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WANTED WTB Early firstgear start valvebody
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What is the casting number and stamped (black stamp) part number that you need?
Does your friend have an Euro version 500E? If he does why does he want a 1.gear start valvebody? If he puts his transmission program selector in "S" (which means standard and not sport) the car will start in 1.gear provided he hits the accelerator pedal hard. If he goes gently on the pedal the car will start in 2.gear. Ref. page 67 in the instruction manual.
i have a late style for sale.
All 500E's worldwide will do the same thing. USA-spec cars are fixed in the "S" position and do not have the "E" option.
FGS VB allows you first gear start at light throttle, without mashing the pedal. And, there is no delay waiting a half-second for the trans to kick back to 1st gear.
For occasional FGS, just move the shift lever to the "B" position while stopped, then move it back to "D". You'll get FGS for that start only. Repeat as necessary.
If you want full-time FGS you need either the VB or one of the electronic solutions.
I noticed the same thing on my Gearbox. However it depends on if you have a .365 or a .370 geabox in the car, says the informed german 500E forums guys.
In the German Forums people say that the 500E with the .365 gearbox will start in first gear if you hit (hammer) the pedal quickly to full-throttle position from standstill and with the .370 it should always start in 2nd gear.
I have a 500E with a .370 gearbox out of a W140 500SE and during my tests this season, my car did also start in first gear once or twice after i hit (hammered) full throttle quickly from stand still. Yes and i did not hit the kick-down switch at all. However as it wondered me a bit, its somehow not easy to reproduce.
I have no idea why? Maybe my bowden cable is mis-adjusted? I replaced the unit 4 years ago and i remember that i had a hard time fiddling around with the little white adjustment screw on the unit (at the gearbox) itself. In the engine bay the bowden is allingned perfectly.
On the other hand, you dont always want to start with full-throttle to enjoy the first gear ^^ My other cars with 722.6xx boxes do 1st gear start naturally when in "S" mode and i just love it, especially on the C140 with the 5L M119.98x - this is thing is so much quicker and more sporty/responsive than my 500E during city drives, however lacks seriously behind my 500E on the Autobahn ^^ Im now down to the point that i believe i need also a FGS VB in my 500E, especially as i want to do the 2.65 Diff switch.
Questions: How are the shifts from 1st to 2nd gear with those valve bodies? Are they smooth? The 722.6xx do it sooo smooth that you dont even notice it, without looking at the RPM indicator. Not a bulky/hard shift at all.
When i put in a FGS VB in my european 500E, will it also start in 1st when in "E" mode?
In the German Forums people say that the 500E with the .365 gearbox will start in first gear if you hit (hammer) the pedal quickly to full-throttle position from standstill and with the .370 it should always start in 2nd gear.
I have a 500E with a .370 gearbox out of a W140 500SE and during my tests this season, my car did also start in first gear once or twice after i hit (hammered) full throttle quickly from stand still. Yes and i did not hit the kick-down switch at all. However as it wondered me a bit, its somehow not easy to reproduce.
I have no idea why? Maybe my bowden cable is mis-adjusted? I replaced the unit 4 years ago and i remember that i had a hard time fiddling around with the little white adjustment screw on the unit (at the gearbox) itself. In the engine bay the bowden is allingned perfectly.
On the other hand, you dont always want to start with full-throttle to enjoy the first gear ^^ My other cars with 722.6xx boxes do 1st gear start naturally when in "S" mode and i just love it, especially on the C140 with the 5L M119.98x - this is thing is so much quicker and more sporty/responsive than my 500E during city drives, however lacks seriously behind my 500E on the Autobahn ^^ Im now down to the point that i believe i need also a FGS VB in my 500E, especially as i want to do the 2.65 Diff switch.
Questions: How are the shifts from 1st to 2nd gear with those valve bodies? Are they smooth? The 722.6xx do it sooo smooth that you dont even notice it, without looking at the RPM indicator. Not a bulky/hard shift at all.
When i put in a FGS VB in my european 500E, will it also start in 1st when in "E" mode?
Both my cars behave as described by Christian. I am aware of the B-position and E/S switch influence, and they shifts down to 1st if the moment/resitance is high enough. However, the 036 and 1st gear shifting is "kangaroo" shifting IMHO, either up or down. I find this to work only on hard throttle and not for comfort driving. The E420 doesn't work like that in accordance to my friends experience.
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What do you want for this? I might be interested in it for my e420.
My e420 does "kangaroo" shift if you are in motion and shifts down from 2 to 1 with B option on the trans. And can also do it from 1-2 but if lift or something like that you dont get that jerkmotion in the car.
GSXR do you know what part number it needs to have as Stelvester500E is asking after. Or anyone else for that matter.
Where do people get these ideas? .365 and .370 transmissions do not behave any differently. My 1993 and 1994 E500's both have .370 and yes, they will drop to 1st gear when applying 2/3 to 3/4 throttle from a standstill (doesn't have to be 90% or full throttle, but not kickdown).
I agree, the full-time light-throttle FGS is very nice, and definitely helps if you drop to 2.65 gears.
The 722.3 will never shift as smoothly as a 722.6, so forget that fantasy. But yes, FGS VB in your 500E will start in 1st no matter if it's S or E mode.
Thanks Dave. All that said, with hours spent between the Bowden cable, vacuum modulator and perhaps different fluids (I'm actually not joking here), on a new or fully rebuilt trans you MIGHT get close to a 722.6. Might. But I don't think so. I've gotten mine dialed in almost as much as I care to mess with it (still need to install the new vacuum modulator I found with the AMG part number), and it's still not like my 722.6 in the S55.
But if it was, I wouldn't know it, because I drive the S55 almost exclusively in M mode, which the 500E doesn't have. Which underscores why it's a useless comparison (or fantasy as Dave puts it).
maw
But if it was, I wouldn't know it, because I drive the S55 almost exclusively in M mode, which the 500E doesn't have. Which underscores why it's a useless comparison (or fantasy as Dave puts it).
maw
Of course only my personal butt-dyno speaking but I have not noticed any difference in the overall shift quality. In other words, if your transmission/modulator is set up to shift "softly" for comfort, the 1-2 upshift will shift in the same manner as 2-3 & 3-4. If it is set up to shift "positively" (Jono's words I believe), then the 1-2 shift will also be "harder", more pronounced and noticeable but certainly no more so than any of the other upshifts. Since my trans is set more to comfort, I hardly notice the 1-2 shift at all, it is very smooth. Definitely notice the improved acceleration from a standing start, (even with my modified 2.24 rear end, though the car clearly does not accelerate as quickly as FGS combined with the OE 2.82 rear).
What Gixxer says: There is absolutely zero difference in behavior between the 365 and 370 transmissions across the board, worldwide. Blutarsky. Zero point zero. If anybody witnessed a difference, it was either due to modification or malfunction in one or both of the transmissions.
Early 400E VB is 124-270-40-15 according to the EPC.
Late 400E/E420 VB should be 124-270-40-15 or 124-270-69-15 and these *may* require intermediate plate 140-277-14-14 if the late VB is installed in an early tranny. Sorry, I don't know break points (pretty sure it's 1992 early vs 1993 late, though) and also don't know what happens with late VB on early trans/plate.
My W210/M119 has the 722.6 and with that setup working properly, the shift quality is amazingly seamless. A fabulously built & tuned 722.3 may come close, but that's it... close. Not the same, at least not under ALL operating conditions.
Absolutely. If I really want to run somebody, I put the 55 in S mode and get my fat fingers out of the way. The shifts there are WAY better than I could ever do.
People thinking they can shift better than computers is a "where do people get these ideas?!" thing for me.
maw
Martin - you've probably seen this before, but the enclosed image show the inked PN as Daves posted.
(PS. I bought this VB from Jeff quite some time ago, it prolly ends up in the Limited)
