Got my 69 started (for the first time I might add) and all is well there. No on to getting it to move!!! Car has a TH400, and it seems as though the shift cable is operating okay, but I can't feel the transmission shift or hear it do anything. I'm going to check the fluid tommorrow, but was wondering if there was anything else I should check. I'm okay with working on a motor, just not really familiar with transmissions. Any web sites I should check out?

Thanks for any advice or help.

Zappa1

It should shift on its own if there's enough fluid. If it's a 350 it will have a kickdown cable. If it's a 400 it's a switch. No cable, I think. Either way, they're not necessary to shift. If there isn't enough fluid, it may not engage into first and will have trouble shifting from there. Run the motor for a few minutes now that you can Add fluid a 1/2 or full quart at a time until you get a correct reading on the dipstick. Make sure you do this in park of course.

P.S. I am pretty sure both types require engine vacuum as well. This connects to the modulator valve on the tranmission.

Frank (Zappa!!)

You've got a hard-metal linkage issue, in my opinion. Should be no problem for the car to shift into forward gear coming out of the garage unless there is a rigid shifting disconnect somewhere.

Even without enough fluid, vacuuum, etc, you should be able to shift the tranny into forward gear and move it for a while down the driveway.

Luckily, there are a bunch of automatic gurus here that will clear this up for you rather quickly.

My TH350 was rebuilt and then sat for 7 years. It took a couple of days to get it back to where it would shift right. In fact, it took a few minutes at first to get the car to move when I first got it started. As long as it has fluid in it you won't hurt anything as far as I know. Have patience and put it in drive and wait for the clutches to engage. Then just take it easy on it and let it get used to doing what it's supposed to.

My TH350 was rebuilt and then sat for 7 years. It took a couple of days to get it back to where it would shift right. In fact, it took a few minutes at first to get the car to move when I first got it started. As long as it has fluid in it you won't hurt anything as far as I know. Have patience and put it in drive and wait for the clutches to engage. Then just take it easy on it and let it get used to doing what it's supposed to.

Thanks,

I checked the fluid this morning before work. Dry as a bone!!!! I'm going to add some this afternoon and see what happens. Where does the vacuum line hook up? Can I get to it from underneath the car? Thanks a bunch.

Zappa1

Frank...This does not sound good! The trans fluid should have been checked before you fired it up...Running the trans "dry as a bone" could have caused internal damage. My concern would be the pump for starters.

remember to check with the vehicle running in park and warm.. fill the fluid up to the regular fill line then start it up and let it warm up.. then check again..the fluid should have dropped a bit then you can fill to the full line.. keep in mind the area between the marks is only half a quart not a full quart as in the motor dipstick

Also, if the torque converter was new/dry it will take a few quarts as well. Should also have been prefilled when installed, at least partially. Maybe 12-15 total depending on the tranny.

The vacuum hooks up to the vacuum modulator. That is a round cylinder with a vacuum pipe sticking out of the end. It is located on the passanger side of the transmission, just forward of the pan and a little bit above it. You can reach it from underneath but you will need the car supported high enough to get underneath. The vacuum modulator doesn't need to be connected for the transmission to shift into gear.

With an automatic transmission, the engine couples power to the driveshaft through the torque converter. There is no direct mechanical connection like there is through a clutch. The power is transfered through the fluid in the torque converter. You can think of it as two fans facing each other. If you spin one fan, the other will spin from the energy coupled through the air movement. In the instance of a torque converter, power couples from one fan blade to the other through the fluid. So, if you don't have fluid in there, you can't get the car to move!

There is also a pump in the transmission. The pump provides hydraulic pressure to operate the clutch packs. Without enough fluid, the pump won't build pressure. The clutch packs won't engage.

The fluid level is pretty important for an automatic transmission. It's purpose is much more than just lubrication. Don't overfill or underfill.

Thanks for all the help here on the transmission. Even though I did get the car running, I only ran it for about two minutes. It is so **** loud because 1)it has straight pipes and 2) there is a terrible exhaust leak. I don't know why I didn't think to check the fluid before I got it fired up, but I didn't. Actually, I was pretty surprised when it started. My concern is that the previous owners let it run for a long time and never thought to check the fluid. I sent them an e-mail and they said "if that is all that was wrong, I will kick myself." Man, if they sold this car because they couldn't get it to move and were worried about an expensive transmission problem, oh well! Their loss, my gain.

Do they have any relatives also selling classic cars?

No relatives that I know of, but that's a good idea to ask.

I dropped the pan and changed out the filter and gasket (even though the gasket and filter actually looked pretty solid). I put in 4 quarts of fluid and let it warm up. Nothing. I continued putting in fluid, 1 quart at a time. After four more quarts, the fluid started bubbling back out of the fill tube and I lost about a quart. But, lo and behold, the car moved!! I kept playing with the linkage until I thought I had it right, but there is still no "click" when the transmission engages. But it did go forward and backwards, and the brakes even worked to stop the car with no problem.

What are the positions of the selector shaft on the transmission in regards to the position of the shifter? It seems like the shaft should be turned as far as it will go in a counter-clockwise direction to get it in park. Is that correct? My linkage is really loose and I need to get it adjusted and connected properly. Any help?

Thanks,
Zappa1

Hey Zappa, sorry I didn't check back sooner, did you figure this one out? Park should be all the way to the rear of the vehicle.. ( clockwise ) it is exactly opposite of the shifter.

Dave