Hello all,

My son's 1989 190E 2.6 (176,0000 miles) would not go into reverse without an blip on the accelerator...All forward gears seem fine with no flaring between shifts. I checked the fluid and it's gray in color. It doesn't smell burnt.

Should I bother changing the fluid and filter to see if this helps or do I already have the "KISS OF DEATH"?

Any thoughts would be appreciated...Thanks

The Tenor Man

__________________
Currently Driving.....
1987 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo - Daily Driver.
2004 Buick Rendezvous...Smaller than it looks!
2005 Mitsubishi Galant - Not bad for a tin box...Lousey Seats
Past Vehicles.....
1994 Dodge B-250 Van- GAS HOG..Succumbed to rust!
1989 Mercedes Benz 260E - Totaled but no one injured.
1977 Mercedes Benz 240D - Loved it, but SLOWWW! - Succumbed to RUST!
1976 Mercedes Benz 240D - Same as above! -
1975 Mercedes Benz 240D - Same as above!

This sounds very familiar. Our 1989 190e 2.6 had about 220,000 miles on it when the transmission started slipping in reverse. The fluid was not really grey. It was still pinkish, but definitely had some pigment in it that took away the bright clear red.

It turned out to be the powdered remains of a spring holder. When it lets go, the reverse clutches are always slightly engaged, and so, obviously, wear out quickly and cause the problem of loss of reverse gear.

I did the rebuild myself. There are several recent threads with the necessary information. Manuals are available for the downloading. If your problem is the same as ours, you will need a gasket and seal kit, the reverse clutches, and the broken bits that you find inside. The rest of our transmission was still like new. I could still read the letters printed on the wear surface of the bands.

So, not the kiss of death. Only the kiss of surgery.

Andrew
1989 190e 2.6

Thanks for your reply.

We 're going to take a good look at the rest of the car to really see if it's worth the effort. The body is in such great shape and it's such a great driver, it would be a shame to throw it in the boneyard.

I'm shopping for the parts and have already downloaded the necessary manuals. I went on to www.car-parts.com to see if there is a good used one available close to where I live.

I'll reply to the post with my final decision. This could be a chance to do a great pictorial guide for all of the folks here at the forum...I would need to take the photos anyway in order to get in back together!

Thanks,
The Tenor Man

__________________
Currently Driving.....
1987 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo - Daily Driver.
2004 Buick Rendezvous...Smaller than it looks!
2005 Mitsubishi Galant - Not bad for a tin box...Lousey Seats
Past Vehicles.....
1994 Dodge B-250 Van- GAS HOG..Succumbed to rust!
1989 Mercedes Benz 260E - Totaled but no one injured.
1977 Mercedes Benz 240D - Loved it, but SLOWWW! - Succumbed to RUST!
1976 Mercedes Benz 240D - Same as above! -
1975 Mercedes Benz 240D - Same as above!

the gray colour will be powdered aluminum.probably the reverse piston rubbing against the front clutch drum.

__________________
David S Poole
European Performance
Dallas, TX
4696880422

"Fortune favors the prepared mind"
1987 Mercedes Benz 420SEL
1988 Mercedes Benz 300TE (With new evaporator)
2000 Mercedes Benz C280
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