Rbullard-

When I got my 1984 300SD a couple of years ago, It hard-shifted too. I took it to a local MB dealer (Smith Motor Sales in Haverhill, MA), spent some time talking to the service writer, and for about $250 had them go through the car and make a punch list of work that needed to be done. I also asked them to look at the tranny and see if they could get rid of the hard shifting.

For my $250 they made the list, and got rid of the hard shifting.I assume they adjusted the vacuum system in some way.

Might be worth it just to get a baseline on what's needed, and how much it might cost.

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rdsw
Salem, NH
1984 300SD, 260k miles and counting