Another bum transmission, what should I do?

[sxcpotatoes]

Okay, here's what I think I'm going to do:

1. Since consensus is the Mustang tranny is possibly good for now (guy said fluid looked good), even with a pan coated in clutch material, since it did go through all the gears, and was probably set up for harder 1-2 shifts, I'm going to tell them 'put it in' 1st thing on Monday. It'll be done Monday or Tuesday.

May have them start it up sans exhaust (open headers) just to put the rest of the tranny fluid in if it won't take too long (if I do that, I will want to be there to get vid of open header running).

2. I'll have it towed to the exhaust shop and the 2.5" duals done, then have it towed back afterwards for final transmission adjustment. Then I'm driving it.

I won't be beating on this car or drag racing it until I can afford a transmission rebuild and more, even though it is the third car in my driveway and basically a spare as my dad is driving my '99, & I use the other '91 sparingly.

I may be interested in buying your $300 transmission, BerniniCaCO3, for my blue car that the OD band is completely fried (screams at you on 3-2 downshift, etc, unless you run it in D all the time). Or I could pick up that tranny for a spare in case I burn up this one, and if I kill that one, I'd bite the bullet & have a full rebuild done... it'd be at least a month until I have the spare cash though.

I'll write down what they tell me goes in the tranny with a rebuild right after I talk to them Monday, and post it here. I'm working so much overtime, I may be able to afford 2 or 3 tranny rebuilds this summer (not that I want to be in that position!).

Thanks, everybody. I appreciate all the help, and since I put the plates on the car and added it to my insurance on my birthday (May 8th & I'm on vacation this week) I want to be able to drive it. I'm NOT going to be street racing it or anything too stupid. Maybe some burnouts in empty parking lots after I can afford the new transmission.

Plenty of pics and vids to come in the readers' rides section, I'm sure!

[BerniniCaCO3]

"A Lincoln trans won't fit unless you get a 2 door Lincoln Mark 6 driveshaft."

...or cut down your stock driveshaft, twice, like I did! That was frustrating, embarrassing, and expensive.
fyi, tailshaft is 1" longer on the trans from a lincoln or a "police mustang" (apparently where mine came from), BUT, if you do it, the driveshaft needs to be 1.5" shorter. It's at an angle and 1" won't cut it. 1-5/8" is even advisable.

[gadget73]

i always found the mix and match transmission thing curious. Lincoln guys are always trying to stick Ford transmissions in, and sometimes they use the spacers to do it halfass right. Ford guys find Lincoln transmissions all the time, and then make them fit. Why is it the proper transmission for your vehicle is never the one thats available?

[sxcpotatoes]

i always found the mix and match transmission thing curious. Lincoln guys are always trying to stick Ford transmissions in, and sometimes they use the spacers to do it halfass right. Ford guys find Lincoln transmissions all the time, and then make them fit. Why is it the proper transmission for your vehicle is never the one thats available?

Murphy's Law of Transmissions? Probably because when you need a transmission it's a 'right now' kind of thing for most people. I looked on Craigslist, and there were some available between $150 & $400, but I don't want to play craigs-roulette this time.

I used the search tool on car-part.com for the entire state of Ohio, and the results for Mustang/Mark7/GM-CV totalled exactly 4/9/10. The mustang transmissions were too far away or were like $350 with a leaking front seal, and the 10 GM-CV trannies
6 were out of '92s (probably some erroneous listings) with 4 of the various prices being listed as "$Call" which I really don't like. If they can't price it on the website, I'm not calling to find out they want too much for it.

Ford motors and trannies don't last long at all in the pull-a-parts around here. When I was looking for the trans tube & dipstick I couldn't find shit at the local yard. I still don't have a dipstick & tube for this tranny! (have to rely on the shop to hook me up and hope they have one lying around cheap) I did find out that the blue CV that's in my junkyard pics has a manufacture date of 6/91, which means it may be one of the earliest '92s built, and it was definitely a bastard block, but the tranny was gone when I popped the hood.

[nfldfordltd]

i always found the mix and match transmission thing curious. Lincoln guys are always trying to stick Ford transmissions in, and sometimes they use the spacers to do it halfass right. Ford guys find Lincoln transmissions all the time, and then make them fit. Why is it the proper transmission for your vehicle is never the one thats available?

When I put the Ford transmission in my Lincoln, the driveshaft was still too long, if you can believe it. I had a sonofabitch of a time getting the driveshaft in after the transmission was in. The only change was the Ford transmission, in theory it should have been plenty short to go in. I had a rough time getting the driveshaft out of there when the original Lincoln transmission came out too.
Hope it never has to come out anymore!

[zoomie]

hey mang i can find you a trans locally here your not that far from me, and if your shop is rebuilding just a stock stle rebuild 13-1500 is waay to much

[86VickyLX]

Had mine rebuilt for $999.00 in and out within 2 business days...

[sxcpotatoes]

hey mang i can find you a trans locally here your not that far from me, and if your shop is rebuilding just a stock stle rebuild 13-1500 is waay to much

The 1300-1500 was for a complete rebuild with shift kit and probably upgraded valve body + new shift arm or whatever. I'm a 4-hour drive out from Cincy, one way.

They can have it rebuilt in a day (probably installed the next), but I can't afford a rebuild, and exhaust right now, and I've already put the car 'on the road' with plates and insurance.

The Mustang trans I got from 1980c10 did shift through all the gears, and as far as I know, the only possible concern is if he killed it sometime between when I picked up the car and when I went back for the trans. (Or *me* being too hard on it & killing it after I have it installed)

[sxcpotatoes]

Further news!

1. Transmission went in, they started it up to put some of the fluid in, 8qts or whatever, they said they ran it for about a minute & it wasn't very loud with open headers (probably because it was just idling). Sent dad with $$$ to pay for it. $358.

2. Had it towed to the exaust place, and it's in right now. The guy was really great about working it in, and he called me to ask me how I want the exhaust run.

(He just called again to ask if I had any collectors/exhaust flanges for it. "No" whoops I'm sure he'll manage something)

I may have the car back early/late tomorrow, though the guy mentioned he didn't see the wires for the O2 sensors, so I told him just to put them in and I'll figure out hooking them up later.

Another issue... 'something may be messed up with the wiring' is what the trans shop told me, the key doesn't engage the starter, so 'it may need a neutral safety switch' because they had to jump the solenoid to get it started.

Tomorrow, it'll get towed back to the tranny shop for final fill/adjust, and then I'll get some vids and stuff! Can't wait!

[gadget73]

make sure the harness down to the trans isnt crusty. seen the pins get shitty in there before and cause that problem.

[sxcpotatoes]

make sure the harness down to the trans isnt crusty. seen the pins get shitty in there before and cause that problem.

Thanks for the tip gadget73, I'll check it out when I get it home and start poking about to fix the Oxygen sensor wiring, and those gauge illumination wires I should've wired to the switch.

[1980c10]

Sorry just saw this thread. The tranny was still working perfect right before I pulled it into the shop. It was rebuilt around 2000 and to tell you the truth it's only had about 8,000 miles since then. And I'm not sure if he fluid was every changed after the rebuild so it may have been clutch material from brand new clutches. Idk hope it works
Out for you.

[88Vic]

My father-in-law is gonna have his buddy rebuild my AOD, since he works at a Ford dealer. I have to take the transmission out of my car, get it there and back and reinstall it but he'll do a stock rebuild for the cost of the rebuild kit, no labor charge. This won't be for a while since it still has plenty of life left but it'll get an external aux cooler and shift improver as well, should cost me about 300 bucks. Also I figure why throw a fresh AOD onto an aged weak lopo? The rebuilt AOD will come when a new powerplant is ready, which the plan is a mild Explorer engine.

[sxcpotatoes]

Sorry just saw this thread. The tranny was still working perfect right before I pulled it into the shop. It was rebuilt around 2000 and to tell you the truth it's only had about 8,000 miles since then. And I'm not sure if he fluid was every changed after the rebuild so it may have been clutch material from brand new clutches. Idk hope it works
Out for you.

Tomorrow's the moment of truth. I'm actually not that worried about it, based on what I've learned from this thread.

The transmission shop showed me it and said the fluid definitely looked GOOD. But they also showed me the pan seal looked old, like it was reused? The pan was completely coated in clutch material, but someone had chimed in that they had one like that and it was fine. I rode in the car and it did shift through all the gears fine, I think they may have been looking to scare me into a full rebuild, & make some real money instead of $350 for a used install.

I'll be picking it up tomorrow, and driving it home and then working on the wiring. Does anybody know where the Oxygen sensor wiring is normally? That's one of the first things I have to tackle, after the 'doesn't start with key, have to jump the solenoid' issue.

I may get the painted tranny rebuilt this summer (as I'll be working a ton of overtime), or I could just let this one go until I kill it. Maybe it can't be killed! We'll see.

[1980c10]

Hmmmm. It wouldn't start from the key for me last time either, I figured it was because I painted the NSS and it couldn't make contact. The o2's go down the back of the engine in the bell housing area iirc. Also I am 100% confident the trans will be fine, I think they where just trying to get more money out of you.