Quick Background...

Im a computer tech, not a mechanic.
I bought this thing for $800.
Its a 92 V8 Sport Thunderbird in undercoat gray.. (paint job later!)
The previouse owner apparently put a "Transmition shifter kit" in it.... <rolls eyes>

Runs okay.. kinda.
Engine is sound, really strong, no issues.
Missing the smog pump so I had to run the belt in a funny way. But it works fine.

My issues is this.....
For a while it would not shift into 1st until the RPM was about 2k plus.
That would jerk the car obviously.
It whould clunk badly when shifted into Nutral or Reverse.
It wouldnt shift down into 1st when you stopped at a light. I had to shift it into 1st manualy and then into D once it was going.

Now, its lost Rev and Nutral.. creeps slowly forward in either setting.
It spins badly in 1st, which really annoys anyone behind me at lights... LOL
Once its up into 2nd and up its fine.
(im thinking one of the ourter rings is bad, or loose, in the Trany itself).

SO!
Since the kids are off school in a few days and I dont need to run the vehicle Im going to drop the Trans and take a look myself. If its bad, theres a few places that have replacement Trans for about $300.

Can anyone help me with dropping the trans?.
Whats the best approach.
What can I expect?.
What tools will I probably need?.
Any good guides?
(if no should i make one?)

Any thoughts appart from "Take it to a mechanic".

- Fraggle.

This post has been edited by Fraggle: May 29 2009, 09:51 AM

So it sounds like the "shift kit" wasn't installed correct at all. My suggestion would be to get a valve body from a junk yard. (shouldn't be too expensive) Make sure you tell them what kind of tranny you have.
As far what's next, you'd need to drain your tranny. The easiest way i can think of is to take the vacuum module off, it's just one bold on the pass/rear side of the tranny. Make sure you don't loose the rod that the module pushes on, it may come out with the module or it may stick in the tranny. Either way, don't loose it. Then you just have to pull the tranny pan, remove the valve body that's in there and install the replacement you got in there. There shouldn't be anything that'll fall to the ground when you take these off, but just keep an eye out as to where things are at before you take the valve body off.

You don't need to take the tranny out to do this, it sounds like the guy that put the shift kit in didn't put the check balls in the correct passages, or didn't put them in at all. He may have put incorrect springs in different locations too. All the shift kit is is 5 or 6 springs and new rubber check balls. (look like BB's they're pretty tiny).

Also make sure you're taking the whole valve body out, not just the cover to it, there's a top and bottom to the valve body, I want to say the bolts that mount the valve body are a little bigger than the ones that hold it together.

A $20 book on ford tranny's is a pretty good investment too, it's pretty straightforward to change valve bodies though, just drain it and swap it, will need a new pan gasket, and since your in there you may as well change the tranny fluid filter cuz that's on the valve body as well.

Jonas