My truck is a stock 292 yblock with the stock Fordomatic. It shifts quite well when driving but the issue is shifting it into drive from nuetral or into reverse from drive or nuetral...it goes in real hard. There's no clunking or banging yet from the drive shaft or u-joints but I'd really like it if it was smoother.

Is this normal or any tips on fixing it? Thanks all...

Doug

 

by the way, the idle is set just fine...

 

I've had similar issues w/ Cruise/Ford/Merc-o-Matics as well as C-4/6's & then I've not had any such problems w/ different 1's of the afore mentioned trans's.
Nothing seems to work if it's a hard shifter when going from P to any gear, @ least in my experience, Just seems to be a peculiarity w/ a particular trans & the way it's assembled.

 

Was wondering myself about that problem. I like you have a 292 in my 55 w/a Ford-a-matic and it does the same thing going into reverse, not so much into drive or "low" just mainly reverse? Personaly I think the trans is junk parts I dont like it at all. I would love to have a C4 on it but the adapters are so expencive that I will have to save for some time to get ..... not including the trans! I have the original 3 on the tree trans for the truck that I'm thinking of putting back in for the mean time till I can afford the adapter/C4 combo. Please post if you get this problem solved.

Thanks,
Mason

 

Actually the Cruise/Ford/Merc-o-Matic's are NOT Junque!
Otherwise that Family of Transmission wouldn't have been so Successful & used Extensively by the Racing Community.
And I'm having this Hard Shifting problem Currently W/ my C-4.
As I stated previously, it ALL depends on HOW it goes together, seenas how these thangs are all man made & Flaws will happen in parts during the manufacturing process.

 

I would help diagnose it a little if it were a C4. My knowledge base (and my books) does not go back as far as any of the "o-matics".

I have helped rebuild a lot of the more modern automatic transmissions (ford, chevy, dodge), but I have never been in one of these.

One thing you might look at is the linkage. Any wear or slop might cause it.

Do they have modulator valves? Those go bad a lot on the C4 (and later) ones and can cause odd shifting.

 

It's a Brand New Rebuild, w/ Lokar Shift Linkage Package.
We've had to replace the front Modulator Valve already because it was Bad from the Factory.

 

[QUOTE=Col Flashman]......And I'm having this Hard Shifting problem Currently W/ my C-4.......QUOTE]


I just realized you (Col Flashman) are talking about a C4. That I might be able to help diagnose to some extent.

Please describe exactly what its doing to the best of your ability. When its doing it and what you were doing at the time. An example is shifting from park to drive while facing up hill it shifts hard into first. Or perhaps its a general hard shift into every gear (like you are drag racing).

Hard shifting is a very general description.

The o-matics I really don't know anything about. Sorry guys.

Brian

 

1st: I've trouble getting it to Stay in P to begin w/, unless I put it in Gear then quickly put it in back in Park as it then catches as it supposed to though it make take a few trys, sometimes though it just catches properly on it's own.
2nd: Hard shift when attempting to Pull it out it from P, no matter if the "Wee Beastie" is on a Level or a Tilted surface. Once placed correctly into P it's a real pain in the **** to get it out again.
3rd: When in D2 unless I'm rather light on the throttle on take off from a stop, it Jumps back & forth between 1st & 2nd Rapidly unless I back off the throttle & then re-excellerate.
4th: Cruising around 25mph to 35mph in D1 & I excellerate quickly the trans once again jumps rapidly back & forth between gears untill I back off the throttle.
5th: If creeping along around 5mph in D2 it jumps rapidly back & forth between gears.
6th: Rapid excelleration in R feels as if it is doing what it's doing in D2 unless I back off the throttle & re-excellerate.
7th: Somtimes the trans works as it's supposed to during excelleration from a stop & shifts through all the gears w/o a hitch, though it seems to me that the shift from 1st to 2nd @ 5 mph is rather to soon.

I'm going to point out that the Kick-Down is disconected inside the trans, the rebuilder did that for some reason & I do not know if this is contributing factor to the problem or not.

 

Hmm...Lots of things that may be inter-related.

As far as the kickdown...people usually think its some magical "passing gear". All it is doing is simply shifting the linkage into the next lower gear from what you are in. If your in D, it shifts to 2. If its in 2 it shifts to low. No magic. Why yours is disconnected (or exactly how) I cannot explain without seeing it.

1. The parking pawl (yes...thats the name), is pretty simple. It moves a rod and a tooth falls over into a slot in a "gear". Adjusted badly inside the trans or bent in there? Thats a new one on me.

Is the lokar shift package a floor shift or column? I am wondering if there is some play somewhere or perhaps its sticking/rubbing on something to cause the occasional problem.

2. Related to (1) above I bet. Do you set the E-brake before putting it into park and leave it set until it out? Give that a try, but I bet something is amis inside (we know the kickdown is wrong).

As far as the rest. I am leaning toward some bad adjustments. It has been years since I worked on a C4. You replaced the modulator valve. Was it the adjustable kind? The adjustable ones I don't mess with unless there is a problem. 1/4 turn of a tiny screw makes a difference.

I can't remember which way...in or out, but you might try to turn the screw 1/4 turn and see if it moves the shift points up. If not turn it back to factory and go 1/4 turn the other way. Just remember where it was set to begin with.

Have you checked the band adjustment? That can cause some of your shifting problems. Thats my best guess as to the problem now without seeing it.

Another thing that might cause some of it (although unlikely in this case) is a sticky governor. If it was rebuilt correctly, it should be spotless back there. I have seen them stick though. It will work great once, then stick, then work, then stick....you get the idea.

Cleaning the governor on a RWD is not as bad as the 4X4s I am used to. You just have to drop the driveshaft and tail housing on yours.


Confused now? I think I am.

 

I was just reading some articles about drive shaft problems and I wonder if what you perceive as shifting back and forth quickly could be a bad vibration when you accelerate?

Try putting the trans in 1st or 2nd (can it do that) and then accelerate to see if you feel what you think is shifting.

Also I assume that when you say the transmission is hard to shift. You have tried sitting with your foot on the brake and cycle through all the shift points. If you do this does it stick in Park and other positions or are they all sticky? How consistent is it?

Maybe the detent ***** in the valve spool have really strong springs or there are detents in the Lokar shifter that are messed up.

What if you disconnect the Lokar shifter and trying moving the lever on the side of the transmission by hand? (don't run over yourself)

 

Brand new Propellershaft, built specifically for the "Wee Beastie".

I've already done this, in L she takes-off just fine as I'm Manually Shifting her through the gears @ speed. In D1 though the samething as I stated Previously happens, if I'm cruising & floor her she Jumps between gears rapidly untill I release the throttle.

She's ONLY hard to shift out of "P" whether I'm applying pressure on the Brake or not & in no other gear, just "P". As for consistentcy, whenever she's solidly in "P" she's hard to get her out of "P", as long as she's not solidly there in the 1st place. Other wise after I start her she slips into "R" on her own after a tick if not solidly in "P".

I stayed w/ the Original Column Shift & connected the Lokar System to that. I've not tried just shifting her @ the trans yet & the Transmission Specialist that built her trans has taken it down & gone through it once already, So he probably has. Then I wound up w/ a cast on my right leg & haven't been able to take the "Olde Girl" back to him for further Tweaking.

 

well...I guess there's a ton more interest in C4 then Fordomatic...

 

From looking @ the diagrams in my Trans books that specifically cover Cruise/Ford/Merc-o-Matics, a lot of what has been covered on the C-4 could be applied to figuring out your problems w/ your trans as well.

 

I don't have books on the older ones, but as far as I know it all still applies. Check your linkage for wear and slop. Thats number one on an old one. Check the modulator valve (if they have one), and adjust the bands.

Other than that, new fluid and filter is about all you can do externally to one. I just about guarantee they can be made to shift well. They just need someone who knows what they are doing (or a good book).

If you want/need to go inside, you need a book.

The Col is correct as far as his own. I think most of his problem is how it was put together.