Did MB ever make a 5 speed manual?

Quick question. Did MB ever make a 5 speed manual for the old model benzes? Are there any known 5 speed boxes that would fit on the engine my car has, not esentialy made by MBZ.

[ctaylor738]

Yes. There is a very rare 5-speed option made by ZF for Mercedes that will fit your car. Extermely expensive, though.

I have not heard of any conversions that use newer transmissions for Mercedes. They make them for Jaguar XKE's so you might want to poke around sites like Terry's Jags.

[300SDog]

The only vintage 5-spd I've ever seen came with 113 Euro models. Am assuming that Oztralia has nothing but Euro spec cars.... also that MB trannies are interchangeable for any 7-12 year time frame - so you might get lucky on junkyard circuit and make the conversion, depending on how many 5-spds found their way down under to Oz.

[kerry]

I've got a 5 speed hooked up to the 617 in my 409d van. It was standard practice to put the 5 speeds with the 616 and 617 engines in all the 207's--409's. I have no idea if that five speed would fit in a car or if anyone would want it in a car.

So basicly there are no trannies from other car manufactures that'll mount onto a MBZ engine?

[Mark DiSilvestro]

In the 1970s, Mercedes introduced their own 5 speed manual to supercede the ZF gearbox. It was relatively common in Europe, especially after the 1973 oil crunch and may have been availible in Austrailia but was not offered in the US.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[guydewdney]

i have a 5 speed on a M110


but im in the uK and postage might be a bit much

Guy

[73MB280SEL]

Manya's question has piqued my curiosity. How 'bout other manufacturers? Does the ZF (which might be rare on MB models but common on BMW models for instance) have a compatible bellhousing bolt pattern to MB?

Sholin

The ZF's that BMW have used recently are pretty far removed from the particular ZF in question. BMW used Getrag 4 and 5 speeds for years and the Getrag 265 5 speed by virtue of its mechanical speedo drive (at least early versions of it) would be a good candidate for a conversion. The early ZF 5 speeds really were an exotic transmission as evidenced by their use in the Astons and Ferraris of the time. 5 to 10 thousand is not an unusual price for this transmission depending on condition. The Getrag 265 is well built and for most applications should be more than strong enough. Getrag also made a close ratio 5 speed,the 262 with a 1:1 5 gear but these are weaker,harder to come by, and more expensive to repair.

I don't know if this is of any help/interest, but starting in 1982 you could order 5 speed stick shifts in the w123 series. This transmission came from Gertrag. I had it in my 1982 300 Diesel. It was a little bit "noisy" in the beginning but the repaired it under quarantee. After that it was quite.
It was great and gave me an incredible gas milage.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

I find that very interesting. Did you buy that 300D overseas? I was under the impression that the only manual shift availible in the US market W123 cars was the 4 speed in the 240D and that all US market W123 300Ds were automatic only. I've seen a few W123s with 5 speeds on Ebay but they were grey-market cars.

Happy Motoring, Mark

I used to own this 300D with the 5 gear stick in Germany. My dad bought it new in 1982 in Germany and "down handed" it to me 6 years later. So it was a German model not meant to be exported. When I left Germany in 1994, I left the car behind.... big big mistake !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Not until they introduced the new 190E and 300E to compete better with BMW in the early '80s, did Mercedes again offer 5 speed manuals in the US, and even those aren't that easy to find.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[nachi11744]

Hello,
AFAIK, with the exception of the ZF S5 that Mercedes used in the late sixties and early seventies, all other MB 5 speeders were of their own manufacture. It was also supplied with a 1:1 or 0.81:1 fifthgear to DB, so buying one will not guarantee an overdrive fifth. I do not think there were ANY Getrags used in the Benzes. The ZF S5 was and is a very specialist piece of kit, used in race and rally cars of the time, as an option in the Opel Manta A series, the size of the box required a special stabiliser bar with a double bend to clear the bottom of the box. It has an annoying layshaft rattle at idle when hot, giving rise to the nickname *coffeegrinder*. As already pointed out, used in Astons, Ferraris, Maseratis, DeTomaso Panteras and Bedford CF vans !!!
Early *big 6* BMWs(2.5,2.8 and the Three litre S, Si) all used a ZF S4 four speed, then changed over to the Getrag 262 4 speed. Eighties BMWs used Getrag 265 5 speed for the *big 6* and Getrag 260 5 speed for the *small 6*, but there are exceptions, like the M635Csi stuck with the presumably stronger 265, but with an offset first gear shift pattern and direct top gear.
You should look for the G76/26(?) 5 speed used behind the M110 engine in W123 and W126 chassis after 1981, it was a common combination worldwide, excepting the US.

If I remember correctly, they only installed Gertrag 5 speed transmissions for 2 years in the W123 from 1982 (or end 1981) to 1984 when the W124 was introduced. The W124 uses a 5 speed that was an "in house" construction. The shift pattern is different between this two manual transmissions (regarding to the position of the "rear gear" to back up)