The 450SLC uses the 722.0 transmission, which unlike the later models has an adjustable B3 band (which is used for engaging reverse).   This was not something I was aware of, but I was able to find threads on various Mercedes forums outlining how people who had similar issues had been able to adjust this band to cure them.   I wonder how many perfectly good cars were junked instead of trying this simple adjustment?

This can be accessed from under the car, on the drivers (RHD) side.   There is a bolt that can be tightened up to adjust the band.  It is quite hard to get to and you can feel it more than see it.

The photo above shows a socket on the adjustment point.   So far the B3 band adjustment seems to have worked, I’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks.

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Draining the fluid is easy, there is a hole in the undertray just where the drain bolt is, it is the filling that is harder – you have two options, there is a fill plug on the top, but to get to that you need to remove all the ducting for the radiator.  Or you can fill through the bolt on the side for checking the level.   That is what I did, but the hoses I used were not the best and I ended up with a lot of gear oil on the garage floor!   In the end, I actually found it was easiest to keep refilling the small (125ml) nulon bottle than try and use a funnel and hoses.

After that, I replaced the rubber bump stops which were quite worn.  I learned a trick from the aussiefrogs forum – use a hose clap to compress the rubber and then freeze it so you can easily replace them.   It worked a treat.

Needless to say, the bushings for when the car is on the ground needed replacement…

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