89 300ce.NO REVERSE Gear/but full drive
 

i was in the driveway slipping over some snow,thought i was slipping in reverse over ice,then realized there was no reverse gear at all,i have full drive gears drive shifts great no slipping,but when shifting into reverse thers nothing,i notice if i punch the throttle around 1,500-3,000 rpm the tranny just barely catches and i can hear and feel it trying to move in reverse,other than that i have completley lost reverse,oh and just before this condition happened i started dripping tranny fluid,checked level and it perfect,any one have any ideas,maybe an internal leak,something sticking in the valve body,not building up enough hydraulic pressure to get full reverse/ THIS IS NOT GOOD,I KNOW ITS GONNNA BE AN EXPENSIVE FIX.I WAS TOLD THIS TRANNY IS to old to have any electrical solenoids on it,its fully manual,thanks guys.marc

B3 bands worn out, or no pressure.

Can we also not make walls of text?

Sorry to say - Rebuild for you - :(
The tranny needs to be removed to do the bands or clutches so a full rebuild is warranted. (depending on the value of your car).

naw i doubt it,its a reverse only thing,all forward gears work and shift smooth,i think its more like an internal leak losing fluid and not allowing enough hydraulic pressure to build up and allow it to fullly engage into reverse.

as for the value of the car is somewhere around $10,0000.00 american dollars,so its def worth sinking money into,it only has 65,000 miles on it

There are many threads on this forum regarding the dreaded reverse failure on these transmissions. Do a search.
I've had the same problem as you have now. - I changed to a low K tranny - something I now regret - I should have rebuilt.

mlozzi, recommend you check the book value of a 1989 300CE before sinking big money into repairs. While you may think it's worth $10,000 I seriously doubt that any buyer will pay anywhere close to that price.

two years ago i paid 7k for one with 82k miles on it.... facelifted, lowered, near mint.

i don't think i overpaid or underpaid.

seven years ago i paid 4600 for one with 124k on it. Didn't think i underpaid or overpaid

for your information i didnt say i was selling the car,im just quoting what the nada classic car value says,so yes its worth sinking money into,your comment was childish and not warrranted.

Its not worth 10k, but that doesn't mean the car is not worth keeping as long as everything else is in pretty good working condition.

Your issue requires complete transmission removal. Unfortunately no way around it.
Read here on what you need:
http://www.w124-zone.com/articles.php?article_id=21

You'll find the front pump has considerable pressure loss, or the b3 disks are worn like so:

http://www.w124-zone.com/downloads/p...ny/inside9.jpg

I personally only had the 1st and the rest were like brand new, but its all dependent on fluid change history and driving habits. This was at 100k miles.

Last year I bought a 1990 300CE with 160K miles but no major issues for $1.7K, invested $2K in overhaul

http://s787.photobucket.com/albums/yy159/petrusky70/Mercedes/300CE_white/

- Tires replaced
- Fuel system cleaned
- Brake fluid bled
- Coolant system overhauled
- Coolant flushed
- Intake manifold cleaned
- Throttle body cleaned
- Power steering fluid flushed
- Spark plugs, spark plug cables replaced
- Distributor cap & distributor rotor replaced
- Air filter, air intake temperature sensor replaced
- O2 sensor replaced
- EHA replaced
- Catalyst replaced
- New protective panel under the engine bay installed.


Then I could not keep it as second car. After 4 months I sold it for $2.7K, lost $1K.

Congrats to your Nada estimate of $10K

More details of the 1990 300CE Ad: "The paint is shiny and very good except for a light scratch over left rear wheel and a small dent, as small as a finger, above the left taillight and of course some inevitable peppercorn-size chips. The interior is excellent, all leather seats have no tears or holes or taints, only a surface abrasion caused by the seat belts at the side of the seats, less visible at passenger side than driver side. The back area with seats and side panels look pretty much like the day it left the factory, because there has been next to no occupation. The dashboard is impeccable with no crack despite its 20 years. There is a nice collapsible cup holder, which can be unfolded singly for one or two cups.
The car has power steering, power brake, power windows, power seats, power sunroof etc. All electric features function fine, from the windows to seat belt presenters to sunroof and seats. AC is cold. The only non-functioning things known to me are the outside temperature sensor and middle vents. "


I would buy it back for $2.7 K :D

Hey Marc, I know it's not what you want to hear but I had my indy rebuild the tranny in mine just after I bought it. It was $1800 Cdn, about 1/3 of the cost that a transmission shop wanted. The car is worth it, it's just going to take awhile for the appreciation curve to start rising.

Marc, sorry if I offended you. I realized that you weren't selling your 300CE. I was simply providing a reality check. It won't happen again because I won't bother responding to any future posts of yours.

Reality check equals waking up from a sweet dream :D