®
By Wayne Colonna
Technical Editor
S
everal 1989-1995 Mercedes vehicles using the
722.3 or 722.4 transmission employ a device
called the “upshift-delay vacuum actuator.” For
this article, I will refer to it as the UDVA.
Figure 1 is a cutaway view of a single-diaphragm
design. The throttle cable enters the UDVA at the
upper-right corner and is attached to a plastic actua-
tor piston inside the assembly. This actuator piston
then operates a linkage mechanism inside the trans-
mission that depresses the throttle valve in propor-
tion to throttle opening (see Figure 2).
Figure 1
Vacuum Line
Throttle Cable
Internal Levers
The Green Single
Diaphragm Design Plastic
Actuator
Piston
At the left side of the actuator assembly is a single
green diaphragm. This diaphragm is attached to a
vacuum-supply line. When vacuum is present, it op-
erates internal levers within the assembly that over-
ride the throttle-cable signal by pulling on the plastic
actuator piston. Figure 3 illustrates the assembly
when vacuum is not present, and Figure 4 illustrates
what occurs when vacuum is present.
Vacuum is supplied to the assembly to delay up-
shifts when the vehicle is cold in order to provide
more-rapid heating of the catalytic converter. The
length of time that the shifts are delayed depends on
how long vacuum is supplied to the UDVA. The
20
length of time the vacuum is supplied is dependent
on engine temperature, vehicle speed and computer-
controlled timing. The range of each input is depen-
dent on the year, model and the type of control
system with which the vehicle is equipped.
In general, the various computer systems com-
mand vacuum to be supplied to the green diaphragm
when the engine-coolant temperature is in the range
of 32° F to 104° F or less (0° C to 50° C or less) and the
vehicle speed is between 6 and 34 mph (10 km/h to
52 km/h). Once these conditions are met, vacuum
may be supplied to the UDVA from as little as 15 sec-
onds to as long as 21⁄2 minutes.
With various vehicles equipped with a
Sport/Economy Mode select switch (see Figure 5), a
second-design UDVA incorporates an additional di-
aphragm that is red (see Figure 6). It, too, overrides
the throttle cable and delays upshifts when the sport
mode is selected. (Other vehicles that have this mode
select switch are designed to use the same green sin-
gle diaphragm instead of having and using the addi-
tional red diaphragm.)
In some instances, these diaphragms are fitted
with color-coded vacuum lines as shown in Figure 7.
The pink line goes to the red diaphragm, the green
goes to the green diaphragm and the white line is for
Figure 2
Upshift Delay
Throttle Valve Vacuum Actuator
Linkage Mechanism
continues page 22
Transmission Digest
 ®

the vacuum modulator. You must take care to ensure Figure 5

that these vacuum lines are fitted correctly, especial-
ly if they are not color coded.
The late-shift problem occurs when constant vacu-

Figure 3
NO VACUUM
TO THROTTLE

xxxxx xxx x
PEDAL
VACUUM LINE
E
E/S MODE SELECT
SWITCH
S
x x x x x xx x x

SHIFT DELAY Figure 6

ADJUSTMENT PLASTIC
ACTUATOR
PISTON
VACUUM
DIAPHRAGM
TO THROTTLE
VALVE LEVER

Figure 4
WITH VACUUM Upshift Delay
Vacuum Actuator
TO THROTTLE (Dual Diaphragm)
xx xxx xx x x

PEDAL
VACUUM LINE

Figure 7
x x x x x x x x x x x xxxx xx xx xx xx xx x x

SHIFT DELAY
ADJUSTMENT PLASTIC
ACTUATOR
PISTON
VACUUM DIAPHRAGM
PULLING LEVER Color Coded
Vacuum Lines
TO THROTTLE
VALVE LEVER

continues page 24
22 Transmission Digest
 ®

Figure 8 UPSHIFT DELAY SYSTEM WITHOUT MODE SELECT SWITCH

BLACK/GRAY
VACUUM
RESERVOIR
BLACK/GRAY

GRAY
UPSHIFT DELAY
SWITCH OVER
VALVE

B+ POWER FROM
SWITCH OVER
VALVE RELAY
THROTTLE
GROUND SIGNAL BODY
FROM COMPUTER
GREEN

UPSHIFT DELAY
VACUUM ACTUATOR

THROTTLE THROTTLE
CABLE
PEDAL

CONTROL PRESSURE VALVE (T.V.)

Figure 9 UPSHIFT DELAY SYSTEM WITH MODE SELECT SWITCH & TWC

BLACK/GRAY

BLACK/GRAY
VACUUM RESERVOIR
GRAY

UPSHIFT DELAY
B+ POWER FROM SWITCH OVER
SWITCH OVER VALVE
TRANSMISSION MODE VALVE RELAY
SWITCH OVER VALVE
GREEN
PINK

GROUND
SIGNAL FROM
COMPUTER

B+ E/S MODE
SELECT GROUND SIGNAL
SWITCH THROTTLE BODY
FROM COMPUTER

THROTTLE CABLE
KICKDOWN
THROTTLE
SOLENOID PEDAL
UPSHIFT DELAY
VACUUM
ACTUATOR
CONTROL
PRESSURE
VALVE (T.V.)

B+ KICKDOWN SWITCH

continues page 26
24 Transmission Digest
 ®

um is supplied to either one or both of these di-
aphragms. Vacuum is supplied to these diaphragms
through “upshift-delay switch-over valves” that the
computer turns on and off via the ground side of the
switch.
Figure 8 shows a simple diagram for vehicles
using one switch-over valve and one vacuum-hose
connection, and Figure 9 shows a simple diagram for
vehicles using two switch-over valves. Figure 10
shows a simple diagram for select vehicles with one

Figure 10 UPSHIFT DELAY SYSTEM WITH MODE SELECT SWITCH

BLACK/GRAY

BLACK/GRAY
VACUUM RESERVOIR
UPSHIFT DELAY SWITCH

GRAY
OVERVALVE
GROUND SIGNAL
FROM COMPUTER

B+
E/S MODE
SELECT
SWITCH THROTTLE BODY
GREEN

KICKDOWN THROTTLE
SOLENOID CABLE THROTTLE
PEDAL
UPSHIFT
DELAY VACUUM
ACTUATOR

CONTROL
PRESSURE VALVE (T.V.)

B+ KICKDOWN SWITCH

Figure 11 switch-over valve and a mode select switch.

Figure 11 shows a switch-over valve. Usually, this
vacuum switch sticking in the open or energized po-
sition and causing constant vacuum to be supplied to
the UDVA produces the late-shift complaint. One
simple check is to warm up the engine and set the
mode select switch, if the vehicle has one, in the “E”
position. There should be no vacuum supplied to ei-
ther diaphragm. If there is, the appropriate switch-
over valve will need to be investigated.
In Figure 12, a Vantage meter in split-screen mode
shows system voltage on the power wire and 0 volts
Upshift Delay on the ground wire. This is the switch in its “on”
Switch Over state. Figure 13 is the switch in its “off” state after the
Valve computer has ceased grounding the switch.
When the switch is energized as Figure 12 illus-
continues page 28
26 Transmission Digest
 ®
Figure 12
Ground side of switch being grounded by the computer
Figure 14
trates, a vacuum supply should be
sent to the UDVA as indicated by
the gauge in Figure 14. When the
computer turns the switch off by
releasing the ground (refer to
Figure 13), vacuum to the UDVA
should be blocked, as shown on
the gauge in Figure 15. This is the
proper operation of both the com-
puter and the switch.
When you’re checking a vehicle
with this late-shift problem, if the
computer commands are correct
but a constant vacuum is applied
to the UDVA, the switch is defec-
tive and will need to be replaced.
28
Figure 13
Ground side of switch released by the computer
Figure 15
A defective computer keeping the
switch grounded is an extremely
rare occurrence, and it’s highly un-
likely you will encounter such a
failure.
You will run into more cases of
the ground wire being shorted to
ground, keeping the switch ener-
gized at all times and resulting in a
constant supply of vacuum to the
UDVA. Other times you may find
a defective mode select switch.
These are the most-likely failures
after you have eliminated switch
problems as the cause. TD
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