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79' 300D Won't start out in 1st gear
Our 1979 300D runs great at speed. We just installed Kent's boost pump kit and it really does help starting and idling and did help a little on power too. I was hoping it would also solve our shifting problem as well but it did not. From a dead stop, the car will always start rolling in second gear (which as everyone knows makes it painfully slow) even if I mash the pedal down. It will do this even if I shift into neutral while stopped then shift to drive just before moving.
We've already done the following to this car: recent valve adjustment, timing chain replaced (has good timing now), recent diesel purge, new filters, fuel lines and fuel strainer, adjusted kickdown rod from throttle to transmission (which did improve the shifting above 20mph to earlier shifts for more power).
The car runs excellent on the highway and has passing power even at 70 mph. Its just the starting out that scares me. It will shift down to first gear if I'm already rolling at about 5-10 mph however which is what mystifies me.
Anyone have some valuable 2 cents?
Thanks,
Brandon and Megan Oswald
Pensacola, FL
1979 300D
1985 300D Turbo
Wow! Really impressed with the upgrades I have made
Well I just got finished installing the fuel pump, new injectors, timing
chain, new glow plugs, all the fuel heaters, all new fuel lines, oil cooler
lines, and also adjusted the waste gate on my turbo 300D. WOW! I mean this thing is fast! Thanks for the parts!
David M.
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Trans operation
Your transmission is not suppose to start out normally in first gear. That is the way the engineers designed it. In order for you to -force it- to start in first you push the throttle pedal all the way to the floor (to engage kick down switch. If you are sure the pedal is engaging (clicking the switch) then there may be something wrote with the switch, wiring or the kick down solenoid on the right side of your transmission. As an alternative you can manually shift down into low gear when you roll up to a stop by using of your shift lever.