alright - I have been recently replacing my front suspension system - it has been going relatively well - however - I must now focus on my transmission.

There are a few issues to deal with - I don't want to rebuild or buy a new transmission (I hope I don't have to anyway).

To begin I have a W123 1983 300D automatic transmission.

first and foremost when I put it into park 'P' it does nothing for me in terms of not allowing the car to roll. As in when or if I park the car on any incline - it will roll unless I use the e-brake or turn the wheels inward towards the curb and let it rest there. This problem doubles because my emergency (or parking) brakes need to be replaced - the pads are busted and need to replace them (I did already tighten with the screwdriver method - not much help unfortunately - worked a bit for like a week). The other day I chose to go to a restaurant with a drive through so I wouldn't have to park...

second - first gear slips and takes forever to get to a decent speed and switch up to the next gear. I briefly read there were someways you can adjust the vacuum system to possibly correct problems like this - is this true?? is it possible I do not need to rebuild or replace my transmission? I have never worked on the (or any for that matter) vacuum system or transmission. I did check the tranny fluid level - is ok.

also - I have read when it is in 'P' it will roll a bit - it seems like it will roll way too much, if not forever. Is there a way to test what is acceptable without ruining my tranny any more that it is?

I know I should repair and replace then use my parking brake with the 'P' - guess I want to fix and use both - not just rely on one or the other.

hmmm... it seems there have been some views but no reponses - - > are the answers out there and I just didn't search well enough? is this difficult? is it easy - should I just fix the e-brake and forget anout the 'P'??? hmmm...

If your transmission won't go into park then one of two things are wrong:

1. The shift linkage is not adjusted properly
2. The parking pawl inside the transmission (small piece of metal that acts to stop the car from rolling) is broken.

1. If the car has difficulty engaging first gear then I'm betting that you have a B2 piston that is leaking fluid internally or broken. You can (with some effort) fix this yourself. See the procedure at www.dieselgiant.com .

I would definitely fix the e-brake. The parking pawl was really not designed to take the full load of the vehicle on an incline.

The proper way to "park" the car is as follows:

1. Stop the car.
2. With foot on the brake, put the car into neutral, and engage the e-brake.
3. Let the e-brake support the weight of the vehicle.
4. shift into park.

Are either of these hard to check or repair (the Park problem)

I will definately check this out for the piston leaking fluid. I think it does actually leak oil slowly - someone said it might be the seals though - does that make sense?

Thanks!

Thanks!

I personally believe that "the transmission is not a kickstand" and I always park mine in neutral unless I'm on a very steep incline (In which case you should be using wheel chocks anyways).

Also, parking brakes should never wear out if you only apply them when the car is not moving.

As for your case, your shifter bushing is probably worn out and not letting the shifter move the linkage far enough forward to select the parking brake. Wiggle the shifter back n' forth, if it has more than a tiny bit of slop to it then it's time to replace the bushing.

THIS and/or THESE.

I read a post with someone stating you should engage the e-brake before putting it into Park. Does it really make a difference somehow or just alleviate pressure from the pawl?

I will try that tomorrow - thanks! although without an e-brake... got some work to do.

I think the best way to do it is to shift to neutral, apply parking brake, then put it in park.

__________________
1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Yes, it makes a big difference. That puts all the weight of the vehicle on the parking brake and does not put any stress on the driveline or transmission. It leaves the parking pawl as a backup in case the park brake slips.

yeah - I've heard that one before - makes sense... I started using it all the time when I noticed the 'P' was rolling.

the shifter is definitely worn - in fact when I shift from '2' up to 'D' (seems to accelerate quicker that way) I need to over shoot 'D' just a bit before it shifts - guess that is another problem?

I can afford both of those items!! hope easy install.