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ah crap, help me diagnose my transmission?

H

hbar

Member
"AzPete" said:
Couple of other sites...read all the way thru them.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vintage-mustang-forum/345767-c4-kickdown-cable-adjustment-66-289-a.html
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/classic-tech/175981-do-i-need-kickdown-cable-c4.html
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/662844-another-c4-kickdown.html
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That 2nd one is perfect. I'd swear somebody told me the kickdown cable was for downshifting, so I didn't search for kickdown cable adjustments. =)
 
H

hbar

Member
The cable was plenty loose, it is not the issue. I replaced the last bit of vacuum line at the modulator, we'll see if that does the trick.

if not, any more ideas?
 
H

hbar

Member
Ok, that didn't fix it. It might even be worse. Early on in this thread, I mentioned that it sort of over revved going into 2nd. I swear it didn't do that 2 nights ago, but it is back again. It's like if you were driving a manual, and you gave it a little too much gas while on the clutch during a shift. It is *right* at the point where the 1-2 shift should be. The 2-3 shift is still not there.

For kicks, from a dead stop I put my foot on the floor, hoping I could unstick something or who knows what. Same deal, only at around 45-50mph. That tells me that the modulator and cable are all working properly. I did smell a burnt smell when I pulled into the driveway, which was only about 45 seconds later. So I'm thinking maybe the clutches are in need of replacement? That's just a guess, though.

.....there's a 351C & C6 on Craigslist for $300, maybe I should just upgrade after all.
 
S

sigtauenus

Active Member
If you want a 351C and a C6, that's fine. But realize this is not as simple as buying some parts on Craigslist for $300 and putting it together. Unless that $300 deal comes with every part and bracket/mount that you need and is not missing anything to make it run smooth.

If you are considering this to avoid fixing a C-4, I recommend you just get the C-4 fixed. The last C-4 I had rebuilt I had it done "over the counter," meaning I did the removal and reinstall to avoid paying that associated labor, dropped it off at the transmission shop, picked it up and was out the door with a rebuilt transmission and new torque converter for under $700.

You may not actually need a rebuild though. Take the car to a reputable shop and have them drive it and diagnose the problem. If something just needs adjusted, a reputable shop will just make the adjustment and you are out 1 hour labor or whatever.

If you didn't have a bad smell before, but you do now after doing your little test, it sounds like you may be doing more damage trying to figure this out yourself than just paying for a diagnosis from somebody who knows what they are doing.
 
H

hbar

Member
"sigtauenus" said:
If you want a 351C and a C6, that's fine. But realize this is not as simple as buying some parts on Craigslist for $300 and putting it together. Unless that $300 deal comes with every part and bracket/mount that you need and is not missing anything to make it run smooth.
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Yeah, I know, that's more work than I'm ready to undertake. The burn in all of this is that the rebuild was done by a reputable shop 3+ years ago. It has a lifetime warranty (I'm not sure what that actually covers), but you have to bring it in to get checked out like a month after they've done the work. Well in that month, I took some stuff apart, got busy, etc....never got to take it back in to put that lifetime warranty into effect. I may just have to break down and bring it in.

hbar==> :shee <== transmission shop
 
S

sigtauenus

Active Member
Take it back to them and at least ask. The guy who did my transmission has a 65 Coupe. He understands doing a project and having the car down for awhile.
 
Horseplay

Horseplay

I Don't Care. Do you?
Donator
One nice thing about C4 transmissions is they are everywhere. Just about anybody who works on Fords has one or more laying around. If you don't want to take yours in for work you should be able to find one fairly cheap (or even free) locally. Ask around.
 
H

hbar

Member
&quot;Horseplay&quot; said:
One nice thing about C4 transmissions is they are everywhere. Just about anybody who works on Fords has one or more laying around. If you don't want to take yours in for work you should be able to find one fairly cheap (or even free) locally. Ask around.
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Seems like a decent plan would be for me to take it to the shop and see what they want to fix it. If it's expensive, there's a guy north of town who has an allegedly working C4 for $150. I could put that one in the car, and on the side, tear the current one apart. As complicated as these things are, the rebuild process doesn't seem too terribly difficult/expensive. Do I need to be worried about 24 vs. 26 spline shafts if I go that route?
 
Horseplay

Horseplay

I Don't Care. Do you?
Donator
You just want to make sure it matches up to the one you are pulling out to make it a simple swap.

Are you involved in any local car clubs or such? Know where car guys may hang out on the weekends? I'm not lying when I say lots of us have C4s sitting around. I have one right now just taking up space I would be glad to just give away (Chicago area). $150 seems a bit high to me. Offer up a lesser number if you think it really is an operable trans. He'll probably take it.
 
H

hbar

Member
&quot;Horseplay&quot; said:
You just want to make sure it matches up to the one you are pulling out to make it a simple swap.

Are you involved in any local car clubs or such? Know where car guys may hang out on the weekends? I'm not lying when I say lots of us have C4s sitting around. I have one right now just taking up space I would be glad to just give away (Chicago area). $150 seems a bit high to me. Offer up a lesser number if you think it really is an operable trans. He'll probably take it.
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I'm not really hooked up with any clubs, but there are plenty of people here w/in 10 miles of me, none of whom are volunteering their services or wares. :shrug He's actually asking $200...if it were a guitar I'd offer $150 and he'd take it, I don't know what the CL markup is on transmissions. Maybe he'd take $100...I guess I could offer.
 
66gt350

66gt350

Active Member
&quot;Horseplay&quot; said:
I'm not lying when I say lots of us have C4s sitting around. I have one right now just taking up space...
Click to expand...

Agreed. I have 2 sitting under the bench.
 
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