I just bought a 1990 Ford Crown Victoria LTD (1990). Replaced the shocks, transmission mount, radiator hoses and started to drive it. I put 150 miles on it in 2 days (Long commute). My transmission is now acting strange. I was able to do 75+ mph on highways, and the engine seemed to have power to spare. Now, I can only do 50 or 55 Mph. It seems like it is shifting through 1st and 2nd gear without problems, but then seems to completely miss 3rd gear and go into neutral, causing the engine to rev without affecting my speed. When I use the shift lever and go into "1" I'm in first gear, when I go to "D" it seems to go to 1st and 2nd, then neutral. If, while I'm doing 50-55 mph, and I shift to neutral, the engine and car feel the same. There is also a soft "tinkling" sound, as if something is lightly striking a fan blade. I cannot see anything. Only thing I did was yesterday, before I had this problem, was to hop onto a low city sidewalk from a driveway ramp to let an ambulance pass me. I didn't hear anything, and didn't notice this until I was back on the highway later. I'm wondering if anyone has seen this before and/or has suggestions as to what might be wrong / how to troubleshoot it. Thanks Jon

I'd suggest running the front end up on a pair of car ramps, then checking the transmission linkage and any associated wiring. When you ran up on the curb, it's possible you knocked something lose, or bent the linkage rods. Just a thought..

The linkage could only be bent, therefore not allowing it to shift through the whole range of gears. Just put it up on ramps and see if anything is loose, bent, or disconnected. You might also check your fluid level in your transmission, and look for any leaks. If not, all you've lost is a little time, and ruled out a couple possibilities.

Have you checked the grommet on the tv rod. Its made of rubber and by now will be ready to fall apart. Get a brass replacement from the dealer for about $2. This will cause the problems you're describing it will also burn up your transmission in a matter of minutes. You will lose gears starting with 4th and working its way down.

I think that was the problem. I had to have the transmission rebuilt - 3rd and 4th gear were trashed. Jon