Does anyone have info on how exactly to do this? A photo, pointing to the area in question, sure would be nice. I had been under the impression a major valve body mod was needed. Perhaps the 722.4 tranny can be easily modified, but the 722.3 cannot, or vice-versa? I'd love to know more about this... drives me batty on my 1986 300E.
:) -dm > ------------------------------ > Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:24:10 EST > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [MBZ] 1st > > >> "In the early '90s Mercedes saw the error of their ways and allowed the >> gas transmissions to start in 1st. Cars built a year or two before 1st gear >> starts became standard COULD be converted (it was NOT a cheap >> conversion - required that the valve body be removed and some pieces >> replaced) but cars with transmissions build before that (about '89 and >> earlier I think) can't be converted (you'd need a completely replace the >> valve body)." > > If I had any personal archives, I could exhume a post I made more than ten > years back on this subject but I don't, so I won't. Paraphrasing, when I was > driving my '89 190E 2.6 and my friend SJB got his new '91 300E with 1st gear > start and I drove it, I was hot to add that feature to my '89. So, after > repeated > talks with one of the two MB reps in my area, one of them called Montvale, in > my presence, and asked what could be done. The answer was that they had > converted several company cars and the fix was to remove the little spring > from > behind the kickdown piston. Soon after, the shop foreman, with me watching, > removed the valve body (a few fasteners), removed one of the cheesehead > screws from the end of it (they are numbered) and out dropped a little piston > followed by the spring in question. Reassemble in reverse order. After a > careful > adjustment of the trans cable (or was it a rod?) I had first gear start. What > a > difference! > > I carried that little spring in a zip-loc bag in the car for a few years > until I traded it of in '95. > > Probably cost about $150 including the fluid change. > > RLE
