I am looking at a 1983 300D for sale . The transmission works great ( supposredly recenty rebuilt) however does not hold (lock the driveshaft) when shifted into PArk . Is this an adjustment or an internal transmission problem ? If it is internal (bag parking pawl , can it simply be repaired with the transmission is the car ? - Thanks

Is the shifter lever sloppy and loose feeling? If so, the bushings need to be replaced on the shifter linkage under the car, about $3 worth of nylon bushings. If it is nice and tight/firm, then it is probably the pawl, I doubt it can be repaired with the tranny in the car....however, if the tranny is still running fine, I'd just make sure the emergency/parking brakes work well instead, and use those. Then deal with the tranny later when it actually needs a rebuild or something.

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I have a similar problem with my car but I have never thought much of it. My car seems to roll back or forward a lot more than usual when I shift into park. it does usually stop after a few feet... I have just always used the parking brake.

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1985 MB 300D/T

Fell off the WVO bandwagon when people started trying to charge $2.50 a gallon for dirty vegetable oil.

My 300d just started this. Put it in park
and the car rolls backward click-click-click never stops
rolling, the pawl never seems to engage.

I am pretty sure the click noise is the pawl.

Although the shifter does not seem loose I am going under to make sure
the bushings are there.

Can anyone confirm that bushings are one plausible cause ?

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80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

sounds whoever rebuilt the tranny screwed up. thre parking pawl is most likely installed wrong. if the bushing is worn out or missing the transmission is not really going to park. go underneath the car and manually put the car in park and seem if works, put on the hand brake prior to crawling underneath the car.

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1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

I bet it's the bushings. My 240D did this when I bought it. If you don't feel an audible "Click" when you push the shifter all the way up to park, it's the bushings. If it just hits the top of the shifter and goes to the left for park and you don't feel a click, you're not all the way into park.

It's not a hard job at all, I didn't even use the real nylon bushings (I didn't know about peach parts then ) I just went to the hardware store and got some good old rubber grommets.

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The Park position on the shifter, if it will not hold the trans in park, then it is a Safety issue. It is fine if there is only one driver, but what happens if some one borrows the car, or it is left at a shop for repairs. so depending on just the Parking brake is not the best idea. also have to keep it adjusted.

The majority of people just slam the lever in Park, get out lock the door, and the vehicle is rocking back and forth. they never use the Parking brake. that puts a lot of stress on the Park Pawl, and after several years of this it doesn`t hold.

Parking brake should be applied first.

X2 on removing the trans to fix.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I replaced the bushings on my 82 300D

It was slipping in park, or just not going in park at all.

replacing the bushings fixed the problem.

kinda hard getting the clips that hold them on back into place.

not much room at the side of the transmission.

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