W123 300D auto trans shift linkage bushing alternative? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

unkl300d · #1 12-23-2010, 05:09 PM

Hello , I read the archives on the subject of replacing bushings and actually just ordered the plastic ones from fastlane.

My plastic bushing at rear most link point just behind the trans mount is gone.

By putting the trans in second gear I know I can position the target better but I anticipate the pressing of the bushing to be a bit of a challenge even if I get the long needle nose pliers etc.

I'm working under a one sided jack stand operation...

I don't want to remove stuff, so has anybody made or found an alternative that can just be slid into place and locked with the same clip?

seems like a small copper pipe like the type used for refrigeration etc. might fit over the male stem and provide some support but it might rattle. (?)

Back in Nov 2008 'Oldsinner111' mentioned that he made an alternative out of copper.

Anybody tried something that also does not allow the rattle noise?

Thanks.

Zacharias · #2 12-23-2010, 05:24 PM

Sounds like it's time for a visit to an old-fashioned hardware store. Or a Home Depot.

Maybe it's just my luck but I find the staff helpful if you tell them your'e in a jam and you're trying to fix using something not intended for purpose, etc. Seems they like the creative challenge....

Good luck I've been there (different part tho)....

69shovlhed · #3 12-23-2010, 08:35 PM

don't jury rig it. just get the bushing, put the shifter in 1st gear, get a long heavy screw driver and put a 17mm socket between the shifter bottom end and the tunnel if it fits on your car. some have more or less room, but on some cars you can use a socket to keep from bending the end of the shifter when you pry the bushing in w/ the screw driver. grease or oil helps it slide into place. "don't say anything, just do it." (bill mckinney)

unkl300d · #4 07-17-2011, 09:00 PM

Hey, finally got a day of sunshine in cold, windy, foggy San Francisco.

So after a Sunday pleasantry, I decided to replace the selector arm bushing.

Got the driver side up on stands, secured the wheels safely, put the trans in 2nd gear and went for it.

The bushing was gone but the arm was secure to the rod by the clip.
The original clip is easy to remove. A flat head screw driver lifts the top layer and it can be handled off.
I decided to shave very small bits from one side of the conical shaped bushing.( I tried it as-is but was tough)
Such that the center channel lip was not lessened.

I used a utility knife to cut VERY small shavings from just under the center channel lip all around the circumference.

I soaked in boiled temp. water to soften the bushing, used a short metal cone on the opposite side of the insertion point and pressed it in with a long handled needle nose pliers.

I was lucky to find that metal cone, it looked like the top part of an old door knob.

It was not as tall as a socket so it allowed the pliers to fit over and compress it.

I tried to use the old original retaining clip. It was good and solid but a slightly different design for initial fit over the rod end.
I gave up and tried the new one from Partsshop/Fastlane. That one had an easier entry opening and slipped on by hand pressure.

So, it's done.

Got the parts from fastlane.

Methodically and not hurried it took me just over one hour.

THX.

StaggerLee · #5 07-18-2011, 01:45 PM

I used a socket and a C-Clamp to press the bushings on (wagon) in place. The lip you cut off is there for a reason!

unkl300d · #6 07-18-2011, 02:23 PM

I did not cut the lip. I was very specific in my description. I shaved VERY small slivers (one sliver per circumferential section) and the lip was left intact.
Once the bushing was pressed into the selector arm, the arm's opening fit into the bushing channel (lips) quite snuggly and held in place as it should.
A regular 'C' clamp would not fit working from underneath in my case (W123 300D) unless you find some clamp with a 'needle nosed' design. The plier worked anyway.

boneheaddoctor · #7 07-18-2011, 02:27 PM

I used a large nut (that a bushing will slip through) a nut and bolt with the ID of the bushing and a couple washers. smeared dish soap on the bushing to lubricate it and pressed it in using two box end wrenches to tighten the bolt using it as a small makeshift press, and the large nut allowing the bushing to pop into place.

unkl300d · #8 07-18-2011, 03:17 PM

Hey bonehead that was a smart idea !!

I also forgot about the dish soap. That always is a good lube for rubber hoses etc..

StaggerLee · #9 07-18-2011, 10:20 PM

I can't read your lips...you cut them off. Also, this is a computer so it makes that difficult.

vstech · #10 07-18-2011, 10:31 PM

I just gave up, and removed the shifter arms, and installed the bushings with a vice...
super easy that way.

maxwelloligane · #11 01-08-2012, 09:08 AM

I recently changed the two shift linkage bushing of my 1983 300D using a tool from mb src dot com, it did helped but I still used the vise to set one of them correctly. My advice is to remove the shiftter gear (from inside the car) and then remove the lever attached to the transmission under the car(there is a 10MM bolt and nut locking it inplace. I used a brakeparts cleaner and WD-40 first), once removed it it's a breeze to install. Replacing this under the car is a muscle sore frustrating exercise.

When I removed the gear shifter, I noticed that the two center bushing is all rutted and broken to pieces. I searched for a replacement parts and I could not find them. So I made my own from white 1-1/2 PVC. I had to sand paper the outside and inside of the PVC and using a hacksaw to cut two pieces 2/3 of an inch in lenght.

Make sure the PVC fits snuggly inside the assembly (this should not rotate - plastic to plastic). But the shifter metal rod must fit inside the PVC with slight looseness (this one should rotate metal-to-plastic). Don't foget to put a small amount of grease (lithium or high performace) inside the PVC ring (Not outside).

Here you go ... my transmission shifter is now smooth and tight.

Good luck.

unkl300d · #12 01-09-2012, 03:37 PM

Good tip !
Thanks.

Mesalm · #13 06-11-2012, 01:51 PM

For the front linkage bushing my 300d, I used the center rubber grommet from the top of an old oil filter for this car and put a nylon bushing throught the middle which I had on hand from the hardware store. Make a tool out of needle nose vise grips to get the clip back in after 2 hours of trying every possible way with other tools I had.

unkl300d · #14 12-04-2012, 12:33 AM

Just had the shift lever bushings replaced. The white bushings that look like a top hat. Shift console has to be removed for access.

Symptom: when shifting from park to drive, sometimes the trans would slip.
Done more carefully I noticed the neutral to drive transfer was not crisp and it remained in neutral.
Shifting to second would activate the forward gear.

Turns out the driver side bushing had the 'hat rim' worn off by use. The other side's bushing was whole.

After new bushings, its crisp and tight and free of quasi-trans slip symptoms.

DIY Console Shifter Bushing Replacement - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum

rudolfgreen · #15 12-21-2013, 07:28 PM

After reading and procrastinating, I decided it was worth doing after encouragement from the shifter when it came completely free at the lower arm bushing stranding me in a parking lot. Thankfully my parking brake adjustment was still working well because shifting from underneath the car is much harder than in the passenger cabin.

You can totally do everything from the top, just take it step by step. 79Mercy's writeup on Benzworld above is awesome. Pressing the lever bushing in with a socket and vice is the way to go. A set of snap ring pliers is helpful. Watch the overall arm adjustment, I ended up having it just a bit tight. 2 hrs

. Good luck.