Hi, I just recently looked at a 190 2.3 16 to purcahse, and was unable to test drive it because the transmission would only get into 2nd and 3rd. What could be the problem? The shift lever would not move from left to right, but would freely move from front to back.

Thanks

Quentin

Quentin:

What did the seller have to say about the tranny? Did he/she tell you there was a problem? The 190E 16V trannys ARE a bit finicky. Shift pattern is not really standard. Reverse is (pull up on shifter) left/up. First gear is left/down, and so on.

Brian 16V

The owner wasn't around when I looked at the car, only his wife, who didn't know much. I also am aware of the tranny being a dogleg shift pattern. It wouldn't shift into fourth or fifth either. But it would go into second and third fine. Is the transmission made by Getrag? Could the problem be in the shift linkage? Being a BMW nut, I know that BMW Getrag tranny shift linkages need to be replaced every 60k or so unless you like a lot of shift slop. I haven't seen any aftermarket replacement linkages fer Mercedes manual trannies. If the tranny is a Getrag and the problem is in the linkage, could a shift linkage meant for a BMW Close-Ratio Getrag dogleg tranny be modified to work in the 190?

thanks

Quentin

As all of the linkage is external, I would think that mis-adjustment is the reason that you can select only one of the shift gates. The rubber grommets on the trans end or the plastic grommets at the shifter are worn. The adjustments are done under the car at the shifter.