Excellent observation. Our Isuzu Oasis (rebadged Honda Odyssey) just turned 300k miles. While the paint is pretty much gone, mechanically the only non-maintenance repair (maintenance = belts, battery, tires, brakes, timing belt, hoses, plugs, etc) we've done is a starter, radiator and smog plenum cleaning. The next repair will result in donating/junking but compared to my MBs list of repairs and constant maintenance that's nothing. Original shocks, injectors, A/C, CVs, exhaust, transmission, bearings, fans, fuel pump, and so forth.

__________________
Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes
But the rewards of bringing one back to its glory is very rewarding. It doesn't happen overnight and there is usually some sailor language during the process but with determination you will get there and be able to enjoy the personal satisfaction of the accomplishment. Your car is not one of the expensive cars to resurrect. What you will learn along the way is priceless.

__________________
BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

Find the year of the car and the model of the transmission (stamped on the side). That will get you pretty far. The pan has to come off to change the filter anyway, so just pull it and change the thing. You will have a 722.1 or a 722.3 transmission depending on the year and whether it is original to your car.

Black fluid is bad fluid. Needs to go and may be your primary issue. Considering you've been fooling with vacuum and modulator settings, all bets are off there. Get to a clean slate and set it up from scratch. You'll know if you have problems or not at that point.

Blindly going out and buying a transmission is foolish. Especially for a used one of unknown quality. It may be even worse than the one you have.

Bottom line: If you're so cheap that you can't afford an oil and filter change for the car, you don't need to be owning it. Sorry to sound so crass, but you can't wave a magic wand at it and fix it. You'll be putting that money into a new one anyway for the very same service, so get it out of the way first and find out if you need to drop money on a transmission or if the one you have is serviceable and you just screwed it up by messing with things you shouldn't be messing with.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

This is a good point, but 4cyl Japancars are also pretty boring. I bought a Yaris 10 years ago for basically all the reasons you mentioned. I had no mechanic experience at the time so it was a good choice. I've still got the car and the only repairs I've had to do to it are a water pump and a MAF sensor in 102k miles. That being said, even with the supercharger and all the other junk I've done to it, it's just sortof boring. Most modern cars are in my opinion.

I bought my 190D to be my new daily driver, and even though the AC doesn't work and there's a bunch of stuff that's not quite right on it electrically it's doing great and is a lot more interesting to drive. Not to mention infinitely more comfortable.

It's all about your personal taste/needs. I'm a big advocate for Japanese cars for reliable daily transport for non-car people. If you want a thing that gets you from A to B and will do it for decades without problem, IMO they are the best option. For a lot of us though, they're just not enough.

__________________
2010 Mercedes E350 4Matic - 77k miles
1986.5 Nissan D21 V6 4x4 - 276k miles
1987 Mercedes 190D 2.5 Turbo - 3??k miles
1983 Mercedes 300SD turbo parts car
2017 Honda CBR500R - 15k miles
2016 Suzuki GSX S1000 - 9k miles

As has been stated, simply changing fluid can help, although you can't count on miracles.

What sort of shop did you bring it to? Most mechanics don't work on transmissions, most transmission shops only do drop-in replacements on Mercedes. Any of the big chains will charge you a lot of money for R&R, but do little real rebuilding work. Sun Valley Dismantlers on the west coast has the best reputation in the US for Mercedes transmission repair, their total charge for R&R and the rebuild will be a small increment above what you've been quoted for the used tranny & install. I had my transmission rebuilt by Transmission Specialties, a shop in NJ that is used by a lot of dealers and independents in the area. Again, the cost was incremental over what you're thinking of paying to install a used box.

And a full rebuild may not be needed...if the transmission flares, but eventually finds it's way into gear, it could be a B2 piston. That would be repairable with the transmission in the car. Or there could be a problem with the springs and pistons in the valve body, which can also be serviced without removing it from the car. Here's where the quality of a shop will show.

The bad news: I wouldn't trust the odometer readings. These odometers are fragile, and can be out of service for thousands of miles before someone fixes...usually just before a sale. And the dash pods are easy to swap between cars. The car imay be pre-VIN, so there may be no Carfax data.

The front end stuff, tie rods, ball joints, bushings, cheap enough. Or if you're up to it, a good learning experience.

I think the car looks nice, and it should be fixable (just based on what you're saying here). The qualification is: are you really prepared to drive a 40 year old car? It's a burden and a responsibility at times, but if you itch for it, do it.

Thanks for all the responses.

The transmission is a 722.118.

With all due respect, there's a difference between being cheap and being wasteful. As you say, there's no magic wand. If there's certainty that the transmission is beyond what can be repaired by changing fluid, it would be a waste to do it just to "get it out of the way."

To a guy who specializes in old mercs and who has an excellent reputation as being honest and reasonably priced. He says he gets more coupes than sedans, but he seems willing to take a look at it and sort whether or not it really needs a 'new' tranny.

I feel it probably is only one portion of the transmission... or at least, I felt that way before the Lucas done f'ked it all up. Before the Lucas it was mostly slipping 2-3 and 3-4 (manageable with the use of the manual high gear cutoff controls) now slips 1-2 as well and risks flaring when attempting to start from a stop... I guess I'll see what the mechanic says later this week.

On the 722.1XX, the banjo bolt that holds the dipstick tube is also the drain for the pan. Once the bulk of the fluid is drained, the four bolts on the pan can be removed, and not much fluid will be left inside. The torque converter has a drain bolt on it (5mm hex socket). Be sure to have replacement crush washers on hand. Also, it is a good idea to blow out the cooler with dry compressed air, as it will most certainly have some old fluid in it. Try to get as much of the old fluid out as possible, using the same compressed air in one of the cooler line banjo fittings (bolt removed). Getting that old burnt fluid out may bring the trans back to life. Then again, it may not, but you won't know until you try. By the way, the cheapest Dex-Merc fluid will work just fine. Wal-Mart is about the cheapest, unless you find some at a dollar store somewhere.

__________________

All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

On a side note, I don't think those seat are from a benz, but hell they look comfortable! I'm thinking an older Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Looking at the few pix you provided I'd say it's well worth the $ to repair .

As mentioned, draining the tranny and torque converter plus the tranny cooler is very important .

I've been a Journeyman Mechanic for decades and many times have picked up an old car with "!bad trans!" , done basic service and had it be fine and dandy again .

NO SHORT CUTS .

Black, burnt smelling fluid is serious so you must be diligent about getting all of it out and changing the filter too .

All parts are rather cheap OnLine, $800 for a used tranny is absurd, plenty of good ones out thee in wrecks as you're still in California by the license tags .

Changing your info to show the city / state you live in, often results in people local to you sharing their go to places or offering to help out .

I have three of these fine old cars, only one looks as nice as yours and i drive them not only daily, but on 2,000 + mile road trips at the drop of a hat, no problems .

I have a Friend who's 300D got rear ended recently (he's O.K.) and might be interested in your car to swap in his running gear if you (foolishly IMO) give up .

These are very simple cars so keeping a nice one alive shouldn't break you $ wise .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Those seats are from an old 90's Buick, Oldsmobile something.

__________________
1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

Daniel,

The drastic change for the worse after you added the Lucas tells me that was a bad idea, and you need to change the fluid and filter. I would say that the odds are excellent that you'll see a dramatic change for the better. Don't hesitate, just get it done. No, changing fluid and filter on an old transmission will not cause it to fail, that is rumor.

After you change the fluid, perform this test: disconnect the vacuum from the trans, and test drive. The shifts should be incredibly hard, but no flaring or slipping. If no flaring / slipping, then all your trans needs is some proper attention, like a new vacuum modulator or proper set-up of the vacuum system (no leaks). "Tuning" the trans is an art form, one that you can learn, or you can pay someone. If nothing else, you can simply replace the modulator and all the vacuum line connections and fitting to eliminate the leaks, and then you may find that it is good enough to drive or sell.

Regarding your mechanic: Just any old Merc mechanic is better than none, BUT if he or his team don't have experience with MB diesel engines like the OM617.95x in your car, he may not be the right mechanic.

Once you've got the trans sorted, and have done a tune-up and fixed the front end issues, assuming there are no other problems, I would not hesitate to take the car on a long trip anywhere, anytime, cross country or even out of country. These old Mercedes have a reputation for incredible toughness and reliability, but you've got to fix all the neglected issues and deferred maintenance first. Cost of ownership is VERY inexpensive, AFTER you've got it all sorted. If you don't want to turn the wrenches yourself, as previously stated, the labor costs will be high.

If you can tolerate the car down for repairs for a few days or a week, and if you have a place and the time to wrench yourself, keep the car. If you can't afford to pay someone else, then change the fluid in the trans, and sell it to someone else.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

A general overall assessment of the overall mechanical condition is desirable first. Especially in a situation where you pay for service. The car may not have other needs or may have many. You usually are buying a car that is forty years old. That has not really been restored or maintained properly.

It would be cheaper overall to buy a good example than pay to fix all that is needed in a lot of cases. Paid for service is usually a killer today on a car with great needs.

I frequently suggest these cars are not usually financially viable unless you enjoy or are willing to get your hands dirty. As a car in todays world the 123s are about the simplest to learn on and manage yourself.

I also post the real benefit of knowing and repairing cars is a direct benefit on occasion. Your odometer also is not a true indication of the total miles. Not an absolute certainty just more likely than not.

Usually the expression that there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. Is especially true if you pay for service. You usually will need deeper pockets than only scratching your testicles allow.

Correction to Maxbumpo's post. If you disconnect the vac line from the tranny and the tranny is working properly, you will have smooth upshifts and clunky downshifts.

Vac is only needed to give you smooth downshifts.

Is that particular to this transmission? Thanks for the correction.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

That's not correct at all. For any of the 722 transmissions. Disconnecting the vacuum to a properly operating 722.3 used on your car and the later models will just about bark the wheels during upshift on light throttle. BTDT. The vacuum controls modulation pressure, which smooths (retards) the shifting process to prevent the sudden "lurch" caused by a quick shift. Too much vacuum and you get a slushbox and flaring. Too little and you just about have a drag racer.

Vacuum adjustment is exceptionally critical in the 722.1 since there is no bowden cable (control pressure cable).

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)