Hello, I have had a 76 300d for a little over a year. The automatic transmission is a little weird, to go from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd you have to let up on the gas pedal for a second. The car down shifts automatically. I really don't mind this, in fact I like being able to control the shifting.

What I would like to know is, does anyone think that this is going to get worse? It has operated the same for as long as I have owned it. I also bought a new trans. filter. But I don't want to replace it if it will have any negative consequences.

Thanks,

Brian

I had a 115 model 230.4 with an automatic trans once, it slipped from 2nd to 3rd. Called flair, it was doing that one rainy day when I took off from a stop and it failed to shift. It was stuck forever in low gear. I made the car a parts car for a 220 with a stick shift and I'm still running on the '76 engine. You should read something on the subject of trans-x.
A search for that term has lots of reading material: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/search.php?searchid=322924

Good Luck!

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

There is an adjustment for this. Part of the tranny linkage that comes up by the starter to connect onto the accelerator linkage needs to be adjusted to make it longer. I speak from experience, as my independant mechanic last fall installed a block heater. In order to do this, he had to remove the starter, and in doing so, bent this piece of linkage slightly. When I got the car back, it was behaving exactly as you describe. I went right back to his shop, and he "un-bent" it, but this still wasn't enough. An improvement, but still it didn't shift perfectly as before. So finally, he found the adjusting nut on one end of this rod, and turned it out to make the linkage a little longer. To accomplish this, he also had to adjust a nut for the linkage on top of the cam cover. Having done that, it corrected the whole problem.

In all likelihood, in a previous life your car had the starter removed for whatever reason, with resulting mis-adjustment of this linkage.

Dave

1976 W115 300D "Pearl" Daily Driver
1970 Euro W115 200 "Earl" Parts Car

dont hesitate to change fluid and filter. it will only help.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

......

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Jim

'49 170?(donated to church in Darmstadt '58)
'58 220S(crusher, after '73 fire[San Antonio])
'72 280SE 4.5
'77 240D
'81 300SD
'83 240D parts car

Purchased a 114 gas for parts and the transmission shifted up very early. Was also one of the vendors complaints about the car. The linkage to the transmission had come off I found. If the linkage had come off at the totally advanced position probably transmission would have shifted up at top rpms if at all or perhaps only by removing the pedal pressure. Another cause that was common back then for some of these transmissions according to my automatic guy was the internal seals getting dry or shrinking from the car sittting around. Recomended cure by my automatic guy was to put a transmission stop leak treatment in the transmission and drive it 1500 miles or so to see if the internal seals would expand. If not pull transmission and he would do the internal seals for 300.00 under the table. Why not try adjusting your linkage first as many have recommended. If that does not work try some stop leak if that does it change filter and fluid. Checking with a local transmission guy who rebuilt a lot of these transmissions in the past may help as well if linkage does not do it before proceeding. Hope it turns out easy.