[W126 Coupe] Getting my 560SC to shift gears earlier?

[Dawid Loubser]

Hi All,

After some pretty major work done to my 1990 560SEC (Euro,ASR)  
including an engine replacement
(which I am very happy with, as per an earlier message to this list)  
my only remaining complaint
is that my car shifts gears too late, making gentle driving  
uncomfortable.

In "E" mode, under gentle (fuel-efficient!) acceleration, my car used  
to change gears
around 2,500RPM or even less, depending on throttle pressure. Of  
course, in "S" mode,
it held on for longer, like it's supposed to.

Now, in "E" mode, it changes at 3,000, even 3,500 RPM during gentle  
driving, which I
find unfavourable for my daily driving.

Surely there is a reasonably simple adjustment I can make myself to  
rectify this?
This behaviour is consistent across all gears, so basically I would  
like to drop the
RPM of gear changes by about 1000. Could this be related to the  
throttle position
sensor? I say this, because, at about 2,500RPM, if I almost completely  
release the
throttle, it does change. I would like this behaviour with moderate  
throttle applied in
"E" mode, like it was.

For performance driving, the car is a beast (great). In "S" mode - and  
flooring it -
changes are very positive and close to the RPM limit.

Any help appreciated to restore what used to be a wonderfully balanced  
character to
my gear changes! I don't feel like taking it back to the shop unless I  
can help it,
I'd rather understand the mechanism myself.

I adjusted my throttle linkage to remove quite a bit of play (in an  
attempt to cure
this problem) but, despite being *much* happier with the lack of play  
now, shifting
characteristics have not changed at all.

kind regards,
Dawid