Another slow gearbox (different problem)

[jeffreyli86]

I have two W124 E220 (because I bought one from new and a few years ago a friend sold me one because he cannot finance it) and both are in top notch condition appearance-wise.
Anyway, one of the E220 that I got has a slow gear box. By this, I mean that it is slow in changing gears (i.e. from N to D, or from P to R or anything else). This happens no matter the car is warm or cold. I tried changing the transmission fluid but it doesn't help. Also, I notice that the car is rather jerky when in Drive gear and it is changing from 1st gear to 2nd gear. I also noticed that when the car is cruising at 100kmh (or whenever the car is in 4th gear), and I step on the throttle, the car rarely shifts down no matter how much I step onto it. However, as soon as I touch the kick down button(?), it will shift down.
Can this problem be related to my funny gas pedal? By funny I mean that there is around 4cm of travel that is looser and lighter than the rest and seems like it is not connected to the engine at all... This causes really jerky and sudden accelerations from stationary and I guess it is rather harmful for the gearbox as I have been told not to step on the gas too much when I'm standing from a standstill? Is this true??

Any ideas are greatly greatly appreciated, these problems are driving me mad.. (oh just to note, these problems happen on the E220 that I own from new. can these problems arise due to my driving styles like not letting the car stop completely when I'm driving forward then switching to Reverse when the car is still travelling forward (2-3kmh max)... Picture it when you are fighting for a parking space in the local carpark.)

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[jeffreyli86]

Oh and I found out that the jerky gear changes (like I mentioned above, from first to second gear) slightly, only slightly gets better if I put it in S (sports or is it standard) mode rather than economy... (the switch on the gearbox)

 

[jeffreyli86]

B U M P

 

[Brian WH]

I think the clue is in the "strange pedal". If the throttle cable needs adjusting you will get delay on acceleration which will affect the gear changing.

I personally do not know your engine but the cable can usually be adjusted at the carburettor end. I hope somneone else knows and can guide you on how to adjust it.

 

[Ian B Walker]

My 200T suffered the same problem ie latent gear changes. I adjusted the cables as Brian suggested and have found that it cured the problem. Give me a while and I will sort out how to adjust it for you. Thinking...........if it is a similar setup to my 260E adjusting the cables makes no difference as tickover is electronically controlled. Hmmm need to research this

 

[Dieselman]

But I think adjusting the gearbox control cable will have some benefit.

I don't know on this car but isn't the adjustment that when the accelleerator is at rest the gearbox actuator cable should clip on and off the joint without any adjustment?

 

[Ian B Walker]

But I think adjusting the gearbox control cable will have some benefit.

Absolutly right, just what was I thinking about Duhh

 

[jeffreyli86]

Thank you very much for all the support. Is there a guide or something that I can follow to cure this problem? It is VERY irritating and it surely is making the ride a harsh one.

Thanks,
Jeff