Hey guys, it's been a while.

This last weekend, after day 2 of driving on dirt roads, suddenly, my forward gears totally copped out. While reverse worked fine, if you attempted to put the car in drive it would only rev up. I creeped it home, and it seemed that it would eventually shift into other gears but later slip out of them.

I took it to a local German car garage that had worked on the car previously- I had hoped that a vacuum line or something else had fallen loose - but they said it was the transmission itself, and that a rebuild might cost somewhere in the 1800$ range, which is more then I paid for the car originally-and being a student, I don't know if I can ever be able to afford that.

It's sad because the car is in great shape other then that, and to be honest, I really love the car. I guess I just wanted any sort of feedback from you guys- what should I do? Is there maybe something else that they may have missed? how much is a used transmission? Is that estimate 'standard'?

Sad times, man, sad times

Also, derp, its a 1983 300D .

User 'Army' is the guy to talk to

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
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No merc at the moment

There should be a big nut on the right side of the transmission that you can tighten which will tighten up the shifts. I had the same issue with my 76 300D and it worked itself loose. A few turns and the problem went away.

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With best regards

Al

Sounds like a classic case of a failed B2 piston. About $150 worth of parts will fix it (new B2 piston, plastic bushing & seal). A search will turn up all you need to know. It can be done in the car although it's a tight fit. Not sure if you're able to do the repair yourself, but perhaps someone in the area can recommend a shop that can do the job without ripping you off.

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82 300SD 202K
82 300SD 233K
83 300TD 340K
82 300TD 98k euro (parts on the hoof)
85 300TD 282K
83 300TD 197K

X2 on the B2 piston failure. No rebuild necessary.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

This is a 722.315 trans. I don't think it has the adjuster you're talking about. That was an earlier model.

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82 300SD 202K
82 300SD 233K
83 300TD 340K
82 300TD 98k euro (parts on the hoof)
85 300TD 282K
83 300TD 197K

You are of course correct, my apologies.

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With best regards

Al

Here's a pic of a failed B2 piston in pieces & a pic of what a new one looks like (it's supposed to be 1 piece). Also a pic of the trans with the new seal & bushing installed. For reference you're looking up under the car on the passenger side at the rear round cover on the side of the trans (there's one in front of it as well, but that's not where the problem is).

Attached Thumbnails

     

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82 300SD 202K
82 300SD 233K
83 300TD 340K
82 300TD 98k euro (parts on the hoof)
85 300TD 282K
83 300TD 197K

X3 on the B2 issue. Very common- try to find an indie that is familiar with this- It shouldn't be terribly expensive.

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Chief

1991 350SD

See, this is why you guys are so awesome.

Is 'Army' and indy or just a tranny wizard? Probably a question best asked of him. I'd love to find an independent guy from here to help of course. I'm in Austin Texas.

An aside- perhaps you guys could help clear up my ignorance- what exactly is a rebuild? Is it a replacement of ALL inner parts- or is it simply the act of opening the tranny and replacing the failed parts? When you say "no rebuild needed" does that refer to the fact that the transmission need not be removed from the car?

I ask because the local garage ( Austin ********) mentioned opening the transmission would be in the neighbor hood of 4 hours of labor. If I read correctly, is it right that I could ask them to replace the piston without 'opening' the transmission?

Again, thank you guys so much. It's really giving me a bit of hope

This is the first and only car I really 'connected to' when driving- its a visceral experience, and frankly, I not having her around makes me realize how much I really love that car.

Hi, it may be a good idea to look at the goodmbshops section and see if you could either take you car there or call them in order to find a good transmission shop.

Good luck.

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With best regards

Al

Im waiting to do the same service on a 300sd ,it requires removal of the tailpipe sheilds and dropping over the tailpipe for easy access ,no trannie removal necassary .If 4 hrs is quoted it wouldnt be far off of the required time if you drink four cups of coffee and have a few smoke breaks.I would call around 1st especially if the first thing the shop wanted to do is rebuild the trannie and not explore the problem further.$$$$$

He rebuilt his own transmission and has done a lot of research. Grand Wizard would be appropriate . See: 722.118 Automatic transmission rebuild (Monster DIY)

If you buy a rebuilt transmission "off the shelf" it should have been completely checked with all failed and worn parts replaced. If you mean a rebuild in the sense of a garage doing the work, then the extent of parts replacement may not be as comprehensive. Not all shops have techs on staff in 2012 who have extensive experience on these old cars, particularly when it comes to the transmissions.

Yes and no. On your car, the w123 chassis, I believe you can do the B2 by unbolting the transmission mount and lowering the transmission a bit to provide clearance to work, without removing it from the car. However, a shop might require that they remove the transmission to do it, as their normal practice. If so you could gently ask if the removal is really required....

You do not need to open the transmission to do the B2. It is accessible from the exterior of the transmission.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Slow leak around B2 Piston--change piston?
you can search other posts by searching ,b2 piston repair.