'82 300 Turbo Diesel transmission slipping when cold

Only slips for about the first 4-5 shifts when cold in the morning. when it even thinks about getting up to operating temp it shifts fine. am I looking at a new transmission soon? car has 220K Miles on it. better to find a used one, or a remanufactured one? or just have it rebuilt? i'm saving my pennies.

My 83' 300D turbo with 146K does the same thing. I don't think that it is slipping and believe the proper terminology would be it is flaring. Mine will not change gears without it first increasing RPM, and then you get a neck jerking change. If it slips, RPM will slowly increase and a delay (which seem to take forever)with no pulling power is experienced while the tranny is trying to change gear. I have found that there a few adjustments which can be made at the tranny modulation valve and a cable which is connected to the throttle on top of the engine can make a big difference on the shifting pattern. I found the information under search with key works like (tranny, no shifting, transmission problems). If your problem has just started, is your vacuum system still working correctly. Vacuum loss is a big thing to these trannys.

[can-do]

Greetings,

Mercedes isn't much different than any other tranny out there. There are a few taboo things that can screw up your tranny as well as your wallet. I'd check the fluid level after the car has been driven quite a ways. The car needs to be running when you check the dipstick for proper level. What you describe sounds like a lack of fluid, but can also happen when there is an overfill situation. The other problem is filtration. A dirty filter won't suck fluid up while it's cold nearly as fast as a clean filter will. When's the last time the tranny filter was changed? The last item is the band adjustment on the tranny. It's generally reccommended whenever you change fluid, to adjust the bands as well. Has that been done? I don't think you have a true problem with the tranny, but maybe some overlooked fluid levels or adjustments.

Charles

Yes, it's definitely a "flare" then. I have a reciept here for $700 worth of transmission work 20K miles ago, and went to the shop today - he says "filter or modulator..about $75". I guess i'll bring it in next week. Huh. Thanks for the help. both posts make sense.

[nellotare]

Thanks all for the info. My 83D-T did the "flaring" almost all the time and now my 82D-T does it just as you described.. when it's cold. I will try preventive maintenance checks that y'all wrote about. Boy, you guys are good!

Nellotare, If and when you get yours fixed be sure and post your solution. I have greatly improved my tranny problems by stopping all the vacuum leaks but still have a on agin off agin problem with mine. I am taking my time with making adjustments to the modulator and shift cable to the tranny. I will figure it out by Christmas 01', if the tranny holds up.

[ctaylor738]

I would only add that when our '82's flare got so bad that the dealer (American Service Center) recommended a rebuild, Herr Fuchs was able to adjust it back to reasonable working order. Moral of the story is that you need to find a good independent shop that knows how to work with these trasmissions.