The plastic bushing (its actualy Viton, I think) is missing in the transmission lever. Just put one in the 280 last night as I was finishing up on the exhaust.

I find that pulling the lever off the tranny works best for me, then pushing the bushing in using a vice and a large socket. Steve Brotherton heats them in boiling water for a minute or so and puts them in with a pair of pliers, but he's using a lift and I'm on the floor under a partiall jacked up car with no room.....

Lever comes off by unclipping the the shift rod (lift the curved outer edge of the clip and push back), push rod out of hole (remember which hole, there are usually four!), remove "pinch bolt" completely, and pull lever off shaft. The little safety switch actuator will come with, make sure you don't bend it.

Press bushing in, re-install lever, and install shift rod. This last step takes longer than all the rest, you have to shove the rod through the bushing and hold it while getting the clip on the slot in the rod, then persuade the upper part of slip up over the end of the rod and then snap down to lock. Helps if you can see, but on the 280 the stinking speedo cable runs directly under the linkage!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!