I thought I already replied to this, maybe i accidentally did to a different post

I push the pedal down about 3/4 of the way, and it only stays engaged for about 1 second. I am not flooring it. But i would think it should stay in first longer without flooring it since i am engaging 1st gear through the shifter method instead of the kickdown switch method? I dont know.

The car is an 88 190e 2.3 8v with a 91 engine.