Hi! I just bought a 87 240 DL the other day. I have been noticing that when i put it in reverse, it sort of "jumps" into it. Now, when I put it in drive I notice the same thing. Otherwise, shifts well. What does this mean? Is it something I should be very worried about? Do I need a transmission flush?? Or worse?

I appreciate your help on this...I am very worried!

 

Likely a mount or two.

 

You should start by changing the tranny fluid... It has to be changed every 20k miles and few do it...

Depending on the miles and condition of the tranny, you may have a serious problem if do in fact have a substantial "clunk" at engagement. Will be luck if it's a mount...

 

If the car has high mileage dont change the fluid. Check the fluid level first, run the car for 10 min and check the oil with the engine on, if it looks dark and with burnt odor dont change it. If it is red or closer to red you can change it.. But agree also with Rspi might be also a tranny mount is bad.

 

I'd change the fluid regardless of how bad it is now... But don't powerflush it!

The advice of "don't change it if it's too dark" is a discredited old wives tale, well, more like an old boys shops' fear of liability--no sense or logic in it whatsoever...

 

I did go ahead and change the fluid. It was dark but did not smell burnt. I don't notice any difference with the sensation I get when I engage the transmission. However, it's not really a "clunk" per se, but rather a feeling--like I can just feel it going into gear. No sound, and I just noticed my truck kind of does it too, so maybe I'm just being paranoid? How much would I expect to spend if it did turn out to be a mount? Or two? Thanks guys! Liz

 

Hi Liz, go to www.iPdUSA.com and poke around at the mounts and pages, parts for your car. They often write about symptoms and give tips to help you learn about your car and figure things out.