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

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enjoy life,take the coal that is handed to you and turn it into diamonds. { PHILLIPIANS 4:13}

B3 bands worn out, or no pressure.

Can we also not make walls of text?

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

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.

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enjoy life,take the coal that is handed to you and turn it into diamonds. { PHILLIPIANS 4:13}

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

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enjoy life,take the coal that is handed to you and turn it into diamonds. { PHILLIPIANS 4:13}

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.

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:



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.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

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

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1996 E320 since 1/16/08, 171K miles as of Feb 2011

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1989 300CE - R.I.P. Dec 29 2007
Other MBs (sold): 1992 300E-24 - 1979 350SLC - 1984 230E - 1990 300CE

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

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1996 E320 since 1/16/08, 171K miles as of Feb 2011

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1989 300CE - R.I.P. Dec 29 2007
Other MBs (sold): 1992 300E-24 - 1979 350SLC - 1984 230E - 1990 300CE

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.

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Democracy dies in darkness, you have to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight

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.

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Fred Hoelzle

I have a similar issue with my car, but I still have reverse, it just takes a about 2-3 seconds to catch and sometimes I need to gas it a bit if I want to get it moving if I'm parked at a declining position. As far as the monetary value of the car, not sure what any book says, but if that car is your only form of transportation that gets you to and from work everyday then I would think it is worth a lot more to you as ine is to me because without it I would be in trouble.

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1990 190E 3.0L

NADA is bloated, it is well-known. In today's economy, private party retail, probably 35-50% NADA tops.