Hello all,
First off I wanted to thank everybody for there DIY's, write-ups and willingness to share information. I'm on my first W123, and this forum has been a great tool for me thus far.

With that said I do have a question I couldn't seem to find an answer to with in the forum. I was in the process of troubleshooting shifting problems, flairing, delayed shifts, etc. when I discovered ATF fluid sitting in the dashpost. Further inspection of the vacuum lines indicated a decent amount of fluid in them. The strange part, atleast what I would preceive as strange, is the vacuum is good at 10-12 psi at ideal. Also, just placing the mightyvac on the trans line and pumping up the vacuum, I noticed no leaks over a two minute period. I've read many posts and DIY's on transmission troubleshooting, and than read more. The only thing I can determine is the transmission vacuum module is leaking fluid in some how, which is causing the transmission to shift very very poorly. Any input on this is much appreciated.

Here is a detailed count on the shifting: Starting off I have a 617.951 engine, I have not determined the transmission as of yet. The car is a 79 240D, but had a 617 transplanted before I acquired the car. The engine does have an EGR valve, which I have bypassed, as well as all internal accessories in the process of diagnosing the problem with the shifting. The linkage appears to be incorrect, as there are no "stops" between drive and sport. To place it in any gear I have to go a bit farther than indicated to actually place the transmission in gear.
As for shifting, when in reverse it kicks in to gear pretty fast. Drive/Sport did as well when I first purchased the car 4 weeks ago, however the past week the shifting has gotten worse. I assumed this was a vacuum leak, but after much troubleshooting I think I am incorrect in that assumption. To get in to 1st or 2nd, I have to get the revs up on the car. Then it lurches and flairs with a delay to 2nd. Once in 2nd it seems to drive decent, but the shift points are on the high end of the RPM range now. When on the highway, once I reach 70-75mph it would seem the transmission tried to downshift from time to time.

I believe that covers all the aspects of the symptoms, if you need any more information please let me know. I would like to get this issue fixed as this is currently my daily.

Thanks in advance

Randy

You are indeed correct in diagnosing the transmission modulator as leaking the ATF into your vacuum lines. I can't think of any other vacuum connection to the transmission that might do that, especially after eliminating the EGR junk on the valve cover. For your shifting issues, check your trans fluid. Low fluid will cause it to slip going into first gear with a surging motion. After that, try adjusting your bowden cable so that it shifts at the proper RPMs, tightening it will cause shifts higher in the RPM band. The slop in the shifter is likely due to worn shifter bushings, which is a pretty well documented replacement on this site. If you still feel your trans is downshifting on the highway more, you might want to unplug the kickdown switch which is located underneath your accelerator pedal.

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Thanks tbomachines for all the information. I feel like a complete idiot now, it was the ATF fluid level. I guess with all the ATF fluid that was sucked in to the vacuum line the level became very low. Adding about 3/4 of a bottle did the trick for the flair and shifting issues. This even fixed the "down shifts" on the highway, I think the transmission was actually shifting out of gear completely. You would think growing up in a master mechanics house that I would have checked the fluid level first.

I've played with the bowden cable some, but it does need more fine tuning.

I'll look in to the bushings this weekend when I have some time to get under the car.

Thanks again, I was beginning the pull the remaining hair I have left out.