too awful to replace. I just did them on my 560SL and found it very easy to pop them in place by taking the shifter out and doing it on the bench using a vise. You should be able to see the old ones. Also, one another post of yours about this, I mentioned the allen bolts where the linkages connect at the transmission end. They sometimes can loosen and cause things to bind up. Contact me offlist. I think I have a couple of posts I saved about this when I did mine.

len@sokoloff.com

leathermang · #21 12-13-2008, 06:06 PM

Did you put the shifter into the ' set ' point with a dowel or something for the initial setting ?

rs899 · #22 12-14-2008, 08:27 AM

We would really like to help you, and we have offered a lot of good advice on this thread. But , we aren't there and can't magically look at your problem. It would be very helpful if you would (1) take things apart somewhat and post pictures or (b) get your mechanic to post about the condition of all the bushings....

Rick

Stevo · #23 12-14-2008, 09:29 AM

You did make sure the shift arms on the tranny were tight. They are recessed alens and you need a little mirror to see in there. That was the problem with the one I worked on last week.
__________________
It still doesnt shift as smooth as it should so I will be looking into the shifter. The PO had just kept driving the car forcing and jamming

the gears ,compounding the problem

.

teddyd49 · #24 12-14-2008, 09:59 AM

rs899...thanks to one and all for more assistance on this front...will speak with mechanic tomorrow and try to get from him a status update on this problem....he now seems to think that the problem might not be in the shifter assembly or the exterior linkages, but perhaps in the transmission ITSELF....I am skeptical about this as the car was working perfectly fine before this all happened.....there is obviously a problem with the internal linkage/syncros among the four forward gears (and reverse). There seems to be movement upon inspection underneath the car of the shifter rods controlling first and second gear....there seems to be less or no movement on the higher gears when visually inspected...what could this mean?

Please appreciate that I am dead in the water with this car, not mechanically astute, and dependent on my mechanic to figure this out and fix the problem....he has told me that he has NEVER taken apart a tranny on one of these cars so that may NOT be an option with him.....we'll just have to see......what I do KNOW is that I have taken this in now twice and spent about $500 on new parts and labor to try to fix this problem (includes new oil pan that was leaking and pan plug) that includes the replacement shifter unit and new bushings......and the car still does not work and I NEED to get this thing sorted out or I am screwed......as I said before, I am between jobs and other than this issue (a big one), this car works just fine and is in great nick......

Stevo · #25 12-14-2008, 11:07 AM

"There seems to be movement upon inspection underneath the car of the shifter rods controlling first and second gear....there seems to be less or no movement on the higher gears when visually inspected...what could this mean?"

It could mean your shifting arms are lose

teddyd49 · #26 12-14-2008, 12:31 PM

If they are loose, how does one go about tightening them up? And is there any clue as to how best to do this underneath the car? Thanks.

teddyd49 · #27 12-14-2008, 01:23 PM

leathermang....

What is a "set" point? And how does one best fit/insert shifter unit into place atop transmission? Did we miss something here that we should know about? Thanks.....

Stevo · #28 12-14-2008, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teddyd49

If they are loose, how does one go about tightening them up? And is there any clue as to how best to do this underneath the car? Thanks.

POST 23,..... you must crawl under the car with an allen wrench (dont remember just what size) and small mirror, and look.

leathermang · #29 12-14-2008, 09:36 PM

Most transmission linkages have a ' starting line up point'... which is found by some mechanical means... often a certain size pin will be stuck through several arms of the linkage... then other stuff will be adjusted from that fixed reference point.
How does your shifter feel up top ? In the area where the mechanism which keeps reverse locked out... that area... ?

leathermang · #30 12-14-2008, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teddyd49

rs899...thanks to one and all for more assistance
Please appreciate that I am dead in the water with this car, not mechanically astute, and dependent on my mechanic to figure this out and fix the problem..........

Ok, we just like to get the problems solved....and we are working blind except for the person's descriptions or pictures...and sometimes they are not mechanically astute ... and don't know the names of stuff or what to look for..
LOL. The reason this forum exists is that we hate to be dependent on mechanics.