shifter bushings... had the same issue with the same symptoms

my SD just started doing this about a week ago. when i put it in park i can hear the pawl clicking as if its trying to catch but the car keeps rolling forward (or back) so i have been using the parking brake. how hard is it to replace the worn metal parts in the trans?

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1981 300SD, 270K, two tank wvo system
1985 300D, 288K, california version
1985 300DT wagon, 315k, broken odo

I'd change the plastic shifter bushings first.
pretty simple to do if you have a floor jack and jack stands, or car ramps.
as far as fixing a pawl issue with the transmission, a junkyard replacement comes to mind...

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

one of the guys I work with ALWAYS shuts down the car in D, rolls to a stop, and then puts it in Park after the vehicle is no longer moving.
hypermilers usually shutoff the engine prior to stopping as well... inertia don't burn any fuel!
I hate it when somebody uses park to stop the car from moving... ugh!

reminds me of the scene in The Terminator where sara conner slams it into park while reece and t1000 are fighting through the windshield...
NO WAY it would have stopped... or smoked the tires... it would've just gone BING BING BING BING over and over until they hit the wall...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

A former co-worker of mine was driving carpool and was driving his wife's brand new boat of an Olds, RWD with a big v8 while his Mercedes was in the shop. His Mercedes had the four speed column shift, and the Olds was an automatic. At the top of the onramp, he instinctively went for third, and park did engage for a brief second before it sheared the rear of the trans case. Sometimes they do engage-

As for the original question- Shift linkage bushings. This is a known issue, I got mine with "transmission problems" because of these bushings, I drove it for a couple months then parted it out. Use the parking brake, if your bellows seals on the cables are in good shape there won't be any freezing problems.

did the car stop, or did it just break the transmission and keep rolling?
it will blow my mind if an american automatic transmission parking pawl stopped a fast moving car!!!

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!