560SL Trans would not shift, suddenly OK ??

[Roncallo]

This last weekend I did a 30K service on my 1988 560SL. Sunday I changed the trans fluid and filter and road tested the car everything was fine. Monday I completed the service including removing and lubricating the throttle linkages and I did not road test the car. Tuesday morning today I went to drive the car to work and it would not shift out of second. I could manualy shift between D and 1st (B) and it would go down to first gear but in 3 or 4th (D) it would never upshift past 2nd gear.

When I got home I had assumed that it must have been something with the throttle linkages so I checked them found nothing wrong, put the air cleaner back on, went for a test drive and everything worked beautiful. WTF?????

The only thing I had been concernad about up untill now with the transmission was that it did not kick down with full pedal application about 10 or 20% of the time, and I meant to start trouble shooting that shortly. But this evening everything including kick down worked perfectly 100% of the time.

WTF over

John Roncallo

[Strife]

This has just got to be a case of fluid level (which is really touchy). Certainly, you retightened the filter. Did you move the prindle (I love that) back and forth while filling it up? Was the car on a REALLY level surface when you filled it?

Especially if you drained the converter it might take a bit for everything to get redistributed through the transmission.

I've had all of the above stupid things go wrong (but not on this car, yet).

[Roncallo]

The fluid level is perfect, checked in a level garage, slightly below the low level when cold and 3/4 up between the two marks hot. I always move the PRNDL when filling, a few times after the first 4 qts again after the about 2 more and again when full.

But on our cars we really dont have PRNDL. I guess that was from the TV series Grean Acers where the lady was learning to drive in something with a two spead Powerglide. We have a much more sophisticated PRND321B.

Did I tighten the filter???? I hope so.

John Roncallo