I replaced the solenoid tonight. The job is pretty straightforward. I would recommend scrubbing the area squeaky-clean with carb cleaner & rags before removing the solenoid, to reduce the risk of dirt entering the transmission.

When the solenoid is removed, there is a slight drip of tranny fluid... which keeps on dripping, and does not stop. Have some rags handy for the drips to fall on while you work on the solenoid. Once removed, you need to press the valve out of the solenoid, replace all 3 rubber O-rings on the valve, clean everything, re-assemble the valve into the solenoid, and re-attach the assembly into the transmission housing. For reference, a good/new solenoid measures approximately 12 ohms. The bad solenoid on my car measured about 250 ohms.


Here's a parts list, for future reference, for my 1987 300D:

000-304-27-90 --- Kickdown solenoid (electric coil)
115-304-01-60 --- Kickdown solenoid aluminum seal ring
008-997-30-48 --- Kickdown valve O-ring #1 (valve to solenoid)
008-997-31-48 --- Kickdown valve O-ring #2 (valve to solenoid)
001-997-35-48 --- Kickdown valve O-ring #3 (inside transmission, small)

Total cost was about $65 at wholesale cost from the dealer, and it took less than an hour from start to finish.

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