no third gear problem--help

[stanger66]

To give what is going on, My wife bought me the car from my friend and it sat in garage for 6 yrs never started or driven just sat in storage. I have had the car for 2 yrs. Finally got the car started about 1 yr later and had to add 3 quarts of trans fluid to move it. I drove it about around 300 miles. The last time I drove it was in sept. '05. The 2nd to last time I drove it I went to Va. about 120 miles round trip. Took to work next day and no 3rd gear engaging. It has C4 trans. Do you think it sat for so long that fluid dried up and clogged up something. I got a trans kit for it (pan leaking). I was thinking of doing a trans flush at work doing installing the kit and doing trans flush again. Do you think that would work or should I rebuild trans.

[Gearhead999]

Check the vacumn modulator first. Then you might have a valve stuck in the valve body.

[okiedragster]

if it is a stuck valve in the valve body from tarnish buildup, there is a additive you can buy called lube gard http://www.transmissioncenter.net/lubegard.htm ive used this before and its pretty good stuff you can get it at most NAPA stores. you can also try some stuff at NAPA called sea foam that works good too. if these dont work for ya id be lookin for a good tranny shop...later

[stanger66]

Ok guys,

This is what I have done so far, I did a trans flush replace the pan gasket/filter and when I looked in trans didnt see any slug and it was clean like brand new (valve body) so I did another trans flush and added the lube modifer. I also had check the valve modulator for vaccuum and no vaccuum loss. I driven it for two weeks and still have no third gear. Should I just take it to the trans shop.

My friend heard there is something different with my c-4 than others something about a green dot trans what ever that is.
Do you know what he is talking about?

ross

[thecerealcommie]

Cruise o Matic C4s, called dual-range C4s, have an odd drive gear selection. The order goes P - R - N - D2(Small Dot)- D1(Large Dot)- L, where small dot is called "rain gear", and the car starts in 2nd gear and shifts to 3rd. Large Dot is 1 -2-3, where you would normally drive. You might be driving it in D2(small Dot) and mistaking the 2nd to 3rd shift as the 1st to 2nd.

Just a thought.

[stanger66]

now with the shifter I put it in the first drive position I come to
I have even tried putting in the small dot and doesnt shift at all.
Now I was wondering there is a cable that links up to the gas pedal and it has slack in it would that have anything to do with. but it goes from the gas pedal linkage to the side of the trans. should I take the slack out of it. My shifter goes p-n-r-big dot-small green dot-L.

ross

[Rev]

That's the detent linkage. It causes a downshift when you floor rhe accelerator. It shouldn't have anything to do with the 2-3 upshift. I had a similar problem once. It was a stuck valve in the valve body. You can take that out yourself, disassemble , and check for the stuck valve. That's what I did and was able to free up the valve myself and restore proper shifting. I recommend getting the Ford shop manual if you attempt the fix yourself. You can do that without removing the trans from the car. Good luck on it. Any trans shop should be able to clean up the valve body for not too much $$$ I would think, but then they might also try to make you go for a complete rebuild.

Rev

[stanger66]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the help I feel like an idiot I have been driving in the (rain/snow gear) for about 9 mos now and didnt know about it. I so used to newer cars where if you put it in the first drive gear on the selector that it will use all gears. I didnt realize that the green dot selector was for all gears at the second notch down below neutral.
This is my first cruise o matic c4 or any c4 period. It shifts perfectly nice a quick.

Thanks for your help,

ross

Ps Thank god I didnt need to rebuild trans toooooo much money.

[Rev]

Whew! Glad it was that simple. For years, Ford always thought people would want to start out in 2nd gear for "smooth" starts. Starting in '51, the first "Ford-O-Matic", you had to manually select low to start in 1st gear and then shift to drive to get all 3 gears. I know my mothers '54 Ford was like that. My '56 was like that too, but would down shift to low at the start if you floored the accelerator. The '65-66 C-4 "Cruise-O-Matic" like ours had the two dots, large and small, to let people choose what gear to start out in. You now know all about that.

Rev

[Rev]

I was thinking about this post today. I sometimes use my G-Tech Pro to test for changes in horsepower/torque after engine mods. When I do this, I want a very long RPM run in the same gear with no wheel spin. The way I do it, is to put the selector on th small green dot, assuring a start in 2nd gear. Since I'm doing a 0-6000 Rpm run (90 in 2nd or there abouts), I look closely at my radar detector and visually as well to try to avoid "federales" (what they call the federal police in Mexico and now a generic term for police in general as used by some old Texans). After starting out on the small dot and running up to 50 or so, I have to put it back down to low while still at WOT to hold that 2nd gear. It won't shift into 3rd untill I put it back into drive (either dot). That allows me to do a 600 RPM - 6000 RPM test on my G-Tech. It won't be very fast for et or anything else since the whole run was in 2nd gear. It does give a fairly good hp/torque graph for existing conditions on the G-Tech.

Remember though that the hp/torque figures from the G-Tech include losses for tire friction, wheel bearing friction, all drive train friction and aereodynamic losses. Anyway, I did think about this thread while I used my Cruise-O-Matic dual range to start out full throttle in 2nd and hold it there to 6000 RPM.

Rev

[rwhite65]

Rev-
I have a fairly new g-tech sitting in the box down stairs. My buddy bought it then never used it, so it has found its way down here. Maybe I need to get it out this year and play
Ryan

[Rev]

I use mine fairly often. I had an old model that was a slight PITA because you had to level it to be able to use it. I now have the newer model that has 3 accelerometers and does't require leveling. It's also very close to actual 1/4 mile runs. That's alot better than the old one. I've actually tested it at the drag strip and compared the results to the time slip. They were very close (within a few %).

The newer model also lets you download the data to the computer and print out results if you want . In short, I feel that I've made fairly good use of mine over the last several years. You really should get it out a play with it since you already have it.

Rev