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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

Major Transmission Malfunction

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Old Apr 4, 2009 | 06:54 PM
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From: Diboll, Tx.
Major Transmission Malfunction

Ok maybe not really a malfunction, but more of a fubar. I took the project truck out on the road for the first time today to test it out. It drove fine until it came time to shift. It finally shifted to second at 40, then shifted to drive at 60. I took it home and adjusted the tv cable and took it out again. Same thing. When i got it back home I crawled under it to adjust the cable at the transmission, but the cable was disconnected and there was no place to hook it up. Someone pulled the tv shaft out of the transmission and screwed a bolt into the hole! So what i need to know is what options do I have? Is there a manual valve body for the C6? If I pull the trans and take it to a transmission shop, is it going to cost me an arm, leg, and my first born? Or would I be better off just buying a new transmission?
 
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Old Apr 4, 2009 | 09:21 PM
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I don't think it's a tv cable. I think it's a kick down. do you have a vaccume line going into a little can on the pass side bottom rear of the trans? If so, pull the vaccume hose off, and see if it has atf inside it. if it does, go buy a new trans modual for it. you need to get the #s of the modual to get the new one, there's like 4 different ones for the c6. when you put the new one on, you can take a tiny screwdricer, and insert it inside where the vaccume line goes, and turn it in for fermer shifts, out for softer ones
 
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Old Apr 4, 2009 | 10:44 PM
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From: Diboll, Tx.
Thats not the problem. The problem is where the tv cable or kick down lever is supposed to bolt on isnt there. There is supposed to be a shaft sticking out of the transmission where the kick down lever is supposed to bolt on and it is missing. If the modulator valve was leaking/bad, wouldnt the transmission fluid be sucked into the intake causing it to smoke out of the exhaust? And it's not that it shifts hard, it's that there is such a long delay in shift.
 
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Old Apr 4, 2009 | 11:23 PM
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Just go to the junkyard and get what you need. Theoretically the kickdown linkage should not affect the shifting, only the vacuum modulator, and I have run them disconnected with no problems, though if all of it is missing, you do cannot be sure the valve inside the tranny is being held in the off position.

Normally in your case you would be looking for holes in the vacuum line from the intake manifold to the modulator, and as a last resort, you can stick a small screwdriver up into the modulator hose nipple, and adjust the small screw to raise or lower the shift points.
 
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Old Apr 4, 2009 | 11:37 PM
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I'll give it a try tomorrow. It would be ok on the drag strip. This one is a torquey little sucker. Not like my others. After fooling with it for a while and getting disgusted, I hammered on it and it broke traction on takeoff, and gave a satisfing bark when it hit second.
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 12:43 AM
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Originally Posted by dustybumpers
I don't think it's a tv cable. I think it's a kick down. do you have a vaccume line going into a little can on the pass side bottom rear of the trans? If so, pull the vaccume hose off, and see if it has atf inside it. if it does, go buy a new trans modual for it. you need to get the #s of the modual to get the new one, there's like 4 different ones for the c6. when you put the new one on, you can take a tiny screwdricer, and insert it inside where the vaccume line goes, and turn it in for fermer shifts, out for softer ones
Very nice tip now I gotta go see about a little firmer kick on the ole 250.....
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 12:54 AM
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That Is a nice little tip, I never knew you could adjust the shift points through the modulator port on the C6.

Just shows how much I know about Automatics ... I have owned (still do) one Automatic in my life, that is a 97 Nissan Quest.

I have worked on one Automatic in my life, It took me 3 days to Remove, Rebuild, Re-Install it, I was stuck at the shop I was doing it in, soaked to the bone in ATF ... a C4 in my moms 66 Stang. She still has it, Same tranny! That was ~35 years ago. (I won't mention the fact that she probably hasn't put 2k miles on it since, likely a good thing)

Yup, I pulled it by hand without draining it, got a face full of ATF from the tail shaft! DUMB KID!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 01:45 AM
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I believe the original ford modulators do not have that adjustment, just the aftermarket ones. I dont mean performance modulators either. If you go to a parts store and get an oem replacement, it should have the adjustment. Thats the way it was when I changed the modulator on my C6...when I had a C6.
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 02:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Sycostang67
I believe the original ford modulators do not have that adjustment, just the aftermarket ones. I dont mean performance modulators either. If you go to a parts store and get an oem replacement, it should have the adjustment. Thats the way it was when I changed the modulator on my C6...when I had a C6.
hmmmmm mmight mean a trip to napa...
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 02:00 PM
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Well i adjusted the modulator valve, and it did make a little bit of difference. It now shifts at 33 and 53. If i lift off the accelerater at the right moment, I can get it to shift at shift at 28 and 48. What if I pulled the modulator and removed the rod? Would that help?
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 03:34 PM
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no, rod has to stay, modulator won't work without it
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by 1 F150dude
Well i adjusted the modulator valve, and it did make a little bit of difference. It now shifts at 33 and 53. If i lift off the accelerater at the right moment, I can get it to shift at shift at 28 and 48. What if I pulled the modulator and removed the rod? Would that help?
Sounds like you have a vacuum problem. Either the line to the tranny has a leak, or there is something wrong with the engine. Lifting the gas pedal after revving the engine gives a large spike in the vacuum, and that makes it to the tranny modulator and it goes ahead and shifts.
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 04:51 PM
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Ok guys, I chased the problem down. Someone in their infinite wisdom replaced the steel vacuum line with a rubber one. I pulled one i had still attached to an old transmission, put new rubber lines on it and now it shifts at 15 and 20-25. The rubber line was sucking itself shut. Thanks for all your help guys.
 
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 04:56 PM
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Awesome, Good find!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~
 
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