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  #16  
Old 06-23-2009, 12:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toomany MBZ View Post
Until I adjusted the ALDA the car was never in first gear. Is that normal?
It's not normal, but it is probalby typical. It is certainly feasible that poor engine performance could prevent the 2-1 downshift that should occur.

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  #17  
Old 06-23-2009, 12:08 PM
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Originally Posted by scoodidabop View Post
Now should I be concerned at all with the little valve on the firewall that the ALDA lines connect to? I've also seen people talking about "boost" and "wastegate" stuff... should I ignore these other potential failures and just de-flower my little black ALDA cap?
You definitely should ensure that the valve is open from the manifold line to the ALDA line. The valves somtimes get clogged so that air will not pass through them.
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  #18  
Old 06-23-2009, 03:45 PM
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I think you need to determine how your transmission was designed to operate. Your owner's manual should tell you. Not all automatics coupled to the 617 shift the same way. The 77 300d I owned always started in 2nd gear unless you took steps to get it into 1st. You could either engage the kickdown switch or while at a stop, put the lever in L then back in D. It would then start in 1st gear. This was explained in the manual.
The 79 300sd I have will automatically start in 1st gear but only if the car comes to a FULL stop first. If the sensor does not feel the car come to a complete stop, the transmission won't shift down to 1st and will start in second unless the kickdown switch is engaged.
The 85 300TD always starts in 1st gear.
Simply counting the shifts will tell you what gear it starts in.
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  #19  
Old 06-23-2009, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by kerry View Post
I think you need to determine how your transmission was designed to operate. Your owner's manual should tell you.
Don't bet on it. The Owner's Manual for my '82 300D make no mention of the transmission starting in second gear. The transmission does start in second gear, and the MB publication Description of Operation Automatic Transmission 722.3 confirms that it should do precisely that.
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  #20  
Old 06-23-2009, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by pawoSD View Post
None of ours do....the diesels all have first gear start. The gasser takes off in 2nd.
Are you sure?

I remember stopping once at the end of a road while at a pretty good incline in my '75 300D.

The car would not climb up the rest of the incline from the stop until I mashed down the pedal onto the kickdown switch. It then went into a lower gear and I was able to move forward.
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  #21  
Old 06-23-2009, 06:22 PM
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Did you verify that the linkage is hitting max stop and the alda banjos are cleaned?
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  #22  
Old 06-23-2009, 10:23 PM
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Man, I guess part of me is just nervous to de-virgin the black cap... I'm hesitant because 1) I'm not completely familiar with the way the system works and 2) Part of me feels like it would be better for the components if I fixed the problem without opening the intimidating little cap.

I dunno. Maybe I'm just being a wuss. Maybe what I've read so far is correct and something under that black cap needs turning because it's simply old and worn...

Is there ANYTHING else I could try? Or should I just man up?
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  #23  
Old 06-23-2009, 11:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scoodidabop View Post
Man, I guess part of me is just nervous to de-virgin the black cap... I'm hesitant because 1) I'm not completely familiar with the way the system works and 2) Part of me feels like it would be better for the components if I fixed the problem without opening the intimidating little cap.

I dunno. Maybe I'm just being a wuss. Maybe what I've read so far is correct and something under that black cap needs turning because it's simply old and worn...

Is there ANYTHING else I could try? Or should I just man up?
Did you verify linkage is hitting full stop and that the alda line is clean? What you are describing is very much a symptom of either of these issues, particularly the first.
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  #24  
Old 06-23-2009, 11:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tangofox007 View Post
Don't bet on it. The Owner's Manual for my '82 300D make no mention of the transmission starting in second gear. The transmission does start in second gear, and the MB publication Description of Operation Automatic Transmission 722.3 confirms that it should do precisely that.
The 722.3 transmissions were used in both gas and diesel models. Are you sure that you didn't overlook some sort of footnote that said that diesels equipped with the 722.3 transmissions had first gear start?
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  #25  
Old 06-23-2009, 11:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H-townbenzoboy View Post
The 722.3 transmissions were used in both gas and diesel models. Are you sure that you didn't overlook some sort of footnote that said that diesels equipped with the 722.3 transmissions had first gear start?
Exactly. Even if I gently come to a stop then very gently take off, its already in first gear. The gassers drop down if you give a kick down, the diesels drop to 1st when you slow to a stop. ALL of our diesels do this. If it were true that the diesels start in 2nd, imagine a 240d automatic's performance.
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  #26  
Old 06-23-2009, 11:32 PM
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Originally Posted by pawoSD View Post
If it were true that the diesels start in 2nd, imagine a 240d automatic's performance.
Don't know about the 240d but the 77 300d's definitely started in 2nd gear. My wife really liked it in the winter because at a mile high, the engine doesn't have enough power to spin the tires on snow in 2nd gear. There were explicit instructions in the owner's manual on how to get it to start in 1st if you wanted. I've never seen another car which, if it was put in L at a stop, and then back in D, would start in L instead of 2nd.
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  #27  
Old 06-23-2009, 11:48 PM
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Originally Posted by kerry View Post
Don't know about the 240d...
The 240D is not equipped with a 722.3 transmission.

Last edited by tangofox007; 06-24-2009 at 12:01 AM.
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  #28  
Old 06-23-2009, 11:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H-townbenzoboy View Post
The 722.3 transmissions were used in both gas and diesel models. Are you sure that you didn't overlook some sort of footnote that said that diesels equipped with the 722.3 transmissions had first gear start?
My '82 300D apparently overlooked the same footnote, because it definitely "moves off" in second gear and downshifts to first gear if under more than slight load.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pawoSD View Post
The gassers drop down if you give a kick down, the diesels drop to 1st when you slow to a stop. ALL of our diesels do this. If it were true that the diesels start in 2nd, imagine a 240d automatic's performance.
That comment suggests that you don't understand the concept. The transmission should be in second gear when stopped and the engine is at idle. "Starting" in second doesn't mean that it stays in second. Anything more than the slightest pressure on the narrow pedal should result in an instant downshift to first gear, such that any affect from the second gear start would be insignificant to the overall acceleration performance.

Last edited by tangofox007; 06-24-2009 at 11:27 AM.
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  #29  
Old 06-24-2009, 06:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by winmutt View Post
Did you verify linkage is hitting full stop and that the alda line is clean? What you are describing is very much a symptom of either of these issues, particularly the first.
Ah-ha!

Alda line is clean... I've had it open twice in recent memory. No issue there.

Full stop! Oh no he didn't!! I was within about an inch of full stop on the VCV with WOT. Not good! So I adjusted that. The best I could get it via some linkage tinkering was within 3-5 mm. What does the bolt/adjustment under the cap on the VCV do? I played with it a bit to try and improve the full stop situation, but it did nothing for me in that regard. What is that nut for? Will it adjust actual vacuum?
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  #30  
Old 06-24-2009, 08:38 AM
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That linkage needs to hit the full stop. If it doesn't you are not getting full fuel. That screw under the ALDA adjusts how much fuel cut there is. Fix the linkage first. How is the bearing on the firewall? These are usuallu rotted to ****.

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