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Automatic Shifting Problems After Neutral Switch Replacement
So, title says it all just about. I'm a new owner to this '86 F-150 with an automatic transmission. It had difficulty starting because the neutral switch was out of whack. When I went to take the old one off, I noticed the two side bolts were finger-loosed already. That worried me.
So I put on a brand new Wells neutral safety switch and the truck fired right up. Yay! I made sure to tighten the bolts down better than they were before. Maybe this was my mistake?
Cause when I went to move the shifter on the steering column, I had difficulty going from Reverse to Drive. And then when going down the road, the transmission seemed to have difficulty going from 1st to 2nd gear. It would rev real high, and then only shift when I let off the gas pedal.
Should I loosen those bolts? That doesn't seem right... So I'm asking for ya'll's wisdom. Any ideas for me?
First welcome to FTE.
I think I would loosen the bolts and see if the shifter get easier.
If so maybe you can add a washer between the NSS and the trany? to space it out a little and see if that helps.
I am thinking the NSS is binding the shifter, as you said hard to shift into gear, and it is not fully in gear and why not shifting right........I hope.
Dave ----
I think you're exactly right. When it was getting hung up on first gear, I noticed the i strument panel needle was closer to N than D, so I pulled it over D and it shifted fine.
Must be some kind of misalignment. I'll try adding the washer, because the NSS doesnt have much play in it, and the park gear handle (whats the name for the Park-only lever w a boot joint?) only fits in one way.
Side question: should I grease the NSS joint? It's the kind that sleeves over the bolt from the tranny.
I would have to see a picture of what you are talking about both the "gear handle/park-only lever" and this joint on the NSS you want to grease. But on the grease I am going to say no with out looking at it.
Oh you may want to post what motor & auto trany it has so if someone in the know can answer.
Dave ----
I could be wrong but the one in the center goes to the carb for kick down linkage and the one to the left the gear selection no?
Or is it the other way around?
Dave - - - -
I would find out what type of transmission you have. If you have a AOD you may have serious problems and should not drive it much till you get it straightened out.
If you have a c6, your kickdown could be activated all the time, and that would cause it not to shift correctly when driving it.
I know next to nothing about transmissions, but from the shape of the pan it looks to be a C6.
It always had a somewhat rough shift into 2nd, but now it doesnt want to get there. And the only difference is te new NSS. So I figured that must be the issue. Or at least, user error during install... =\
And I was wrong about the center linkage, it doesnt go to steering column. But It cant really go to a carb either, cause this 302 is fuel injected...?
It would have had a kickdown linkage even if it's fuel injected. Very needed when using the smaller 302. It hasn't much power unless you wind it out, and when you floor it to go, this linkage forces the tranny into 2nd gear.
Even if it's not hooked up, I would find the other end or get down underneath again and make sure the kickdown is free to move and is in it's home position. I have had shifting problems before when the kickdown was not in it's home position.
2 other things to look at which affect shifting; There is a vacuum line going to a modulator mounted on the passenger side rear part of the trans. Make sure this vacuum line is hooked up on the engine end and the modulator end underneath.
The other piece that makes it shift is the governor. It's mounted behind a cover on the side of the trans, and detects road speed.
But since you are messing with the linkage, I would check that kickdown and make sure it's free to move and in it's home position.
UPDATE:
i placed a washer in between the kickdown lever and the final nut, so now my column shifter works just fine.
Vacuum hose going to modulator was swollen, so I replaced it.
I ran the truck without kickdown attached, no change.
I reinstalled kickdown to what I think is the home posiyion, no change.
There are 2 options for home position: the linkage lever going to the NSS bolt being fully depressed or fully extended. I installed it the only way it seems to want to fit: fully extended. But that particular linkage can extend/depress with ease by hand while connected.
The problems remains that the transmission waits too long before shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear. The rpms are too high when it shifts, and if I'm accelerating, it shifts w a jerk.
UPDATE:
i placed a washer in between the kickdown lever and the final nut, so now my column shifter works just fine.
Vacuum hose going to modulator was swollen, so I replaced it.
I ran the truck without kickdown attached, no change.
I reinstalled kickdown to what I think is the home posiyion, no change.
The problems remains that the transmission waits too long before shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear. The rpms are too high when it shifts, and if I'm accelerating, it shifts w a jerk.
I had the older setup with the solid rod. It looks like you have a cable. My kickdown lever was spring loaded. When everything was disconnected, the kickdown lever (when it was free) naturally went to a home position from a spring mounted somewhere(I forget where).
Does yours have a spring on it and want to go to a certain position? We have a trans guy that lurks around here sometimes, he would probably know right away. If you still can't figure out where it needs to be, move it all the way one direction and road test it. If that doesn't work, move it all the way to the other direction and test it. If you can mount the arm hanging down or pointing up, that would mess you up if it was installed wrong.
I'm not sure if the kickdown linkage is a cable... or at least theres a solid rod that comes out of a rubber boot fitting. I'll attach a pic of it. No spring that I can see, though. I depressed the linkage and drove around, by the time I got back and parked it, it was extended again, so I guess thats it's resting position.
Sorry NumberDummy, From looking at the shape of the tranny pan, I have a C6.
Would it be worthwhile to swap out the vacuum module? Its hoses are connected properly, but maybe the unit went bad?
