Cool that you remember her name! Actually - you're not far off where I am thinking of going. As soon as I can figure out exactly what transmissions are compatible with this car (I think 722.3 ?), I am going to buy a used one here locally - take it to a trusted service center and have it totally rebuilt. Then I can take the new 300D onto the Marine Base (Quantico) and replace this suspect tranny with the help of a two post lift and a transmission jack. Then, I can get that tranny rebuilt and install it in the next 300D/TD that has a transmission go out on it.

Early this morning I took Ms. Nova (that's the car's name for now, Ms. No-Va) out for a test. Shifted normally up to 4th. Then I tried it again, it flared between 2-3 and then never into 4th. I feel pretty confident (from reading other postings here about transmission problems) that I do not have a Bowden cable or vacuum issue. It will work fine when cold, but soon as it gets warm - boom - stops working.

Under the hood all of the vacuum lines, connections, everything is straight and going to the right places. It is really, really nice actually. All of the rubber is brand new. The IP is clean - so is the engine (for the most part - cleaner than my Klause). Rather than running too many tests, I just think I'm going to replace it. This is supposed to be my wife's daily driver - so I don't have a lot of time to test and evaluate.

The car was a good deal, if it had a working transmission. There are many, many things that I love about the car, but the fact that it blew up on me as soon as it got warm really rubs me raw. Totally took away all of the "new-car" joy. Truth be told - I would still have bought the car if I was told in the beginning that it had a flaky transmission. I would have offered a little less, but would still have taken it. The car had many good things going for it.

The seller hasn't called me back like he said he would. I did convey my disappointment - and that I felt I needed some money back. That just made him agitated and very defensive. Guess I'm screwed. He's a sharp mechanic - really likes Mercedes cars (has owned and worked on several of them). I don't believe he didn't know the transmission was bad. Not for a minute.

It's going to take a while to get over feeling like I was taken for a chump.

So I crawled under the car this afternoon with a flash light an a camera. I was trying to find the model number of the transmission. Had no luck. The car is an 87 300D with OM603 engine. I looked in the FSM that details transmission removal, but I did not find any lists of compatible versions. Actually, the FSM I found described the removal in a V8 with 4 matic....dunno.

Would anyone out there be able to point me to a list of transmission versions that I can plug and play? The little I can find mentions the 722.3 family - is that the only kind? Do I have to match all of the digits in my car wit ha replacement?

As usual - thank you all for the help !

It is sounding more and more like a governor related issue but to be sure you'd have to start making pressure measurements.

Are you sure the fluid level is correct - are you sure it is new fluid?

It is difficult to know which way to go - if you'd had more of a life with the car I'd be saying new fluid and filter - see how it goes...

...but new fluid is pretty expensive these days - but still cheaper than a replacement transmission...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

722.317 and 722.357 fitted at factory to 124.133 chassis

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I checked the fluid first thing when I got stranded on Route 1. It is brand new (the PO told me he JUST changed the filter and fluid) - I had to look carefully at an angle to catch the moistness of fluid on the stick. It formed red droplets on the tip, but it is super, super clean.

I'll start looking for one of those two types. Was really hoping to spot which one I have, but in my driveway I can't get up under there far enough to read it. Guess I'm just too fat

Naah these modern cars are too low down (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I've never seen a .357 on a US '87 300D or TD. I wonder how it's different from the .317.

With the engine cold, tug on the Bowden cable for a sense of how freely and how much it moves. Repeat with the engine and transmission at operating temperature to compare.

Sixto
87 300D

Yeah, I'll try that next. I too wonder what tge subtle differences are between versions.

In My day job I'm an IT engineer. When the equipment I maintain has an update to a new firmware release, the manufacture publishes a supporting document which details all of the changes. Did Mercedes publish anything like this?

I imagine TSBs and EPC notes are the best source of update information unless you can get your hands on the latest .317 build sheet. I don't think the .357 was an update of the .317. I suspect it's a concurrent heavy duty version for taxi service or has a PTO or something obscure like that. I doubt you'll find one in the US. More likely updates will be at the component level for installation during maintenance or rebuilds. A .317 you buy from MB today will have updates like a revised modulator but will still be called a .317. Sometimes they're 'downdates' like omission of the secondary pump.

Ooh, here we go - Transmission 722.357 and boost . So a Japan spec '94 300TD, likely badged E300, has a .357. My next guess is the .357 is a .317 that doesn't require a BFS. FWIW I removed the BFS from my '87 300D. I don't miss it but the shifting is notably different between cold and hot.

Sixto
87 300D

jbrianfoto, sorry to hear about this travail.

If the previous owner replaced the filter and fluid himself, there might be room for some error.

Since you can't establish what type of trans fluid was used, other than it being clean looking, maybe replacing the fluid completely with known appropriate fluid can change the symptoms.

Or maybe the filter was not replaced and its dirty.
Or maybe the internal valves are gunked (varnished?) assuming it has internal valves or valve body...in which case a cleaning fluid might do the trick saving you the need of valve removal for cleaning. (except it might do more harm to trans by continued use).

go for the simple solutions first. It might be something basic.

good luck to ya !

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

They are far more fun with manual trans in them....

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

I have been careful to not name or otherwise identify the individual I bought this car from to protect both their reputation and privacy. I left this person a voice mail today apologizing for being angry with them about the car.

I have said in this thread that I did not believe this person could not know that this transmission was so screwed up, which implies that this person is a liar. That was a mistake, I should not not have left that statement open for anyone to interpret negatively.

I hereby, publicly apologize for impugning this person. Sincerely, my words to you we're ugly and uncalled for. I hope you take at least one more look at this thread so you can see my attempt at making the situation right.

Learned the filter and fluid came from PeachParts. The torque converter was not drained. The trans is full.

I have an appointment this week with the local tranny center. They're going to evaluate what's going on and let me know if it's a big or small problem. I'll let the group know what they say.

I purchased the 560SEL from a local indy repair shop that I had had a relationship with for quite some time. I trusted that they would be up front with me concerning the mechanical condition of the car and did not take the car to another mechanic for inspection. Last time I"ll trust a mechanic to tell me straight up what is and what is not wrong with a car.

Sadly, the mechanic failed to tell me the A/C was not working. I have since found out that the evaporator core needs replacing (expensive!!). Approximately two years after purchase, the transmission failed. I've come to realize that buying a used car is kinda like playing russian roulette. Something is going to go wrong and sadly there is no warranty. When I get wealthy, I'll buy new cars along with a new car warranty. Good luck with your transmission repair.....