I have a '71 220D and would love to have a 5 speed manual. The 4 is great, but want that 5th gear on the highway. Has anyone done this?

Could be done with either the 717.400 (the 5-speed that was optional in the W123 in the '80s in Europe) or the 5-speed that preceded it (I don't recall the number offhand). Unfortunately, both of those are exceedingly rare and expensive. The 717.411 and 717.412 are 5-speeds that came in the W201 in the US, but those cars had the starter on the left... this and this are two ways that people have gotten around that.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Wow! Thanks for that, looks like I have some reading to do.

Bought a 616 motor from a gentleman doing the 5 spd into a 115 300D. I followed up a couple years later and he was very happy with it. Donor was a late 123 240D w 5spd.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

Oh, that must've been a 717.400... wow...

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

1:1 4th and OD 5th, I think. Don't know if he used the punkin from the 300D or the 240D. I believe the adaptor plate is required from the 123 engine as well.

Curious Colorado, how does the 615 do at altitude?

__________________
CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

i drove a euro version 1985 240td with 5 speed before and it was awesome on the freeway. shift into 5th gear and it was nice and silent at 75-80mph.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Yup, the 717.400 is like a 716 4-speed with an extra gear. I believe it is an 0.84:1 ratio. Interesting note about the adapter.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

She is slow, I know the right lane well. My daily commute has a 2,000 ft elevation change and there comes a point where pushing the pedal more just means more smoke and nothing else. It does great, just slow. Some of the higher mountain passes I have a top speed around 40 - 45 MPH when I am really pushing her.

That is what I would love! The old girl is a bit noisy on the freeway and when coming down the mountain!

This is my first post on any forum and I apologize for its length but I have some experience with this topic that may be useful.

I completed a 5 speed conversion on my 69 220D this past summer. My car has a 74 OM616 and a 717.400 5 speed transmission from a euro W123 300D. The best bet is to get a donor car or pull everything yourself. You need much more than just the transmission.

You will need the engine adapter from an OM616/617 with a Getrag 4 or 5 speed transmission. This adapter has the transmission locating dowel holes for the Getrag and the recess for earlier Mercedes transmissions. Your original adapter will only accommodate the earlier Mercedes transmission.

Your starter will work but the starter bolts used on Getrags are longer.

Your clutch and flywheel will work fine. Be sure to mark the flywheel in relation to the crank when removing it to replace the engine adapter. The flywheel bolts are torque to yield types and can be reused if checked for stretch.

The transmission cross member from your 4 speed will work fine as will the one from an automatic. The W115 has an adjustable transmission mount system and the 5 speed is longer than the 4 speed but shorter than the auto.

The drive shaft front section will need to be shortened by 4". The front shaft from a W123 240D auto is the correct length but the tubing diameter leaves very little clearance in the tunnel near the shifter. I had my 4 speed drive shaft shortened and balanced and I replaced the u joint and center bearing while I was at it.

Mercedes used different tubing diameters for drive shafts and while it may be possible to find smaller diameter tubing on a W123 240d auto but I couldn't find one. My W123 240d 4 speed has the smaller diameter front section but of course it's too long.

The slave cylinder is different but compatible with the clutch master cylinder in the W115. You will need to make a new line between the slave cylinder and the clutch hose bracket on the bell housing bolt. The line that came with the transmission had an integrated line/hose assembly. That may work but I wanted to retain the W115 design.

The shifter from the W123 5 speed bolts in. The foam under the center console will need trimming to accommodate the larger shifter housing. Also, you will need to cut the original reverse light switch wire and splice it to the new connector. I use Mercedes connectors for this since they are so easy to solder and configure. I can easily add a connector to my old reverse switch if I want to go back.

Take the time to clean and rebuild the shifter - it's worth it.

To my surprise the W123 300D 5 speed shift linkage fit the W115 220D without any modification. Only adjustment was necessary.

Equally surprising was the W123 300d 5 speed exhaust bracket which also fit with a slight modification.

The speedometer drive on the 5 speed has a square end and will not work with the W115 cable. I used the cable from the W123 300D and while it's a bit too long it works fine.

Driving the car is much more pleasant. Noise is reduced markedly at speed. Engine noise no longer dominates above 50mph.

My car was originally a 220D automatic. I found a 74 240D factory replacement engine and a 4 speed so I converted it. When I did so I swapped the original 3.92 (220D) rear for a 3.69 (240D) to reduce the revs a bit. The results were good and the new engine is very strong. However when I converted from a 4 speed to a 5 speed I kept the 3.69 and found I was lugging in 5th. I couldn't use 5th in normal traffic on 50mph roads.

I swapped in the 3.92 back in and it made all the difference. I can drop as low as 45mph in 5th and pull out without lugging. At 55mph the engine is turning 2400rpm and delivering peak torque. It climbs hills easily and is quite peppy. On the flats the shift from 4th to 5th is accompanied by a small surge in acceleration not the sag one would expect.

Fuel economy didn't change much. I was averaging 34mpg before and after the swap.

Bear in mind that my car has a very strong engine without AC or power steering. The wheels and spare are aluminum disc types from a W123 240D and the car tips the scales at 2970 lbs with a full tank.

With your OM615 engine and steep hills you might want to consider a 4.08 differential from an early W115 220 gas car. If you have AC and power steering and a tired engine the 5 speed might be too much. In that case keep your 4 speed and try a 3.69 or even a 3.46.

In any case I hope this helps!