Gasdrinker

my car just passed the 222222 km mark and the tranny is still like brand new. I really need to stop the pre loading the suspension when I race bmw 325is/330i's though.. It is probably really bad for it.

shdoug

How does it do against the 330i? I bet that's a really close race!

ptoro01

low fluid will also cause issues like that, check it when its warm and idling in P, if fluids get low, more wear will occur when its cold.

Kestas

I'm pretty sure city vs highway driving has a lot (if not everything) to do with the life of a transmission. After all, transmissions have a finite number of shifts, then the clutches need to be replaced. Barring seal problems, bad oil leaks, and worn out gears (which I rarely hear of), the life of a transmission depends on the clutches.

I'm guessing that driving mostly highway miles, a transmission can last 2-3 times longer than a city-driven vehicle. Hence, the wide variation in experience people have with their transmissions.

tokleman yanass

hmmmm...my cars in Sydney now but it came from Hong Kong, owned by a heart surgeon, very low miles, odo in miles not kms (british hong kong in those days), and yeah the gearbox is touchy, learn something every day...

ik04

How about setting the modulator up a few turns to quicken the shift? As long as all the shifts aren't too fast, what could it hurt?

Mine takes one to two seconds to completely shift and I am happy with it since everything else about the transmission works perfectly...

Kevin

jeffreyli86

From Hong Kong eh?
Nice...
I'm a Hongkie!!

bicylindrico

The trans modulator only controls shift pressure or fimness. The cable controls timing. The vacuum modulator can be turned clockwise to increase the working pressure and cover up some signs of trans wear and seal leakage. Keep in mind this adjustment is across the board and will effect all aspects of the transmission's functions. Meaning hard engagement and hard shifts. Do not give it several turns! One complete turn makes a substantial difference.

ksing44

It will only last forever if you pay lots of money to fix things or learn to be a very good mechanic. Start practicing and buying tools, or start saving your money.

Actually, I think a Taurus would last just as long, if it were cared for the way some guys take care of their Benz cars.

If you are really looking for low cost of ownership, I think the Hondas and Toyotas may have lower maintenance costs. I don’t think they are as much fun to own, in terms of pride of ownership and being fun to drive, but I have found that you can learn to love any car that gets you where you want to go.

tokleman yanass

actually, having spent 15 years running and maintaining old harleys i find the comparative cost of parts and maintenance for the merc laughably cheap. I did everything myself on the bikes because theres no alternative but with the merc I'm happy to leave a lot of the complex stuff to a good mechanic - I've got some guys who really know their stuff, and I still cackle all the way to the bank when I get the bill.

alguerin

I JUST went through this two weeks ago. I had the delay going into Reverse, which I nursed along for 3 years. Then three weeks ago the Reverse stopped. Period. No more.

I paid (sit down) $2200. A nightmare...but I have a great mechanic I trust implicitly.

But I still start mumbling to myself when I think about it.

In fact, I'm mumbling right now.

shdoug

Other than reverse, how was forward? For $2200 I would start parking on a hill and walking the extra distance!

fritza2tt

Hate to tell the doom sayers that my '87 300D Turbo, 164,000 mile auto transmission works like new again! My MECH went to work and changed all vacuum lines, the modulator, a couple of other items and that did it. Nothing wrong with the transmission or the flex disks. (I had the rear fl. disks changed, they were cracked, but it made no difference.) What it boils down to is vacuum, you have got to have enough or the transmission will not shift right.

W124_2.8

we had a 87 190e and the transmission blew before it hit 100k, our 300se had its transmission replaced by the previous owner....

my 300e.... i experienced the ever so dreadful delayed shift, realized it was leaking fluid, I keep adding every so often, checking levels and what not. Cant afford to replace the transmission.

but honestly, as long as i add atf about once a month, the transmission always feels like new and never delays...

hopefully i wont suffer the damages i hear in this thread any time soon, considering im not really fixing anything, just aiding it in a way, but its been over a year since i noticed the leak, and i just keep praying it will hang in there

smithcb2

I noticed I can get some lag when putting mine into reverse, but only when the weather is colder. On these 100 degree days, I have no issues, ever. If its cold outside, I put it into neutral and rev it up a little, let the revs drop, and then put it into reverse.. seems to prevent any lag.

242k miles, no transmission work done yet. Car has been autocrossed quite a bit, and to a drag strip once..

ksing44

One thing I do, hoping to increase the life of the transmission, is to wait until the car is absolutely stopped before shifting from reverse to drive or drive to reverse. In addition, I always set the parking break before taking my foot off of the break and letting the car settle with the transmission in park.

Right now I have my vacuum modulator turned in just less than one turn. That seemed to eliminate the shift flare from 3rd to 4th gear. I have been thinking about backing off about a half turn to soften the shift, however, because I worry that it may be just a little too firm. It is a balancing act trying to keep it from slipping/flaring and not making it so firm that it breaks a band or piston.

Octopie99

I also had the lag... I changed the fluid and it is noticeably better. This is my first Benz, so maybe this is normal but it shifts REALLY hard into 1st. The other's seem fine, but first practically throws you. My Bf said that it just means it is really tight but it just doesn't feel right... Am I crazy?

It also makes that clunking noise discussed earlier... perhaps I should check the flex discs...

This thread made me sad thinking of all the random little noises my baby makes and that I soon could be rebuilding a transmission

fritza2tt

Octopie99 - The hard shifting was in my 1987 E300D Turbo and it's been a while since I had posted the message. In the meantime I resolved the issue with the hard shifting. It was lack of vacuum, i.e. too many vacuum leaks. We replaced the bad hoses and the controller too. The last leak I found myself, it was in the EGR valve. Now the car shifts 'like new'. Since I fixed the EGR valve I even get better mileage. So, before you go tearing into your transmission you want to make sure it is not a vacuum problem.

pbuchmueller64

95 E320 "D" (during stop on the light) I have to hold a car with a brake on the hill - otherwise it rolling back, ...
It is strange for me, because I had several 124 before, they are locked in the hill, ...please help me somebody, it is a new transmission (772.2 ) common problem, or it is wrong???