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  #1  
Old 09-05-2012, 12:49 PM
junqueyardjim's Avatar
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Location: Cicero, Hamilton County, Indiana about 30 miles north of downtown Indianapolis
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4 speed manual jumps out of first

I brought up this problem last year when I first started running the four speed. Every once in a while it has a fit in first gear. Symptom can be best explained like it is in and out of gear really quick, (cycles maybe 4 to 6 time) almost like a buzz, but engine revs do increase. So then I changed the transmission oil to 10/40 Mobil 1 synthetic. That really made it bad, it was all the time and really could not use first gear. Then I made the 6mm pin to adjust the shift levers. That helped a lot, but it still would jump out, or make that horrendous grating rattle at times, though it would not if I held slight pressure on the shift lever. At the same time I dumped the Mobil One oil and installed a fill of Mercon Dextron. Problem solved, gone, gone like yesterday, gone like a freight train! Then last week the problem returned. It is infrequent, but it is not nice. Seems that it does it more when the transmission is cold. Matter of fact this AM it jumped on me twice when cold, (out of the garage) and yet when warm I loaded it up hard in first gear a couple of time and no problem. Anyone have an idea. Owners manual for the 1983 manual transmission says the transmission is filled with 1.2 liter(?) of automatic transmission fluid

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!
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  #2  
Old 09-05-2012, 01:29 PM
vstech's Avatar
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dump the mercron, into a filter... I bet you find bronze filings...
refil witth redline full synthetic atf.
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #3  
Old 09-05-2012, 01:31 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Location: Lafayette Indiana
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My only comment is to be sure the lever is all the way toward where it needs to go. The screw on bushings also will wear in a way that is very hard to notice. I have a new set I need to install on my five speed.
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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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  #4  
Old 09-05-2012, 01:54 PM
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Once you make sure the linkage is moving the gear in as far as it should. Check the bell housing bolts as well just in case. Other than that type of thing. It could be a bent shifter fork inside the transmission or something like a bearing getting tired.
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  #5  
Old 09-05-2012, 02:13 PM
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My 4 speed would jump out of first due to a loose shifter arm. I also dumped out the oil that was in it and filled it with Penzoil synchromesh
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  #6  
Old 09-05-2012, 07:33 PM
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Well good replies, guys. Thanks! I don't have a lot of miles on the beautiful little W123 since the changeover. I did repair the speedo also, but it didn't hold and I will attempt a second repair. But I would estimate that I have put on 10,000 miles with no transmission problems whatsoever, since I put in the Mercon Dextron. And now with the re-bushed and re-sprung rear suspension, I love to drive it. I have been looking at Penzoil synchromesh on the web and I think I will go with it. I think Don recommended that and I am going to try it. Let you all know soon.
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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!
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  #7  
Old 09-06-2012, 07:48 AM
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Location: North of Boston
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Had the same problem......

with another truck a long time ago. Assuming none of the other linkage issues solve the problem, the problem with mine was worn forks.

During a test drive, the Tx shop guy said "stop resting your hand on the shifter". Apparently, it's a common problem for all standard vehicles. In other words, once through the gears, don't leave your hand on the shifter. It will cause the forks to wear overtime.

Hope this helps and hope it's something else (easier).

PK
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  #8  
Old 09-06-2012, 11:29 AM
junqueyardjim's Avatar
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Well Giff, that really was a problem with some of the old sliding gear transmissions. Very common on GM vehicles with a three speed manual column shift. Isn't that why they put it there so you could rest your right hand on that lever, (while smoking your Lucky Strike cigarette and the ash tray was right there also). I don't know if that applies to "constant mesh" gearing as found in these transmissions. At any rate, I find it very uncomfortable to hold onto the shift lever in either of my Mercedes. I hold it right now in first gear, (and it didn't jump on me this AM) and I am very happy to get it in second and forgetaboutit! Also, I picked up the necessary amount of Pennzoil Synchromesh and I will change it out Saturday AM.
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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!
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  #9  
Old 09-06-2012, 11:49 AM
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Verify that the shift arm for the 1-2 shift is tight. I swapped out 4 speeds because I thought mine was bad and it turned out to be a loose arm. At least I learned how to swap 4 speeds!

The synchromesh was reccommended to me by someone here. Well GM synchromesh was and the penzoil stuff is the exact same stuff. Man I miss my 4 speed 240D
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  #10  
Old 09-17-2012, 08:08 PM
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Location: Cicero, Hamilton County, Indiana about 30 miles north of downtown Indianapolis
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OK, had the mechanic drain out the 3 pints of Mercon Dextron which had worked great for exactly one year. At one year on that fluid it all of sudden started jumping out of gear -not a good thing to do on a constant mesh transmission. So I bought 2 quarts of Pennzoil Synchromesh fluid. It does shift so very nice, definetly a big improvement there and now after a good week of running, no more jumping out of gear. I really hope it continues that way, perhaps I will plan to change that fluid on a yearly basis. Very low cost way to keep that transmission happy. Shifting actually has a very "oily" feel to it.
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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!
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  #11  
Old 09-17-2012, 11:21 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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I'll have to try that in my car.
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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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  #12  
Old 09-17-2012, 11:32 PM
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Pancakes has synchromesh in it. I like how it smoothed the shifting.
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  #13  
Old 09-18-2012, 01:40 PM
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Location: Cicero, Hamilton County, Indiana about 30 miles north of downtown Indianapolis
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Hey, ain't that amazing how it lubs even the shifter. Never felt anything shift like that, although my Dad's great 36 Cadillac was very smooth, very smooth but different then the Mercedes shifting.
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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!
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  #14  
Old 10-11-2012, 12:42 PM
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OK, after two weeks of driving with Pennzoil Synchromesh, and it was very smooth and oily, the transmission took a turn for the worse. And where previously the problem was only under a high torque load in 1st gear, suddenly in appeared in 2nd gear also, along with increasingly noisier running, at times sounding almost like rock crusher with loud banging sounds. Occasionally it makes a loud bang, like someone just smacked it with a regular shop hammer-hard. Sunday I took out the Synchromesh oil and replaced it with lowest cost Dextron Mercon. I drive this car almost exactly 50 miles a day. Monday it did seem better, (maybe). Tuesday was worse and I heard that rock crusher noise. Wednesday about the same, though yesterday on the return 12.5 mile trip, it was really noisy. Then this AM I had difficult to get it to move in the garage, but it did on the third try, but shakey! Out of the drive way I shifted to second and it didn't pick up the load, just that grinding noise. Coasted slightly downgrade to the stop sign, planned to turn around and take another car, but at the stop sign it would not move - all gears including reverse are inoperative. The speedometer registers speed, slight gear noise in 3rd and 4th, no sound at all from 1st and 2nd. Oh well, it didn't surprise me to much, I already made an appointment with my Indy for two weeks from today to pull and replace the transmission, along with upper control arms and bushings. I think the gear box is well due for a rebuild. The fellow I bought it from has removed all his posts from the Forum. There should be safeguards that they can do that. Nate had a lot of information on that car which I would love to have saved. Anyway, if I recall he said the car had close to 300,000 miles and of course after he rebuilt the engine, about 8000 miles later it puked the VP into engine and locked it up tight. As I recall he said he was getting on the interstate in Bradenton and had it floored and wound up tight in 2nd gear when the pump exploded and the engine locked up. Well, in a case like that, all the damage that you will get will be done before you even think of getting your foot on the clutch. That is a tremendous load to dump on any drive line and I think it not surprising that it has failed. So I am going to pull it and am hopeful that I can go through it next summer. I am going to get prices from Mercedes on what I think it might need before I do that. The case also has damage in that one of the ears for mounting the exhaust has been knocked off and so I can't get a good hold on the exhaust system. That plate is really the back cover for the transmission and I suspect is quite costly. Well, we will find out. I am not much of a gear head and if any of you experts have an idea of what internal parts this would take, (not counting bearings and seals) please list the part name and if possible the part number. The Haynes Manual has an exploded view of parts on page 140 & 142.
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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!
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  #15  
Old 06-07-2016, 06:18 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Nokesville, Va
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Junqueyardjim - Did you get your trany fixed?

I am in exactly the same situation and cannot find an overhaul kit. Any hints would be appreciated.

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