1986 240 DL Very hard shift from 1-2

mhgreen · Post by **mhgreen** » 04 Jan 2015, 17:17

Hello all. Thank you in advance for your guidance.

When shifting from first to second gear, my car shifts extremely hard (huge clunk). It sounds as if it is coming from the middle to rear of the car, and I can really feel it shake the entire car. The transmission fluid has been drained and filled 3 times until clean. The fluid level is correct. Shifting from 2-3, 3-OD I experience smooth, fluid shifting. If I aggressively accelerate from a stop, I can smooth out the shift, but I don't like driving like that all the time. Stop and go traffic, or downtown driving is miserable. Any ideas or suggestions?

Matt

93Regina · Post by **93Regina** » 05 Jan 2015, 06:42

Just a guess, but valve body will need to be cleaned out.

Post by **jimmy57** » 05 Jan 2015, 06:53

AW70 transmissions can have a rubber check ball failure where it disintegrates and causes harsh 1-2 shift.
Accumulator piston seized or broken spring could cause it too.

mhgreen · Post by **mhgreen** » 05 Jan 2015, 11:26

93Regina wrote:Just a guess, but valve body will need to be cleaned out.

Any idea on the cost of this procedure? I am a DIYer for many jobs, but there are limits to what I will undertake myself.

mhgreen · Post by **mhgreen** » 21 Jan 2015, 00:52

After flushing the transmission fluid and adjusting the kickdown cable I seem to have found a tolerable solution. The shift from 1 to 2 has an occasional 'clunk', but it is not as regular as it used to be. My fluid was poor, so I am assuming that helped. I am going to drive this transmission until it completely fails.

mhgreen · Post by **mhgreen** » 21 Jan 2015, 21:58

UPDATE: I just thought I would share this information with any interested readers…

I replaced the shift linkage rod bushing and I definitely noticed an improvement in the hard shift from 1-2. This could be a coincidence, but I don't believe so.