Transmission died today

[macatron]

On my way to work this morning, I was driving on the freeway when the transmission in my 280SE totally let go.  The RPM's went up yet the speed went down.  There was no noise, no roughness.  All of a sudden, I just felt power was lacking.

I have to back the story up a bit, though.  When I got in the car this morning, I tried to start and nothing happened.  I knew the battery wasn't dead.  I couldn't hear any clicking of a starter solenoid and had no reason to believe there was any problem with the starter.  What I did figure is that perhaps the gear lever wasn't all the way in park or the sensor didn't think it was.  I shifted from park to neutral and then back again.  She fired right up.  At that point, I had no reason to believe anything more was wrong.  Guess that was a mistake.

I have had a couple issues with the transmission prior to this.  First,  the transmission was slipping slightly when I first got it.  The transmission was low on fluid from a slow leak in the front seal but once the fluid was brought up to normal levels, the problem never happened again (1 year).  Second, when the car is shifting from 2nd to 3rd, there's a pretty good kick, which I believe is the result of a sticking valve(?).  However, when I had my problem this morning, there was definitely no slipping and nothing was behaving out of the ordinary.

Is there a likely culprit (i.e. a linkage) that could cause the car to not fully engage in park and also explain the fact that the engine revs in gear as if in neutral?

I will be having the car towed to my mechanic in a couple of weeks (once funds become available) as tranny repair is out of the current scope of what I can do in the space/time available (right now, I'm relying on the 280 as a daily driver).  I'm sure a rebuild is in order.  Any other ideas?

[John Hubertz]

My sadness is complete.  If you cannot find one locally, let me know and I'll search for one using my car wrecking yard contacts.  Should be able to find a good, newer, correct trans (bolt in) for about $300 in your area. 

Bought 5 since 1999 - two diesels, one gas, one 1975, others all 126s.

I have inventory from 18,000 yards on hand - or look yourself.

I wouldn't dare ask you for a penny - this luck is too bad not to try to share.  What a terrible thing!

[WGB]

I assume the oil level was OK.

Bill

[BAR]

Usually they slip first and not give up all of a sudden.  So you have checked the oil level of course?

I managed to make do with it slipping for a few days before sending it off to be rebuilt.  I dare say you could get the whole lot rebuilt for $1,500 - $2,000 USD.  That would give you a few hundred thousand miles further use.

To do it cheaper, then sure buy a used box, but then you'll never know when it will let you down.

My best advice is get the car down to a mechanic to inspect it first and let the professional give you knowledgeable advice.

[John Hubertz]

Yes.  Linkage is suspect, as are other inexpensive bits, yes?

[macatron]

First and foremost, a very kind "thank you" for your generosity, John.  Please don't be sad, I certainly knew this car would be a project!

The tranny is full of oil.  Fortunately, I do have a great mechanic, whom I trust completly.

The plan is to have it towed up there next week for diagnosis/repair.  If anything else crops up, I'll post.

[TJ 450]

Perhaps there is a problem with the valve body? My Dad's old W123 280 acted as you decribe and it was a valve body malfunction. Perhaps it "just" needs to be flushed with solvent.

Tim

[macatron]

Hmm...  The mechanic called me today after evaluating the tranny and told me that since he had it, it has performed just fine.  Of course, he asked me if I may have accidentally popped the car out of gear and I told him no way that happened.

Since the thing leaks like a sieve anyway, I made the decision to have it totally rebuilt.  $2300.

Although I really feel this guy's more than qualified, it makes me very nervous when something has gone wrong yet no conclusive diagnosis can be made.  Maybe they'll see the route cause when they open it up.

Then again, if they don't fix it and it sits undriveable in my garage, at least it won't leak all over the place...   

[CraigS]

I think you need to check the price with somene like these people. I realise there is labor involved, but wouldn't hurt to check.

http://www.silverstartransmission.com/transmissions.htm

[macatron]

I think you need to check the price with somene like these people. I realise there is labor involved, but wouldn't hurt to check.

http://www.silverstartransmission.com/transmissions.htm

Hey, thanks for the link.  I'll check it out...

[macatron]

Ah well, I decided to proceed with the rebuild.  It is now finished and the difference is indescribable.

Apparently, what caused the original failure was the fluid pump.  It failed and with no fluid, as you can imagine, slipped as though it was out of gear.  Shifts are seemless!

A funny thing came out of all this, though.  My mechanic noticed the throttler linkage bushing on the accellerator pedal was no good as was the pivot.  Long story short, the entire time I've owned the car, I've only ever really been getting half throttle.  If you think a 280SE is slow, just imagine the gas pedal only moving half its normal travel.

Quite a difference...

[Andrew280SEL]

Good to hear it's all good for you now.

As for the throttle...ha, well it doesn't surprise me. I believe amongst the checks everyone does on a W116 when they acquire them, that checking the throttle travel and linkage is a very good idea. It seems most could be slightly out of adjustment.

Just recently I took the time to see how much my throttle plate opened on my 350SE with the pedal flat to the floor, sure enough there was a good quarter of throttle left 

Adjusted it (the linkage) and it made a big difference to general response, not to mention having that extra amount of throttle available for full power.

[Big_Richard]

.