I found what I think is a great deal 85 300D diesel, automatic, bronze, 4dr, sunroof, 160K miles, interior in good shape, new brake pads, good tires, retrofitted a/c, needs new battery, transmission only works in reverse & 1st gear. With some transmission work, great car for around town or use the car for parts. $660 or best reasonable offer. says it will start right up cold not started for three weeks every thing sounds good would like to save towing it 140 miles renting truck ect. I know older 123 had problems with I think it was a p2 valve any one no any neat trick to stick it in drive for freeway drive home? and he will take less than $660 talking like $550 I would change tranny my self with wrecking yard tranny.

Using search reading posts as fast as i can

What you are thinking of is the B2 piston and, unfortunately, there's no quick and dirty trick for installing one in the field. The tranny must be pulled(or at least the back mount pulled and the rear of the tranny dropped far enough) to access the B2.

However, this does not sound like a B2 failure. The B2 piston failure generally manifests itsself in this fashion:

—Catastrophic failure of transmission in forward gears
—Partial engagement of forward gears, with slippage progressively reduced as transmission is shifting from 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4.
—Reverse gear engagement normal

If I were you, I believe that I would start this project by draining the transmission fluid, replacing it and adding Trans-X. Of course, if the existing fluid looks like Pepto-Bismol, you are sunk. Pink, strawberry milkshake fluid indicates an engine coolant leak into the transmission.


Good luck!

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Yes in searching the posts last night I heard about trans-x I hope they sell it at wall mart or are local parts stores. Do you think if I disconnected the vacuum from the door locks ECT and boosted the vacuum to the transmission? That might help pull the internal clutch? plates together making it work for a little longer is it worth a try? Towing it especially over the mountain would be real hard on the car I have to tow it with since my MBZ is all ready to have its motor pulled and the upper oil pan replaced.

Yes autozone sells it locally. No that wouldn't help the shifting, more vacuum to the tranny means softer shifts and if anything less pressure on the clutch.

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Jeff M.
Mercedes W123 DIY pages are now located here.
1983 / 1984 300D Sold
2000 CLK430 Cabriolet ~58k Sold
2005 Avalanche 4x4 ~66k

2 hour drive and car has salavge slip not pink slip I hate it when sellers dont know there is a difference its a deal killer for me. But I will try trans-X on our T-bird that has started to slip when she is cold

Well my son matt fell in luv with it and bought it. It is a euro model slick looking bumpers great looking car. Tried the trans-x trick it got second gear to work but not drive it would not go over 40 mph. well I am sure you will be reading about this car like where do we get a tranny for a 1985 300d because they as far as I know never sold them in the states.

Just a thought Matt based on an assumption. I assume it is the same automatic tranny as in the US version AND that it is vacuum controlled. I have seen vacuum issues prevent them from upshifting the way they should.

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Jim