edit - included second day comments

This 87 300D has had a hard 1-2 shift and stacked 2-3-4 shifts under light throttle since I got it ~15K miles ago. After futzing with the bowden/TV cable and VCV yielded insufficient improvement, I sprang (pun intended) for a Superior shift kit to bring shifts closer to normal. Most folks who use this kit also address flaring in the 2-3 or 3-4 shift. I don't notice any flaring so those steps aren't on my agenda. On tangofox007's advise, I'm sticking to steps 6-10 in the instruction sheet.

What a horrible, horrible job! It's so frustrating working under a tranny that continues to drip ATF. More ATF rains down with each bolt that is loosened and there are 15 holding the valve body to the tranny. Forget gloves, get sleeve protectors! I can't imagine how tangofox007 did this seven times before finding a good balance. I'm really not looking forward to the next time, and I'm not even done. And ATF will squirt out of the valve body whenever you touch a piston or spring or anything. Flip it over, ATF will pour; flip it back, ATF will pour; flip it over again, ATF will pour... it doesn't @#$%&! end! Even when putting the bolts in when refitting the valve body more ATF decided to leak. Ridiculous!

I completed step 7, I'm skipping step 8 for now and I'm [no longer] stuck on step 9. Here's what it took to get this far. Sorry for not having pictures. I couldn't find a photographer:

1) Set car on ramps or stands
2) Drain transmission pan. I got about 2 quarts.
3) Remove transmission pan
4) Remove 15 bolts holding valve body to transmission. Note that 3 bolts on the passenger side edge are gold color while the rest are black.
5) The valve body is heavier on the aft end. Be ready to collect it as the last bolt comes off.
6) I put the pan back in place while working on the valve body.

The instructions say to remove the filter but I didn't find that necessary. it might be necessary for access to engage the gear selector with the valve body. [Not necessary, very easy to engage the shift selector and the valve body plunger with the filter in place]

For step 6 in the instructions, the valve body has to come apart. There are two screws holding the valve body halves together. Remove the screws, keep the valve body halves aligned, flip the valve body so the thick half (the half with the maze) is down, lift or slide off what is now the top half keeping the separator plate aligned with what is now the bottom half. You might try zip tying the separator plate to the thick half. Here's how I proceeded:

7) Set the thin half of the valve body so the K1 cover identified in instructions steps 3 and 4 are facing up. Do so without damaging the plastic bits extending from what is now the bottom edge.
8) Remove the K1 cover. I used needle nose pliers to extract the piston. Check the spring and piston set. Mine looked and felt okay so I put it back in place and fitted the cover. MB sells a kit to replace some or all of the items behind the K1 cover. I won't get into that.
9) Remove the long cover next to the K1 cover
10) Pry off the clip holding the second plunger from the K1 end of this set of four plungers. The clip is in one of maze passages about 3cm from the open edge of the valve body. Kinda obvious what you have to do when the valve body is in front of you. It's only after you remove the clip that you realize the instructions make a feeble attempt to highlight the clip.
11) Turn the valve body so the open end points down. Note what pistons and springs come out of which holes.
12) Tap the valve body so the contents of the second hole from the K1 end come out. You should have as many parts as shown in the instructions.
13) Replace the old spring with the new spring identified in the instructions. I guessed I have a non-early 722.3 so I used the natural color spring.
14) Put the second hole occupants back in place, hold the last spring with your finger, put the clip back in place. In my case, the new spring was longer than the old spring so I had to nudge the inner piston with a pick so the clip would slide into place.
15) I have a 2 spring train as identified in step 7 so I replaced it with the orange spring. This goes in the hole closest to the K1 end.
16) Put the long cover back in place

That's all I did to the thin end of the valve body. I'll wait so see how much this softens the 1-2 shift before thinking about step 8. I turned my attention to the thick half of the valve body. I removed the really long plate hoping to get to the TV plugner set but it won't come loose. I'll cut this thread here while I seek advice on how to perform step 9.

I took tangofox007's advice and sidestepped the clutch, so to speak - I set my finger on the TV plunger then slid my finger off sideways. The loose contents of the hole came flying out. Good thing all the pieces matched the instructions. I'm skipping step 8 for now so the valve body halves can be reunited. Here we go -

17) Set the thin half of the valve body on the separator atop the thick half of the valve body
18) Holding the two halves together and maintaining alignment, flip over the valve body
19) Fit and tighten the two screws
20) Set the valve body on it's edge such that the two protruding plastic thingies are pointing up
21) Remove the screws holding the long cover to the thick half of the valve body. Keep pressure on the cover as you remove the screws as there are lots of springs and pistons ready to fly out.
22) Slowly lift the cover off the valve body until all the springs and pistons are relaxed
23) Remove the loose contents of each hole noting the orientation and order of each piece
24) Push down the round piston with the yellow collar. This is on the opposite end of the rod with a fitting at the end of it.
25) Put your free hand over your finger holding down the piston
26) Slide your finger off the piston in a quick motion
27) Hopefully your free hand prevented the contents of this hole from flying all over the place
28) IIRC, a piston, a capsule and a spring with a plastic disk at one end will come out easily. Note the orientation and order of each piece. In my case, the instructions were accurate.
29) I used a pick to extract the spring to be replaced
30) Per step 10, I shook the capsule feeling and listening for looseness. I noted neither looseness or rattling so I went no further with step 10.
31) Put back the contents of each hole. Note tangofox007's comment in the next post.
32) Slowly lower the long cover into place assisting the springs and pistons into their holes. The long rod with the fitting at the end of it has two slots that clear a tab on the long cover. Set the rod such that fitting prevents the thick half of the valve body from sitting flat on a surface.
33) Fit and tighten the screws for the long cover

That's all I'm going to do to valve body for now. Test drive results will determine if anything happens next.

I should add that tangofox007's method worked so I never tried 81300sd's method. I appreciate the tip anyway.

But the valve body is still out of the transmission -

34) As Haynes manuals say, offer the valve body to the transmission
35) Ensure the fitting at the end of the rod (referenced in 32) engages the pin connected to the shift selector. The pin will look like the tip of a flathead screwdriver. The fitting has a slot that encases the pin. The rod slides freely into position.
36) Fit and tighten the 15 bolts holding the valve body to the transmission. Note the 3 gold color bolts go on the passenger side edge. Torque spec is 8Nm.
37) Attach transmission pan
38) Lower car
39) Fill transmission with however much fluid you lost in the job
40) Cross fingers and check for improvement

Here are some previous threads on the shift kit -

K1-K2 Superior shift kit question

My Superior Shift Kit thread (W124 300DT)

I attached a diagram of what's under the separator in case you attempt to find out the hard way One of the 18 balls is set on a spring. To make it easy, the diagram highlights it as item 14. Items 54 and 81 are also set on springs.

Sixto
87 300D

Attached Thumbnails

 

There is a plastic bushing (surrounding the plunger) immediately under the (now removed) retainer plate which must come out. It is interference fit. You can push the plunger in and let it snap back a few time to drive the bushing out.

When you install the small red spring, make sure is goes over the pin. (ie: the pin needs to wind up inside the spring.)

I initially installed both of the kit springs in the T/V plunger train. In my case, the blue spring that goes in the capsule was apparently too strong, so I had to remove it and reinstall the original spring.

You can also pry with a small screwdriver lightly and it will come off. Its not that tight, but it takes a little force.

__________________
81 300SD daily driver/project
86 420SEL (sold)
85 380SE(in the graveyard)

When separating the valve body halves, it is important that the separator plate not slide or lift off of the upper half. To guard against that possibility, the following steps might be helpful:

1. Prior to loosening the two screws that hold the valve body together, insert two of the valve body-to-transmission bolts through the valve body backwards. (I used holes near the center.)

2. Install a nut on each bolt. (The nuts will be on the bottom side of the valve body.)

3. Remove the two screws from the upper valve body.

4. Place the valve body on the work bench upside down. Select a location where the upper body will not be likely to be disturbed while you work on the lower half.

5. Remove the nuts installed in step two.

6. Carefully lift the lower valve body (which is now on top) off of the upper body, taking great care not to lift the separator plate. (Two sets of hands is a good thing.) Leave the two bolts in place to act as guide pins to prevent the separator plate from sliding.

If the separator plate does lift off the upper valve body, it is imperative (in my opinion) that you remove the plate entirely and ensure that all components are in their proper position before reassembly. There are 4-5 spring-loaded valves, etc., that are very prone to becoming dislocated if the separator plate is allowed to lift off the upper body.

When reassembling the valve body, reinstall the two nuts before flipping the body over to install the two securing screws.

Finally got the car back on the road. Initial impressions are softened 1-2 shift. Still on the crisp side but no stiffer than the 2-3 shift. Heavier throttle smoothens the shifts but that was the case previously. Time to futz with the VCV and cable. I haven't put it through it's paces but in a few trips around the block I couldn't get 3-4 to occur on the heels of 2-3. Yes!!!

Sixto
87 300D

I might have to tackle this situation soon myself. I'm shifting into 4 at 25-27!! It really isn't that bad, the torque is fine, but it makes it sound like it is stuck at 2000 rpm..and it would be at 2000 in 3rd anyway, so why not utilize that gear ratio!? For now I am just manually shifting at 35 or so.
Glad to hear that you figured it out!

__________________
Dan
2005 E320 CDI - 246k
1987 300SDL TD05-16g, Herlevi pump, Elbe manifold, 2.47 LSD - 213k
Past: 1987 300D - 264k