I have a bunch of questions!
The first gear start: how do you close the tranny switch and what is the downsite if any?
Where is the oil filter in 1990 model?
Does downshifting from "D" to "3" just to acelerate hirts the transmision?

Hmmm...allot of questions for a non-member. j/k

I will defer to the technical expertise of Benzmac or the DOC on the 1st gear start issue.

Moving the shifter from D to 3 locks out 4th gear. Moving it into 2 locks it into 2nd gear and also engages the "sport mode" in shift pattern between 1st and second gears.

It is perfectly safe to manually downshift the car from D to 3 or even 2 given you are going the correct speed for that gear. There are little dots on the speedometer that match up to the gear ratio. Any speed below the dot and you can safely downshift to that gear. If there are .. (two dots) at about 70mph, you can put it in 2 up to 70mph. If there are ... (3 dots) at 110mph, then you can downshift into 3 at any speed below 110mph.

I hope this helps...Lee

[This message has been edited by Lee Scheeler (edited 05-11-99).]

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMm

On my 86 190D, and my 98300E, both manuals say NOT to downshift at any time!?.

Upshifting is okay, but not to use the tranny for engine braking, etc..

I will read my manual again

I read it again, and it says it is safe to use the tranny to upshift only. I do remember this with my last one also, where they do not want you to use the tranny for downshifting.

any one else read this in there manuals?

I notice those dots on the speedometer and
I was told by my mechanic try not to down
shift on an auto car. BTW, I also notice
there were some yellow lines between 50-60
KM/H on the speedometer, what is that mean ?
optimun speed ?

*shrugs* I have always shifted MB manually. I don't use it for engine braking, but if I'm coming into a corner and want to "scoot" out of it I will shift coming into it so I have the gear I want coming out of the corner and can roll onto the throttle smoothly. The timing and delay on the pedal kickdown is annoying, unpredictable, and does not give you the control of the car you might want. Example: kickdown the car but lift a little....the tranny thinks that is a great time to upshift on you. Besides anyone who has kicked-down a 500E knows the enormous thrust you get in a big lump sum. If your cornering hard that kind of change in torque to the rear wheels will want to upset the chassis. Besides I would think rubber-banding the tranny with upshift-downshift back and forth is harder on it than pausing briefly in a lower gear then proceeding on the throttle. I never have tried to stick it in 1st gear at 100mph but that is stupid no matter what kind of tranny your driving.

You don't have direct control of when the tranny upshifts. Put it in 1, floor it off the line, then part way up the tach bump it into 2 but hold the pedal. The car will run up to redline ignoring your "upshift" command. Just the same...cruise in 2nd at low rpm then floor it. Likely the tranny will kickdown to first. If you put it in 1 and cruise slowly up to high rpms in 1st then tap it to 2 while still crusing with little or no throttle then it will upshift. Most everyone I know who drives a benz uses the shifter at some time. Especially with that dunce of an automatic in the older cars. The electro 5speed you really dont need the shifter but I would HATE losing it in the W124's. The "autostick" in the W220's is even more fun. Coming into a corner and want to power out? tap, tap, tap and the car drops 3 gears in a "vroom, vroom, vroom" fashion. You can cause it to upshift in the W220 the same way but pedal application and whatnot have to be in agreement. Until I hear from several professionals that kicking down the tranny with the pedal is alright but don't downshift with a shifter that the factory put there I will continue shifting myself. As I said, I dont' use it for engine braking. I use it to hold a gear around a corner or to get a downshift without an epic lunge/thrust out of the engine.

Benzmac? MB DOC? What is the story here? Can you "safely" downshift your car with the provided shifter? Or is the shift gate there just to help owners destroy their transmissions?

Lee

Down shifting your auto trans shouldn't hurt anything as long as the engine doesn't over rev!! Cars with the new electronic 5sp auto won't let you hurt much of anything.

Hi lee..
do you know any information about 300CE-24??
is it different with 300CE?
I only noticed the number 24 that makes the different..
nothing else..
But I saw that car outside U.S.


------------------
Donny
97 E420

Donny,
The 300CE and 300CE-24 are the same chassis, different engine. Starting in the 90 model year the CE got the "24" treatment. Using the same trick of the 190's 2.3-8 to 2.3-16 Mercedes put the 4-valve DOHC cylynder head on the 3.0 liter inline 6 of the garden variety 300E. (hence the 24 for 24 valves) Horsepower jumped from 177 to 217. Torque 188lb-ft to 195 lb-ft. It made its power at slightly higher rpms than the standard M103. The rest of the car was pretty much the same. In 93 the 300CE got the new 3.2 liter DOHC I6 with 217HP and 230lb-ft.

Hope this helps...Lee

Did not mean to spark a debate like that!
(by the way i'm a member now)
the reason i asked about keeping it in 3rd is that it makes the car respond so much better. But anything that fiils good is usaly bad for the car, so i thought may be i'm ruining the tranny. Thanks for the info.
But what about that 1st gear switch? How do you close it, and does doing that hirts the car?

Lee, the changes in the 300CE-24 also included the larger brakes...4 piston calipers in the front. I had one and it DID stop. Redline was 7K and I had it there many times. The only drawback was the slushbox behind it....and second gear starts! I now have another one, a 1988 and I'm thinking of converting it to a 5 speed!

Tobias MB
300SE
300CE
190/5.0

Tobias,
Another option to consider is to put the tranny from a W124 V8 in the car. It has defined gates to access any of the 4 gears with the manual shifter that we have established IS safe to use. Its torque handling ability is more than the 3.0-24 could ever do. Something to think about if you plan to turbocharge in the future. The 5-speed manual would let you get the most from the 7000rpm engine and probably be more "fun".

Either way...Enjoy...Lee

I have a '90 300CE with the 24-valve motor. I re-badged it with the German emblem to 300CE24. The emblem is available from any dealer, but they need to look up the part # and order it for you.

As far as the tranny shifting, here's a trick:
To start off the line in first, but NOT worry about upshifts, at a stop drop the tranny into 2nd, then back up to Drive. When you take off the car will start in 1st, then climb through the gears. This only is effective if you plan on keeping the gas virtually floored, as the tranny will upshift at the first sign of backing off more than about 1/8th travel.

As far as downshifting, I do it all the time, as noted above, to position the RPM level prior to coming out of a corner. You can learn to match the RPM level of the anticipated downshift with a little work. As a little insurance, I changed my transmission fluid with Redline ATF and a new MB filter.

A question: I accidentally put the gearshift into neutral at speed twice. It is scary because if you shift back into drive, the tranny obviously starts in a low gear and runs through the gears until it matches where you SHOULD be. Is this awful for the tranny?