Well I finally got around to changing the oil and filter in my 83 300TD. (I blew the self leveling suspension hose and it took a while to get that issue taken care of so the wagon has not been on the road since I last reported trans trouble)

The issue I had before is that the transmission would operate fine at the start of the trip, but would begin to slip after I took my foot off the accelerator to stop for a stop sign or moose. The fluid did not smell too bad from the dipstick.

The question at hand. The trans fluid smelled bad when I drained it out (I think I just couldn't smell it before) and it was pretty dark colored. Then I opened the filter and found a bunch of crap in there. Its not metallic, but it does seem flaky like rust or mica flakes.

Any idea what the crud could be?
Should I do another fluid change with Trans-X?
Should I do a full flush?

Thanks in advance,

Chuck

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

????????

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

That looks like clutch band material. You should start budgeting for an new tranny.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Almost definately clutch band that has been burning away. The reason you have had trouble getting it to engage is most likely that stuff is plugging the valves and interal lines and the pump. Trans oil pressure is lost and it starts to act up with the shifts.
Some have been able to extend the inevitable failure by having the trans flushed, or there are some products that can help. But like R Leo said, time to start budgeting for a new tranny.

I have the exact same situation on my 1982 300TDT wagon. Does anyone know if a rebuilt transmission from a 1985 300SD will work. I understand that there were some modifications on the 1985 so that they shift better from than the earlier version. I know where I can get one cheap. What do the rebuilders usually replace besides the clutches and seals-new pump, modulator etc? Should I replace the torque converter considering all the debris in the tranny.

Can't answer the rebuilder question but, I can tell you that the tranny from an SD does not have a speedo drive cable and there's a high likelyhood that the neutral/park safety switch will be different between the two models/years.

Other than that, it will 'work'...

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Thanks, Leo -great info. I could always get a new/used switch and speedo ? from a 1985. Probably worth it to have the updated tranny and get rid of the 85 MPH speedo I have now. Do the electronic speedos work well-probably not as jerky as the manual ones I assume?

If the switches are different, you'll have to do some cut-n-splice on the wires to adapt the appropriate assy to the wiring harness under the car.

Adapting the electric speedo to a 123 will take some serious head scratching since none of the wiring needed for that device even exists on the 123 chassis. I don't know if the 126's speedo head will fit into the 123 cluster either. If it were me, I'd hold out for a good 123 tranny, then, the only thing to worry about is the park/neutral safety wiring which is NBD if you make sure and get the connector that fits the replacement tranny.

I know without a doubt that there are some differences in the park/neutral safety switches between the various 722 trannies because we came across it last year when swapping the tranny on Passion Flower (ThingOne's 85 300TD). Supposedly, he was sold an '85 300D tranny but the switches were different between the two. That damned car has been driven completely across the US and is in Skagway right now with the neutral switch duct-taped so that you can start the engine and the whole mess is tie-wrapped to one of the fuel lines underneath the car. Jeeze.

OTOH, if you can get the SD tranny über cheap or free, maybe you could stab it in and use it while having the original one rebuilt?

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

How long does it take to replace a tran and torque converter in a 83 300td? Looking it over it doesn't seem too difficult, but my only experience is with a manual in a Jeep Cherokee...

__________________
1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

Hehe, trick question, right?

Seriously, if you have all the tools you need, have some guidance from this forum and a good place to work you should be able to have that auto out on the floor in 90 minutes. Stabbing it back in there may take a little longer because it's fiddely to get that sort of stuff back together sometimes.

You definitely need a purpose-built transmission jack with a flat surface (goes under the pan) and some chain and long bolts to secure the tranny to the jack. I rent it when I need one.

The other trick is that the bolts at the top of the bellhousing are accessed from behind the engine and below the vehicle. There is simply not enough room between the firewall and the back of the engine to accomodate a ratchet.

To get to them, remove the rear motor mount and allow the back of the engine/tranny to drop down. Have a couple of long (24") enxtensions and wobble joint ready. You can get under the car and snake the extensions up across the top of the tranny and access the 2-3 really hard to reach bolts. With long enough enxtensions, your ratchet will be back by the tailpiece.

One more thing...
I just remembered that the tranny oil cooler fittings were a different diameter between the original transmission and the one that we replaced. I think TO cut the flexible part of the lines and spliced it to make the transition.

There might be some useful info here: Transmission removal

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I guess it is more than I would want to take on at this time. I thought I would be able to get all the needed parts off a junk 1985 w123 but apparently there are too many variations for this to be practical. I'll probably just get mine rebuilt. Any leads on a good rebuilder would be appreciated.

Thanks Leo...with a few new tools and some tips I'm not too worried about diving into the job. As far as a 90 minute removal, I think I'll plan a half day to be safe.

The toughest part of the job is breaking the news to my wife that the new car I just bought this spring needs a new tranny. The good news is that she really likes the wagon so after I'm done, I'm sure I'll never get to drive it again!

__________________
1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

I did some checking and apparently the 1982 300TDT was the only model year with an electronic speedo. I still don't know if an updated 1985 tranny from a 300SD will work without modification however, but the speedo shouldn't be an issue. I may be able to get a rebuilt one (new seals and clutches) for my car for $500 plus $100 shipping and they will throw in a used torque converter. However, I'll probably have mine done locally if not too much more. There are some good shops here but the labor rates are pretty high.

Sun Valley MB at 1-818-768-0704, svmbz@alo.com has complete rebuilt and tested 450 transmissions and torque converters for $1050 plus about $50 shipping. I think the price for a 300d trans. wouldn't be much different.

I got a rebuilt trans. for my 115/300d from another company (I can't remember their name) for $1050 but the converter was $200 extra. All the tramsmission co.s I checked into locally wanted 'big bucks' for a MB trans. althought they said that they would install an owner supplied one for $275 to $325.

It took me about 4 hrs. on a gravel driveway with a 50 year old floor jack and a couple of sheets of plywood for a floor to change mine out. You have to remove the driveshaft which takes a bit of time. Leo is right about the 24" extension to get the top bolts. You also need the same rig to install the top bolt in the starter. I think the Allen socket is 10mm.

Before you start remember that there is a drain bolt in the bottom of the converter which helps cut down the mess a bit. The converter has to be slid back on the trans. output shaft before you stab the trans. in place. Once the trans is in and bolts in place then slide the converter forward to bolt it up to the flywheel. You access these bolts through a small hole in the front of the bell housing.

Good luck.

R Leo is SO right about the ratchet extensions. I did exactly the same thing, and don't know how else it could be done. Make sure you understand how that electrical connector unlatches before you muscle it. Almost broke mine the first time cause I was rushing it. Give a good soaking to a few key components with penetrant before you start (nut on driveshaft spline at center bearing) and degrease the heck out of the whole shooting match, you'll be glad you did