The likelihood of this being an easy fix is extremely slim as bad reverse gear is a known/common issue.

I would start shopping for good used trans if you want to keep driving the car.

Forget about the valve body. I've lost count on how many of these that we've done for loss of reverse. You can replace the reverse clutches and reverse piston (reverse piston if needed) right on the transmission jack. It doesn't require a complete teardown.

Paul -- which shop do you work for? Where are you located?

I'm in Bellevue, WA...The Seattle area. Mercedes Centrum Inc

Yep. Me and a friend had three cars reverse went out in and got a bulk special at the tranny shop. I wasted a lot of time messing with the valve body. They were all w124s. Around 220 to 250k.

Isn't there a simple reverse part somewhere under the car somewhere? It's not even inside the transmission, it's on the outside. I remember on my car there was some part that had to be replaced, very simple part, it's like $40. Without it you have no reverse. Ask a MB specialist. That said, after doing a quick search trying to find the name of the part, I saw some articles that were talking about '94 and '95 problems. Good luck on it. I think if I were you and didn't want to put a lot of money into the car, you might be able to find a MB specialist or a transmission specialist on the poorer side of town and get it done for less.

If you're gonna go through all the trouble of removing the transmission and removing the front pump, B1 band and piston (to get to reverse clutches) and B3 piston you might as well replace/reseal everything

I totally agree, but would it surprise you that some people just don't want to spend the extra money? Sometimes just a few dollars. I would never recommend it on a car pushing 250k, but I've done plenty at around 130 to 150k and they performed perfectly for another 100k, that I know of. I bought one years ago from a customer that had 180k and did just the reverse clutches. I beat on it for another 50k. My kid beat on it for another 30 or 40k. A customer bought. It now has about 275k on it and still shifts like a dream. It's a good alternative when you don't want to spend more than the car is worth. Especially if you can do all the work yourself.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, at 220k, I really do not feel like investing a lot. It would be great to keep on trucking but I have to be pragmatic.

U can get a used or junkyard tranny for South of $500 I'm sure

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