190E Stuck In First Gear - Governor?
 

I have the opportunity to get a good deal on a 91 190E with 137K, has recently had water pump and valve job done. Haven't seen the car yet, but will be seeing it in a few hours. According to the owner, the engine is strong, interior & exterior in great shape, but will need tires.

Problem is, the car is stuck in 1st gear and will not upshift. I have done a search and it appears for a few bucks and a couple of hours on my back I might be able to replace the plastic governor gear and get this car back on the road. Am I being optimistic?

Owner is asking $1,900 but I was thinking of offering $1,250 or even less. Am I asking for a headache?

When this occured with ours, disintegrating synchro clutch material clogged the passages in the valve body and elsewhere. It cost $1800 for rebuilding.

Steve

I would offer a lot less. I wouldn't pay more than $1,000 for the car if the interior and exterior were in good to great condition. I think with trans problems you're asking for a headache. Then again it could be something as simple as a vacuum problem.

basics
 

Try to start with the basics:
1. check fluid, if the fluid looks bad ask him if you can change the fluid before buying it, it's just going to benefit him in the long run.
2. see if there any vacuum lines or electronic lines disconnected
3. drive the car, try to manully put it in l,s,d
4. try to drive the car and rev it up near the redline and see if it forces it to shift
5. when you're at redline throw the car in nuetral, let the rpms go down and see if it goes in to second gear when you put it back in drive.

Funny, my car just did that same thing today. Disconnected the kickdown switch (bottom of the accelerator pedal's travel) and it works fine. You can drive without the kickdown switch, but it's nice to have when you face the odd hill, or need to pass somebody quickly. $20 part. Worth a shot.