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1982 MB SL380 Transmission slip

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TimK

TimK

Jedi Knight
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A friend recently bought a 1982 SL380 with relatively low mileage. The auto trans. slips just before going into high gear. An ideas what the cause may be?
 
Yep - time for a new transmission....my 1982 380SL was doing that - slipping just before it went into forward & then hesitating between gears (or rather a hard shift)...it was also leaking fluid....got so bad that upon starting the car, I had to pull it down into a lower gear & then bacdk up into drive to get power to wheels.

Factory rebuilt trans is the solution....
 
Or a rebuilt from an old timer MB independent. Those trans were actually very easy to rebuild. Anyone who has done 5 or 6 has learned any possible quirks that need to watched out for.

Or a shop that does do MB tranny's
 
Tony's symptoms are much more extreme than my friend's. He doesn't drive it much. Maybe he should just take it to a MB expert shop to get it checked out.
Thanks for the responses.
 
TimK said:
Tony's symptoms are much more extreme than my friend's. He doesn't drive it much. Maybe he should just take it to a MB expert shop to get it checked out.
Thanks for the responses.
Click to expand...
His were how mine started....I just kept working with it - don't drive it much either...finally gave in & did the trans.
 
Has he done a fluid and filter change yet. or even had a flush done. sometimes that can make a big difference, and it's cheap enough to try first. Then if evidence in the pan shows further problems, go from there.
 
Yep - gotta do that....have it done with the machine that pumps everything out while pumping new in to ensure there's no old fluid left in the torque converter...& expect the slippage to get worse if the transmission has not been serviced regularily.

I bought my '82 380SL from its original owner, a doctor who sold it to me because he was only driving it 800 miles a year.....that was my transmission problem! But, several thousand dollars later, I'm in good shape.

Except my AC went out Sunday...think its a fuse but haven't had a chance to check yet.
 
No need. The MB has a drain plug on the convertor. You can drain the fluid out. Replace the filter, drop the pan and that will tell you if the frictions are inordinately worn, by the amount of material in the pan, and if there is any metal then it is definitely time for a reman or overhaul.
 
Otherwise what works well from my experience. I have never used it on a MB but a 7 series BMW and my Explorer Is the lucas no-slip. I ended up having to use two quarts in my explorer, but since it has really cut down on the slipping. The BMW tranny slipped when going into OD. The no slip stuff helped it shift, smoothed it out a little. I DD the car for a couple of years, sold it and still see it around.
 
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