722.4 Shift Kit, new and ready to install. Fits the 722.4. Ships fast from the USA.
The 722.4 is the lighter-duty four-speed automatic Mercedes-Benz put behind its smaller gas engines in the 1980s and early 1990s, with the 190E (W201) being the car most owners know it from. When one of these bangs into second, slurs the 2-3, or flares into fourth when cold, the fix is usually in the valve body hydraulics rather than inside the gearbox. This listing is the Superior K722A-G shift correction package, built for gas-engine 722.3, 722.4 and 722.5 units from 1980 to 1995.
Unlike the later electronic 722.6, the 722.4 has no shift computer. Shift points come from a governor and the throttle cable, and shift firmness comes from modulating pressure, which a vacuum modulator on the side of the case raises or lowers with engine load. The valve body turns those signals into clutch and band apply pressure. Factory calibration traded durability for a soft feel on the upper shifts, and age adds worn springs and valves on top of that. The result is the classic 722.4 complaint: a harsh 1-2 paired with a lazy 2-3 or 3-4.
Superior's package recalibrates the valve body so the shifts are corrected in both directions: it softens the harsh 1-2 shift and firms the 2-3 and 3-4 shifts. The package also supplies parts needed to set the modulating pressure correctly once the valve body is back in.
Rule out the vacuum side first, because it causes the same harsh or erratic shifts. A Mercedes technical bulletin covering the 722.3, 722.4 and 722.5 notes that the rubber cap on the modulator is part of the vacuum seal: a missing, cracked or loose cap causes harsh or erratic shifts. The modulator and cap should hold at least 14 inches of vacuum on a hand pump. Check the vacuum line to the modulator and the throttle cable adjustment too. Factory procedure calls for a modulating pressure check with a gauge at test port M when shifts are too soft or too harsh in every gear. If the harshness is only on the 1-2 and the upper shifts are soft, that pattern points back at the valve body and this kit.
Not sure whether your car has the 722.4 or the later electronic 5-speed? Compare the symptoms in our 722.6 C-Class shift problems guide; the electronic unit sets fault codes and goes into limp mode, while the 722.4 never stores codes.
Superior lists this package for early and late 722.3, all 722.4, and 722.5 transmissions from 1980 to 1995, gas engines only. Diesel cars need a separate diesel calibration package, so this kit is the wrong one for a diesel model. The 722.4 ran through several internal revisions, so match the transmission number stamped on the case tag before ordering, or send us your year, model and VIN and we will check it. Browse the 722 series parts collection for other parts in this family.
Working on a 5-speed instead? The same Superior kit is listed separately as the 722.5 shift kit.
| Fits | 722.4 |
| Part type | Shift Kit |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | Superior |
| Reference | K722A |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. K722A-G is the gas-engine calibration. Diesel 722.3/722.4 units need the separate diesel package.
That is its main purpose. It softens the 1-2 while firming the 2-3 and 3-4. Check the modulator cap and vacuum line first, since a vacuum leak causes the same harshness.
No. The 722.4 valve body is reached by dropping the pan, so the kit can be installed in the car.
Yes. Modulating pressure should be checked and set after valve body work. The factory procedure uses a gauge on test port M and the adjusting screw or locking key in the modulator.
The 722.4 is hydraulically controlled with no transmission computer, so shift problems have to be diagnosed with a road test, vacuum test and pressure gauge rather than a scan tool.
