I just replaced the two gear selector bushings in my 89 300TE (W124) and wanted to share some lessons learned.
This required some tedious work under the car and some tedious work from inside the car. I would guess the total time for me was about 90 minutes. The work under the car was pretty dirty. Prior experience and a lift would have dramatically simplified the operation. While I can't provide the lift I hope to save you some time on the 'experience' side.
Parts:
From under the car:
With the brake on and the wheels chocked crawl under the car with a good light, a rag, some goggles, a slotted screwdriver and a pliers. Basically there's a rod that runs from the gear selector to the transmission with a bushing at each end. Find the gear selector-side of the rod - this lives above the driveshaft, just at the back of the tranny. It's pretty straight-forward to find. There's a little clip that needs to be popped off with the screwdriver or the pliers to free the shifter rod from the gear selector. Then trace the shifter-rod to the transmission. There's a small lever on the left side of the tranny that is fastened to the shifter-rod with the same style of clip. Don't waste your time trying to remove this clip at this point. Just remove the lever completely. It's easy to do, just a 10mm nut/bolt, using a socket with a 6" extension. It helps the shift the lever to a point that facilitates getting the socket on. Remove the bolt COMPLETELY and then the lever will slide off. Crawl out from under the car with the shifter-rod and the lever still attached to each other.
From the inside:
Pry up the little piece of carpet that is under the armrest. Remove the Phillips head screw that secures the wooden console. Gently pry up the edges of the black, rectangular, plastic bezel that surrounds the gear selector. This is the tricky part: gently and evenly work the wooded console up. It helps to push and prod all around the edges of where the wood meets the vinyl. Once the wood is removed you'll see two phillips head screws and four 10mm bolts around the plastic selector housing. Remove these screws and bolts. Are the wheels still chocked? Becuase it actually helps to release the parking brake at this point. The cable is drawn tight over the left side of the plastic housing. Your job is to remove the plastic selector housing. I needed to remove a wire tie on the right side. It's not simple but with a little perseverence and patience you'll get it out.
At the workbench:
Armed with the selector housing and the shifter rod/lever grab a big socket, like something in the 20mm range Look at the shifter-rod/lever and remember how the lever goes (draw a pic). Take the viton bushing and press it into place with the help of a little oil, a bench vise (or even a big c-clamp would work) and the socket. The bushing is on one side and the socket is on the other. After pressing it in take a screwdriver and work around the socket-side of the bushing to flip the edge over. Do the same for both bushings. Put the lever back on the shifter-rod with the new clip. This is a pain in the ass from under the car and it's not necessary (that'll save you about 10 minutes).
From the inside:
Replace the shifter housing (I didn't replace the fasters yet) and reset the parking brake
From under the car
Fish the shifter-rod back into place and first do the lever side then do the selector side. It helps to use a screwdriver/pliers to get the clip back on at the selector end of the shifter-rod
From inside the car:
Replace the fastners and put the console back together.
