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Discussion Topic:
Why is our Fordomatic not shifting well ?
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supereal |
10-25-2009 @ 9:08 AM
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Senior
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Grant: As I recall, one of the critical adjustments is the bands, which must be performed with the special tool shown in your manual. I don't know of any substitute for this curious kind of torque limited wrench. The first time I pulled a Ford-O-Matic apart, it scared the you-know-what out of me. They turned out to be a sturdy transmission, after all, certainly better than the two speed GM Powerglide, which was the main competitor. I continue to be amazed at how well and long today's automatic transmissions work trouble free. The 400 series HydraMatic and the Allison are undustry standards.
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Grant |
10-25-2009 @ 6:29 AM
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Good morning, Dale, We live about 100 miles east of Detroit, near London Ontario. The only old-time tranny shop in our area that I know if is Ardal Transmission. Regards, Grant
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Dale Fairfax |
10-24-2009 @ 5:38 PM
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Grant: You don't say where you are. Location can be quite relevant to finding the "expert". I might recommend one only to find he's 1000 miles from you.
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Grant |
10-24-2009 @ 5:09 PM
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Thanks, Supereal. As per my original inquiry on this Forum, I have the Ford factory manual and did see the rather complicated procedure recommendations and the Ford tools required ..... as well as the photos ..... obviously these procedures are intended for a trained transmission service techician rather than a backyard hobbyist like me. If careful tinkering with the linkage doesn't improve matters, I think the car will go into storage for the winter as it is, and next spring we will visit the old-time-transmission-guys. Regards, Grant
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supereal |
10-23-2009 @ 1:56 PM
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Grant: I did dig out the Ford-O-Matic manual and see that the linkage check and adjustment is a quite complicated eight step process requiring at least two special tools and a pressure gauge. If you like, I can copy that section and snail mail it to you. The adjustments are made with a tachometer, a degree measuring device (protractor scale), and a pressure gauge attached to a port that is sealed with a pipe plug. The linkage is in two sections: one is set by the shift lever on the steering column (P-R-N-Dr-Lo), while the actual control of the shift points is delegated to the throttle position link in relation to the governor. If you can't see any obvious problems with either end of the throttle link, any further investigation is probably best left to an expert. We don't do more than remove and replace automatics, as we have an excellent local independent shop that does all types of this work. I wish I could be more helpful.
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supereal |
10-23-2009 @ 11:09 AM
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Grant: I am at the shop today, but when I get home, I'll see if I can find the linkage protocol. Anything that allows "slop" in the system can throw the control off. As my friend, Alan, says, be sure that anyone or shop actually has seen the inside of a Ford-O-Matic. The franchised repair shops, at least around here, send plenty of mistakes to us to fix. Recently, we had a Toyota where they had tried to replace the belt tensioner, but twisted off the mounting bolt in the aluminum block, then compounded the error by breaking off a hardened bit in the stub when they drilled it to use an "easy out". We extracted the stub, but the tab was a bit over $200. Not cheap, but better than a $4,000 engine block replacement! Independent shops are not always pretty, or well advertised, but those who have survived usually do so on years of experience. A good place to ask about them is most NAPA and other "old line" parts places.
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Grant |
10-23-2009 @ 10:44 AM
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Thanks to one and all for the replies. I did suspect that something other than linkage could be the problem. There is one old-time transmission shop left in our area. If necessary, I'll take the car there. Can anyone recommend a correct procedure for adjusting the linkage ? Is it possible that there are worn-out grommets involved ? Grant
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ford38v8 |
10-23-2009 @ 8:02 AM
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Grant, by "Expert", I'm sure Supereal doesn't mean a franchise transmission shop. Find a reputable shop in which the mechanics are old enough to have worked on '53's in their past.
Alan
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supereal |
10-23-2009 @ 7:56 AM
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There are several reason why shifting is off. I checked my Ford-O-Matic manual "troubleshooting", and it mentions freeplay and/or misalignment of the shifting linkage, the governor, which is located on the output shaft, and a dirty valve body. The throttle to transmission linkage is also suspect. Of all of these possibilities, I'd suspect the governor, but you can check the linkage without any disassembly. A hard shift is usually throttle linkage, although the pressure regulator can cause it, as well. Be very cautious about putting anything but the proper fluid in the transmission, as they commonly affect the operation of the bands and are not advised. If you can't find an obvious problem, such as the linkage, it is time to hand the job over to an expert before irreversable damage is caused.
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Grant |
10-23-2009 @ 7:12 AM
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Thanks, Scott. I will check that.
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