The Car:

1989 240DL
160,000+ Miles
Automatic Transmission

I should point out that I am alright with cars, but not really. So if you talk to me like im an idiot, that'd be great. haha

The Problem:

The car has switched into overdrive, or at least I think thats what happened cause the orange arrow light on the dash turned on, and I am not able to switch it off. So I went ahead and installed a new relay, but still I couldnt switch it off. I replaced the fuse last week, which I noticed was blown, and I was able to switch overdrive on/off for about a 100ft of driving before it blew again. Someone told me that I might have to replace the solenoid, ideas?


My Other problem:

According to the guy who changed my oil, Im leaking Transmission fluid. I think he said it was leaking from the "rear main seal". Is this part expensive and hard to install? Could the leaking fluid be burning and creating the small amount of smoke i notice when im at a stop light?


Thanks a lot!

 

I am going to guess if the fuse blew again then you have a wiring problem between the shifter and the trans for it to keep blowing the fuse.

The tailshaft seal must be leaking if it is trans fluid that you are leaking.
The rear main seal is on the engine and it would leak oil if it is bad.
The tailshaft bushing and seal shouldn't be that bad to have it replaced.
Make sure you have the bushing replaced as well.Most of the time the bushing goes bad and makes the seal leak.

 

So for the overdrive problem, I should take the car in to a mechcanic?

If you had to guess, how much would fixing something like that cost me?

same question for the leaking trans fluid...?


THANKS

 

Not 100% sure but I would say around $100.00 for the wiring
About $150.00 to $200.00 for the seal.
That is just a guess.

 

Can I replace the tailshaft seal on my own, or with the help of a friend? Is it easy to get to?

Thanks

 

Yes you can replace it.You have to drop the driveshaft and the remove the flange on the trans.Then pop out the seal and install a new one.