Hello,
I'm new hereabouts, but before I ever get to post something of my own, I have a problem. My son's got a '74 Econoline, 302 V8 with the C4. It's the C4 we're worried about; he just bought the truck a few weeks ago and it seemed to shift fine (it's got other "old truck" issues you'd expect on a $500 vehicle, but I detected no tranny symptoms when I drove it 10 days ago). Last night, he drove 25 miles or so at freeway speeds (60 to 65 mostly, up to 70 for a bit) and when he came to a stop at the border crossing into Canada (we're in the Detroit area), the trans started slipping. It got worse and worse so that he parked it overnight and I went out there with him today.

The dipstick showed brown-red fluid, but didn't smell "burnt." It also was at the don't-add mark when tested as instructed on the stick (warm, idle, in park). It wouldn't move at all though, and it was parked at a meter and he already had a ticket. So I poured in a little over a pint of the proper "F" trans fluid, and it started working...enough so that I could park it in a place where it won't get towed away, anyway. Question: Dare I top it up more and try to nurse it home (45 miles or so total)? Can I flat tow it in neutral? Or do I need a trailer? I might just punt and call AAA, but it's across the border...

By the way, I joined this forum because I'm shopping for a '60s pickup, have my eye on a '67 F250 Camper Special at the moment.
Thanks for any ideas, this looks like a great forum,
Kevin

 

I'd yank the C4 and put a C6 in it, it's a much stronger transmission, and you'll need it in the van. You could even use and AOD from a carbed truck or van so the linkages and braketry are there.. The linkage for the C4 and C6 should be the same, but the AOD has a throttle valve cable instead of a kick down. It relies on the cable to indicate throttle pressure at the carb, and then changed the line pressures in the trans. It's a good system, and they last a while. We have one with almost 300k on it that tows a 16 foot box trailer almost daily.

 

Thanks; that sounds like great advice that I'd probably follow if it was mine. It belongs to him, though, and given the limited budget of a 20-year-old musician...well, I could use some repair advice to offer a kid with a $500 truck. He's not towing a boat, I am...and it's small (a 19-ft. sailboat). He's just hauling band equipment and pals around.
I also took his word for it that it's a C4 (he'd had his nose in the manual) but I'm not entirely sure--seems logical for a 3-speed, no OD on a 302 in 1974. It's decades since I worked in a shop, though--what's the telltale? This thing looked like an integral bellhousing rather than a separate unit (from memory, looking at it in dark with a flashlight).

 

If it's still out on the road you could try putting a siphon hose with a squeeze bulb down the tube and get as much fluid out as possible and replace with fresh to get it home.
Change the tranny fluid and give the filter screen a good washing and try to blow it out with a air hose.

 

The C6 had the one piece case, as did the C4 I believe.... The biggest way is the tranny pan, do a google search on ford transmission identification and you find loads of websites.

 

C6 integral bell housing, C4 removable.

 

Thanks for the squeeze bulb idea; it almost worked. That was some nasty looking trans fluid--only the barest tinge of red in the black gunk. The stuff I drained off into a pop bottle looked like Cherry Coke--bad mojo. Wonder if the previous owner ever did any maintenance.
Replacing about five pints of fluid got it moving better, but still slipping too badly--and unpredictably--to risk bringing it through the one-lane (each way)tunnel that runs under the Detroit River, so we had to have AAA (well, the CAA) tow it to a local shop.
It is a C6--thanks for the spotter's guides, folks. We'll have to wait and see what the tranny magicians have to say now; at least they work in Canadian dollars.
Thanks for the help...I'm going to like it around here.