ok guys my boss gave me a 1981 300sd everything works in it just needs a new paint job. My question is about the tranny how can u tell if it is overfull i think it is he had the tranny replaced 3 years ago and when i checked the fluid cold it was reading over the full line i think maybe while i was pulling the dipstick out the angle could have gave me a wrong reading? it goes into reverse and drive and it slips like crazy while i trying to drive it home 3 miles i could'nt drive more than 25mph the engine would reve high and it would jump into gear i think the furthest i got was to 3rd gear and it jump into every gear. Now what is my next step i have a bottle of trans-x should i add the whole bottle of just half how many quarts of atf fluid do i need i don't have the owners manual and what type of atf fluid do i need i already have a new gasket and filter. while i change the fluid it it wise for me to buy that k-1 kit that i hear about and replace that to or should i just start wil the fluid and filter change i'm new at this so please help me out.

Check the fluid when it is hot and running. Being exactly at the line isn't as important as not overfilling or running too low. Overfilling will case the fluid to foam and it could cause the problems you are having. I can't remember the exact name of the trans fluid needed but the book says #II but you can use #III. (I think it is dextron atf)

__________________
1977 300D Lost coolant while someone else was driving
1983 300D Can't run without oil
1985 300SD (gone but not forgotten)
1990 300TE 4matic Sold
1991 Yamaha Venture
1975 Kawsaki 250 triple
1974 Honda 200CL
1951 8N Ford
2008 Wildfire 650C

Sounds to me like you may have a busted B2B piston. Check the threads on that one, but the only way to know for certain is to take it out and look at it.
You will not need to remove the trans to do that, but will need to remove the rear crossmember and the driveline to drop the rear of the trans down. The space there is little tight, but you can get to it.

Hey,
I would check the vacuum system out first before replacing any tranny parts.
Look in the DIY STICKY for some good tutorials.
You will need a mity-vac or simmilar tool. I remember someone mentioning that autozone rents them out but I'm not sure about that. I just bought mine.
The modulator on the tranny should hold vacuum for 5 minutes or more.

Danny

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination