1983 190D transmission problems
 

Hi,

I have a 1983 190D with the odometer broken at 164k miles. The transmission's been a little jerky since I owned it, but recently it won't shift past second gear. When I accelerate past about 25 miles/hr the transmission just disengages and the car's stuck in neutral until I slow down enough for it to re-engage second gear. I'm pretty ignorant as far as transmission's go, but I'm hoping it's just a vacuum issue as opposed to a busted tranny.

Does anybody have any good DIY transmission trouble-shooting tips? What's the best place to start and how do I go about performing the necessary diagnostics? Any advice as well as links to videos/manuals/diagrams would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot for the help.

danielac