My 85 300D developed a severe shifting problem seeming to be linkage. Sure enough, the lower bushings were absent, and as per another post, i used short pieces of 5/16" fuel line which while not perfect, took up most of the play.

Made no difference.

Up til a few days ago, reverse was where park should be.

It will not go into the park position while engine is running, but will do so when shut off. But it is not really in park, as it won't start there, only when i put it in neutral which is where reverse should be.

Even in Drive, it seems to need quite a bit of throttle to really get going.
When actually driving, the gears seem to change more or less normally, and not slip.

Baffled! Is the transmission shot?

Did you check/change the upper bushings as well?

__________________
'85 300D - federal spec, built in late 84. 85 300D Complete AC System Rebuild

No. Could they make that much difference?

Yes. I had similar symptoms caused by one of the upper bushings (in the shifter itself) working it's way out of place. Its been a while, but I think the bushing had actually worn through and the flange split.

__________________
'85 300D - federal spec, built in late 84. 85 300D Complete AC System Rebuild

Was almost ready for the sledgehammer cure, but i will try that tomorrow. I actually have the right bushings for the shifter, as i had mistakenly ordered them thinking they were the bottom ones. (which is why i used the fuel hose segments for the bottom bushings)

Still wondering why it will go into the "park" position when not running, but won't when it is running.

That is strange for sure.

__________________
'85 300D - federal spec, built in late 84. 85 300D Complete AC System Rebuild

If it is in fact a bushings issue and you're going the DIY route, this tech article from our site should hopefully make your life a bit easier. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Pelican Technical Article - Mercedes-Benz W123 - Shifter Bushing Replacement


-Dmitry

There is a safety related blocking device that will stop you from selecting reverse when the transmission "senses" a road speed above about 10 kph (don't quote me on this figure I can't remember it exactly)

If you selector is all messed up then it might "think" you are trying to do something daft.

I would expect though you to be having NSS (neutral safety switch) related problems when you try and start the engine. It is quite easy to by-pass the NSS switch though. An easy check for this is to select a gear (say D 1 or 2) and then see if the engine starts...

...if the NSS seems to be working correctly and the shifter bushings are OK then I would expect you to have a transmission related problem that will most likely be something as simple as muck in the valve body - to a busted governor (expect other shifting trouble though) - back to incorrect fluid level.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Replaced the shift lever bushings. the old ones were completely missing.

The gears shift normally now, tho it is a bit stiff going into reverse.

Thanks for all the help!

Great result. You didn't relate how fun it was replacing those bushings in the grub zone with room for only one hand. It sure helps to clean the area well first. Some later M-B cars were even tighter, as a youtube video shows M-S having to drop the engine down to get room. For those who buy the special bushing pliers, I needed to add a big washer to the pusher jaw so the nylon bushing didn't try to splay out around the jaw and refuse to go into the hole. Some people resort to slitting the bushing and rolling it into the hole.

__________________
1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans