Help ML320 broken shift lever

[tyl604]

My daughter sent this pic. The shifter broke in her 2002 ML320. I have no idea what to do and she is stranded.

Does anyone know? Can you just buy a new shifter and have a tranny shop replace it and does the entire transmission have to come out?

Anyone ever seen this? Need help.

Thanks. (I am usually in the diesel section but this is for my daughter.)

[tyl604]

Wow; Pelican says I have to replace entire gear box and it is not serviceable. For the life of me I do not see why you could not have a machine shop weld the stalk back or even weld a nut on top and thread the old shaft.

Am I dreaming?

https://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2016.cgi?command=DWsearch&LastVisited_input=3916&make=MBZ&description=1632601009

[97 SL320]

Gee, that isn't a common problem. Is this the car that had some sort of stuck in park / forcibly pulled out of park issue? I seem to remember someone having this problem.

The shifter is not part of the transmission and can be removed by taking top of console apart / removing an under car shift rod clip. If the console was apart, this is a 45 minute job. I'd expect the console to add 1 hr but I haven't done one of these before.

Be aware that switches in these shifters suffer when liquids are spilled, this can lead to the trans staying in 1st and not automatically shifting.

I looked on the salvage yard searcher car-part.com but it isn't showing shifters for any MB in that era so I think the system is currently broken. However, searching for a transmission turns up some cars. I'd expect to pay about $ 100 or less for a used shifter assembly.

[tyl604]

Yes, this is the car that was hard to shift out of park.

Thanks for that. I will check the website.

[tyl604]

I made a couple of calls to yards listed in the car-part.com website. Amazingly they have the shift mechanism. $125 delivered with a 90 day warranty. One yard in Carrollton, GA, offered to install for another $125.

So things are getting more reasonable. Thanks for the lead.

PS - daughter had to have ML towed to a shop so I guess it is not moveable.

What a great forum.

[97 SL320]

Be sure to tell the shop there has been a problem with getting the shifter out of park. They need to make sure the key out - shifter lock and " press foot brake to take out of park. " systems are working. Also now would be a good time to change the shift indicator bulb it is isn't LED.

Get the old shifter back, I " think " there are some switches that can be removed and installed on another one if something fails in the future.

[tyl604]

Good info. Thx.

There is quite a good youtube video on changing out this thing - although it is apparent that the fellow who made it had never done one before.

[ILUVMILS]

To the OP, have you tried using the emergency park/lock release?