Ok second question from being a lurker for months to posting. There is a 300 sd for sale for way cheap. The thing is, the car does not shift. It will go in reverse, but has problems going into first. The guy selling me said its a vacuum line issue. Is he correct? Is there an easy fix for this? Im still learning about the 78-85 diesel mercedes and am confused as to why vacuum would cause transmission problems. Thanks!

That's not a vacuum issue. A lack of vacuum will cause hard shifts but it won't prevent it from shifting. Too much vacuum may cause flaring, but again, it will still shift or will at the very least try.

I wouldn't buy this car unless you plan on doing a lot of backwards driving!

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...

Could be a b-# ppiston problem, which is something you could probably do yourself if you are a DIYer. If the car is rediculous cheap, that may be an out.

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1989 300E 144K

Ok I went and looked at it in the light, and it does auctually shift. However it revvs up to about 35 mph before it does shift into second. Does this seem to be a major issue? Thanks again!

How does it shift when it finally makes it? Could be a vacuum, or lack thereof, issue after all.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

It shifts hard. A couple of times when driving I had to let off the gas a little and then floor it to get it to kick into second.

Check the vacuum lines and make sure the green dash pot is there, and check the vacuum modulator. Also check the condition of the tranny fluid.

How do the brakes feel? Do the door locks and air vents work as they should?

You may be able to talk them down further...vacuum probs can be a PITA to chase and fix.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

A hard shift is actually a good sign as far as the tranny is concerned, although it's tough on the drivetrain. The vacuum is supposed to dampen the shifts so it's not so jolting. A bowden cable adjustment could correct the timing of the shift, possibly.

It's hard to do too much in the way of diagnostics on a car you don't own, so it sounds like it might be a roll of the dice...but I would upgrade my recommendation from 'run away' to 'maybe.'

If you could determine that the tranny is healthy then I would probably say go for it. If the tranny is healthy then chances are the fixes required won't cost a fortune. So if the price is right...

But be very careful. That's good advice before buying any car!

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...

After thinking about this a bit more, I wonder if the kickdown switch is stuck. The kickdown switch is what makes the tranny downshift when you push the pedal all the way to the floor.

From what I've read, if it's stuck the rpm's will go all the way to 4400 before shifting and the tranny may never shift into the high gears at all. You get a harder shift at higher rpm's so that could maybe explain the hard shift the car experienced.

If this is the problem it's definitely no big deal. My only experience with this is from reading other people's posts, but cleaning the switch seems to solve the problem quite often.

You might want to do a search on the kickdown switch.

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...