So this nasty ass f@#ker of a storm has claimed a victim. Apparently this morning my mom was trying to get out of the driveway, which was plowed in with now frozen snow and ice. Had it in reverse and was trrying to get out. I woke up and came out to help...teh car was out of teh driveway but now sideways on the icy hill. I'm the one who always gets to drive teh cars in winter weather, so it was up to me to get it out of the way. This was easy...I put in in reverse again, gentle on the gas, and slowly backed out to teh opposite side of teh street. Then I put it in first and went down the hill then around the block.

Since the GM has snow tires I took it out to meet with my boss a few towns over. I park it in the lot and go to my meeting. I come out, put it in reverse, and...nothing...it's like I had it in park or neutral still. Repeated attempts to put it in gear proved futile. Naturally there was a Ranger parked in front of me...so my only option was to push the bloody thing on the icy parking lot backwards out of its space. Forward gears still worked so at least I got it out of there and to the mechanic, who confirmed my suspicion.

Transmission = f@#ked. And they say Chryslers have weak trannies...this makes 1 Ford and one Toyota to 0 Chryslers...so far anyway. What a day.

What do you do to your cars man?

Ford was never able to make a decent FWD automatic and wisely outsourced that to GM, but their RWDs were reliable if a bit clunky.

That sucks man! Those RWD cars and that trans are known to be reliable. Hopefully it's not too much $$$ for a rebuild.

That car had like a zillion miles, though, didn't it? Who knows how often the previous owner(s) serviced the tranny...

If you think you can do the work yourself, the rebuild kit for that transmission is about $100 at AutoZone.

That car had like a zillion miles, though, didn't it? Who knows how often the previous owner(s) serviced the tranny...

187,000 I don't know how well they serviced it. We had the tranny serviced when we bought it.

If you think you can do the work yourself, the rebuild kit for that transmission is about $100 at AutoZone.

I wish I knew how...I've never done something that complex, and I lack the tools to do it.

On the bright side, the forward gears are still good, so for now we just have to make sure not to park it where we need to back it up to get out.

Linkypoo

Haynes manual. Includes ste-by-step overhaul instructions. On something old and RWD (like your GM or my Buick) I imagine the toughest part would be getting the transmission out, unless you happen to have transmission jack and the ability to get your car far enough off the ground to get it out. I'm seriously considered rebuilding mine.

That is quite handy. It may be an option to look into. The tricky part is, like you said, getting that sucker out. And this is a Ford, so it's probably secured in some obscure, annoying, unnecessarily complex way...the Ford way!

187,000 I don't know how well they serviced it. We had the tranny serviced when we bought it.

Well that was your problem you probably had a fluid change right? and the fluid was dirty and gritty? that dirt and grit kept friction in the trans to keep it together. once you put fresh fluid in it its only a matter of time till the clutch plates don't grip and slip. after 100k its almost best not to touch the trans until it dies or add a lucas stop slip i seen it give 2 years of life to a blown lumina trans.

tranny work isnt hard just delicate and remember where everything went. just label everything!.

*has to keep in mind the labeling part*

*has to keep in mind the labeling part*

Agreed.

That still sucks though....

The Merc right? My Merc's tranny was in excellent condition when I had it.

Rebuilding a transmission isn't that complicated, just labor intensive. I would recommend working on a junk transmission first to familiarize yourself with the parts then helping someone else rebuild one before trying to do it yourself. Keep in mind many newer transmissions require special sockets to work on as well, which can be expensive. I think your best bet would be to find a used or rebuilt one with a warranty and just do the R&R yourself. Quicker, cheaper and you still get the satisfaction of doing the work yourself. That isn't to say you shouldn't learn how to fix a transmission, just that now isn't the best time for it.

That may be the way to go. I could always get a used one then hang onto this one and try rebuilding it. Right now the weather is too sucky to do that kind of work though...so hopefully it'll last until spring. At least our driveway is on a hill, so gravity can be my Reverse gear. for the time being.

The Merc right? My Merc's tranny was in excellent condition when I had it.

Yep, the Merc

The metric A.O-D. RWD trans. from that are re FAR better than

their FWd $h! but they're NOT bulletproof.... problems are quite

common actually,but usually aroud the 100K mark. Dodgefan

has like double that, as does my Suburban & Mercedes for the

record. Anyway, the $100 "rebuild kit" from Autozone is NOT

the solution here... trust me.

I know plenty of ballsy mofos that do ALL their own work but a

trans is something you outsource. An automatic trans. is by far

the most complex mechanical component in a car, modern or

otehrwise.... one thing I learned the hard way trying to rebuild

the carb. in the Banana Boat. Sux wasting time just to pay to

have it dome again by someone else cause you screwed it up.

Never again will I tear open a 4-bbl post-emissions carb. w/ the

intent of rebuilding it myself. That thing made the human

circulatory system look quite basic by comparison.

By the way, sorry about the phone cutting off. Ran out minutes. I gave up and pushed the car backwards rather than waiting for the truck in front of me to leave.

By the way, sorry about the phone cutting off. Ran out minutes. I gave up and pushed the car backwards rather than waiting for the truck in front of me to leave.

I know how that feels...

Always happens at the most inopportune times.

Yep.

Always happens at the most inopportune times.

That's true about everything, it seems.

I hear different things about Fords. At least it did get you home. It didnt leave you stranded. Sixty-eight is right too about emmissions era 4 barrel carburetors. Sounds like it was quite a jobg to rebuild mine in the Bonneville. Then it still took 2 places to get it so it worked right.

We've been living without reverse while still driving it. So long as you keep in mind that wherever you park you need to be able to pull forward out of, it's no big deal.

The tranny will get replaced eventually I'd imagine, but it's not my car to call the shots.

We've been living without reverse while still driving it. So long as you keep in mind that wherever you park you need to be able to pull forward out of, it's no big deal.

Been there... have the T-shirt. It's like when your starter is dead, and you have to park on a hill EVERYWHERE you go so you can pop the clutch to start it.

Has nothing to do with anything, but its actually a ticketable offense to drive a car that cannot go in reverse in some states... such as PA.

I'd like to know how the cop can ticket you for not having reverse when odds are he pulled you over going forward

I'd like to know how the cop can ticket you for not having reverse when odds are he pulled you over going forward

Wait... You've never ben pulled over by an angry cop

while traveling in reverse, at 40mph down an

abandoned set of railroad tracks, while your truck is

overheating and you have a couple dozen Nutria's

tied to your roof-rack from your most recent hunting

trip, while you're high on mushrooms, and there's a

couple naked girls in the truck with you...?

Amateurs.

By the way, sorry about the phone cutting off. Ran out minutes. I gave up and pushed the car backwards rather than waiting for the truck in front of me to leave.

It's all good.

When I snapped my Firebird's shifter cable

(it was 100% MY fault) I just locked the

trans in Drive, bypassed the neutral-safety

switch and drove around like that for a few

days, it got OLD real fast.

You can't always guarantee that some d!ck

will not block you in, or some unexpected

driving situation might come up where the

lack of reverse might put you in danger.

Good luck, there's a good chance Holland's

will sell you a giuaranteed used trans for

$150, my '68 Camaro's came out of a truck

and cost me only $100.

Of course it was a far cry from the built-up

and properlly set-up TH350 that came with

my Camaro's ZZ3-crate motor.

I'd like to know how the cop can ticket you for not having reverse when odds are he pulled you over going forward

I'm not saying its likely... I'm just sharing because it would have never occurred to me it could be illegal.

OTOH, I would say its a tip off when the cop sees you pushing the car backwards in the parking lot. Or in the middle of a K turn... blocking his way... to the orphanage hostage situation.