This shows what tranys can do
 

1976 MB with 59K miles 5 cyl 3 speed. After no drive or reverse this was what I found: Converter lugs broken and worn out main pump.

Ooooopss...... pics did not come on....
 

Now here are the pics.

Wow, what a mess.

What do you think caused this with so low miles?

Haasman

That'sretty bad. Takes some force or lesser force over a long time to do that.

I would bet someone was drop shifting that transmission......basicly reving the engine and then dropping it into drive from neutral....

The pump lugs would not get severly loaded that way (neutral drop). My bet is a small piece of debis got in the pump and sized it. I have seen a neutral drop shear the input shaft, but at most the pump lugs only see pump loads.

John Roncallo

29 year old car with 59,000 miles???

I doubt it.

Unf****** Believable!!!!!

Causes were......
 

I do not think the loading / unloading caused that, since the lugs drive only the main oil pump and have no idea of what horsepower is the engine pulling. As for anything getting inside there is very dificult to happen. I saw the pump cresent worn out badly, so my opinion is the the converter was maybe "pushed" not in alignment sometime when "they" worked on the engine or trany and bent a little the lugs. These in term worn out the bushing and the rotor (gear) part of the pump rubbed often against the cresent. With time the bushing wore out more and one lug broke remaining basicaly "in place" helping the pump gear to be "off center" and wore it more to the point there was no working pressure.
I have better pictures but cannot load them on the board. If interested send an e-mail to me and I will return 2 o 3 pictures. (WFGonzalez2@cs.com)
Right now I swapped the trany for an 1983 240D trany with vaccum modulation. (Bad luck, I have no vaccum modulation in my 1976 since the engine "load" is conveyed to the trany via a physical linkage from the gas pedal. So.... I am driving around with a hand pump utilized for testing vaccum systems in gas engines to simulate the engine load, basically 6 to 20 inches of mercury.
I am still happy with my "new" puppy, I just bought it with a brokent trany, but learning to deal with diesels for the first time in 66 years.
The unsolicited story (after I purchased it) about the mileage from the previous owner was that he bought it in Florida from the 1st. owner just a while ago and drove it to Texas. The engine has a lot of pep even on uphills, but burns a little something that I cannot figure out what it is (smells like diesel), so trying to see what to do with it. My best guess is that I will take the engine apart, file a little the rods and mains to get the proper bearing clearances and with new rings and chain see what happens !!! WHAT IS YOUR GUESS WILL HAPPEN?
Back at the ranch, the original trany still on the bench (a piece of 3/4 playwood) with new set of gaskets and debating where to pay the nearly $600 they ask for a new main pump, or just braze the cressent (inside) then get it on the lathe and machine it to take the original gears (seem in good shape yet) and get the baby back on the road with the original mechanical linkage modulation, stopping the driving with one hand on the steering wheel and another on the hand pump !

Wow, you are an industrious man.

Post us a picture of you driving with the vacuum pump in hand! Classic.

Maybe a good used trans may be the most cost effective way to get the old girl back on the road.

Haasman

What out where you do that pumping! People might get suspicious! :eek:

29 year old car with 59,000 miles???
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Not unusual at all.....I own a '73 450SL with just 86K miles.