1989 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL – Internal Transmission Problem
Reader Question: Dear Honest Mechanic,
I have a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL. On the original window sticker that came with the car new it says that the car is equipped with a 4 speed automatic transmission.
The problem is that I have counted over and over and I can only count the transmission shifting 2 times from 1-2 and from 2-3. When driving down the freeway at 65 MPH the cars tach shows rpm of 3500, which seems high to me.
Is there something I can do or is this the way it is supposed to be?
Thank You.
Don
Hey Don,
It does sound like you might have a transmission issue. At 65 MPH, I would expect the tachometer to read about 1800 RPM. I do not know what to tell you to do expect find a transmission shop that is experienced in Mercedes and get them to run some tests to see what the problem is.
I would suspect you have an internal transmission problem, so make sure you get a worst-case overhaul scenario from the shop before they disassemble anything.
Blessings,
Austin Davis
