macc Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 I’m having problems with my transmission getting in gear, both drive and reverse. When I put it in drive or reverse it doesn’t kick in like it’s supposed to do. If I give it gas there is a delay before it will start moving forward or reverse. I’ve noticed that with higher RPM’s it will engage faster but still not the way it’s supposed to be. Once the car is rolling it accelerates just fine. But will do it again when I come to a stop. I checked the fluid and it reads full. I tried to do a search on this forum but didn’t find anything related to the problems I’m experiencing. I’m hoping someone here might be able to shed some light for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 I’ve made this mistake more times than I should. I measure fluid levels wrong. Let me suggest you drive the car for ten minutes or so and park the car on a level surface with the engine still running. Now check the transmission fluid. If you’ve already done it the way I suggest then I’m sorry to have used up your time . Best of luck. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macc Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 41 minutes ago, Turbinator said: I’ve made this mistake more times than I should. I measure fluid levels wrong. Let me suggest you drive the car for ten minutes or so and park the car on a level surface with the engine still running. Now check the transmission fluid. If you’ve already done it the way I suggest then I’m sorry to have used up your time . Best of luck. Turbinator Thanks for the advice. I did just that this afternoon and fluid level was fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 The front pump is starting to go bad. Get it fixed NOW before it ends up costing you more $$$ in the end. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 Once warm the transmission will go into gear without hesitation? Hesitation only when cold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macc Posted April 8, 2022 Author Share Posted April 8, 2022 10 minutes ago, avgwarhawk said: Once warm the transmission will go into gear without hesitation? Hesitation only when cold? Warm or cold it hesitates to go into gear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macc Posted April 8, 2022 Author Share Posted April 8, 2022 23 minutes ago, telriv said: The front pump is starting to go bad. Get it fixed NOW before it ends up costing you more $$$ in the end. Tom T. I’m guessing this pump is inside the transmission. Does the transmission and motor have to be separated I order to replace it? Thanks 🙏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 What type filters do these years Dynaflow have? Could be plugged and starving the pump and hydraulic circuits. A fluid and filter change is a quick and simple solution. If it still malfunctions after that you need a Dynaflow exorcist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 Listen to Tom T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 1 hour ago, rocketraider said: What type filters do these years Dynaflow have? Could be plugged and starving the pump and hydraulic circuits. A fluid and filter change is a quick and simple solution. If it still malfunctions after that you need a Dynaflow exorcist. Sir, the DynaFlow I have has no filter. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 IF there were filters they were the screen type & don't usually get clogged. Just remove the trans. Follow the instructions in the chassis manual. Be careful on removing the bolts that hold the flexplate to the converter. Mark everything upon removal to make sure everything goes back in the same location. Don't rely on memory. More than likely the front pump plate along with the pump gears are worn out from age/time/mileage. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macc Posted April 8, 2022 Author Share Posted April 8, 2022 (edited) On 4/7/2022 at 8:32 PM, telriv said: IF there were filters they were the screen type & don't usually get clogged. Just remove the trans. Follow the instructions in the chassis manual. Be careful on removing the bolts that hold the flexplate to the converter. Mark everything upon removal to make sure everything goes back in the same location. Don't rely on memory. More than likely the front pump plate along with the pump gears are worn out from age/time/mileage. Tom T. Sounds like it’s a pretty involved job. Something I’m not in the position of doing at the moment. I was hoping it would be an easier job. I’m in the middle of moving from California to Texas. Looks like I’ll be removing my transmission when I get settled in Texas 🤦♂️Thanks so much Edited April 9, 2022 by macc (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 9 hours ago, macc said: Warm or cold it hesitates to go into gear Front pump going bad. If you have the manual it explains checking the pump pressure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 10 hours ago, macc said: I’m guessing this pump is inside the transmission. Does the transmission and motor have to be separated I order to replace it? Thanks 🙏 The transmission will need to come out. At this juncture a complete rebuild would be best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macc Posted April 9, 2022 Author Share Posted April 9, 2022 This morning I decided to drain a couple of quarts from the transmission, 2 actually, and add some fresh fluid. The old fluid was pretty dirty. Took it for a test drive and after about 10 mins it was back to normal again. I’ll have to take it on a few more drives and see how she does. Seeing how dirty the fluid was I think I’ll just drain all of it and replace it with fresh fluid. I don’t doubt a complete rebuild is in my future, everything on this car is original and untouched. Except for the things I’ve had to replace that broke. Lol but hopefully I can keep this old girl running just a little longer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 Someone with more savvy than I have can tell everyone what they think of this. A guy I know says that a complete transmission fluid change can be accomplished by undoing the transmission line going from the trans to the cooler in the bottom of the transmission, run the car and replace the old fluid coming from the line with new fluid through the filler tube. Watch for the color change, then reconnect the transmission line and top off the fluids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 "Transmission flush and fill" is a common enough procedure in modern service departments. No reason it can't work on an older unit. Still think, filter or no, a fluid change might help this Dynaflow. 2 quarts of fresh fluid has already made an improvement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 2 hours ago, macc said: This morning I decided to drain a couple of quarts from the transmission, 2 actually, and add some fresh fluid. The old fluid was pretty dirty. Took it for a test drive and after about 10 mins it was back to normal again. I’ll have to take it on a few more drives and see how she does. Seeing how dirty the fluid was I think I’ll just drain all of it and replace it with fresh fluid. I don’t doubt a complete rebuild is in my future, everything on this car is original and untouched. Except for the things I’ve had to replace that broke. Lol but hopefully I can keep this old girl running just a little longer. You just don't know. Do a complete drain and fill. Drain the convertor as well. The manual has the procedure. Also, I add some Lucas Transmission Stop Slip to mine. It helps keep prime when the car sits for a few weeks. Got nothing to lose at this point. Two quarts made a difference! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 I totally agree with the above recommendations. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 On 4/7/2022 at 6:01 PM, macc said: I’m having problems with my transmission getting in gear, both drive and reverse. When I put it in drive or reverse it doesn’t kick in like it’s supposed to do. If I give it gas there is a delay before it will start moving forward or reverse. I’ve noticed that with higher RPM’s it will engage faster but still not the way it’s supposed to be. Once the car is rolling it accelerates just fine. But will do it again when I come to a stop. I checked the fluid and it reads full. I tried to do a search on this forum but didn’t find anything related to the problems I’m experiencing. I’m hoping someone here might be able to shed some light for me. How many miles on the vehicle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macc Posted April 11, 2022 Author Share Posted April 11, 2022 12 hours ago, Jim Cannon said: How many miles on the vehicle? The speedometer shows 06345 I’m sure it’s turned over at least once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 12 hours ago, macc said: The speedometer shows 06345 I’m sure it’s turned over at least once I think you are on the right track to change the fluid out a few times. And drive it to get the transmission warm/hot inside with each fresh fill. The hot fresh fluid will help to dissolve the varnish and crud that forms internally when sitting. The fresh hot oil will also soften the seals a bit, to help them seal better. Unlike a conventional automatic transmission, where bands/clutches are engaged and released several times to shift through the gears as you go faster, the Dynaflow stays with the band engaged at all speeds, once it engages. So you don't have clutches slipping, generating heat and wearing out. The weakest link in the Dynaflow is the internal seals, where time takes a toll as much as miles. To just drain the fluid without removing the pan on the transmission, you can unscrew the connector at the base of the transmission dip stick tube. That drains the pan but does not empty the torque converter. Still, do that, refill, go drive a few days, then repeat a few times and you have a fresh fill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 The torque converter has drain plugs on it that are NOT hard to get to. Only adds a few minutes to the job. Try to be as complete as possible. Since draining & adding two quarts made a diff. MAYBE it will last a lot longer before removal becomes nec. May I make a suggestion, put in a pint of dot111 brake fluid. This will help the seals to soften & usually stop/slow down leaks. Tom T. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39mmm Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 (edited) On 4/10/2022 at 7:25 AM, Jim Cannon said: How many miles on the vehicle? Which type of ATF should be used in a Dynaflow? What about Valvoline Dex/Merc? Edited April 12, 2022 by 39mmm (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 6 minutes ago, 39mmm said: Which type of ATF should be used in a Dynaflow? Whatever Dexron you can find. It will probably be VI. Dexron III or III(H) is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 There are two ways to look at the mileage on a car. Low mileage can indicate they may now be a lot of wear from use. But one can also consider the amount of time it sat around bone dry and the few times it was started with no lubrication. Some old cars have sit for years in unconditioned spaces where droplets of condensation collect in the lubrication reservoirs to be lubricated with a mix of oil and water on their recommissioning. Since I was a kid I have cringed when the old guys told about putting a battery and some gas in a car that sat for years, added a little fresh gas, and it started on the first turn. The YouTubers of the 1950's. My '60 Electra Dynaflow has been lucky enough to be in regular use over its 60 years life, 20 of it in my care. At about 60 years and almost 90,000 miles it needed a full rebuild. It seemed fine except for leaking when I had it rebuilt last year but every time I pull out of the driveway I can tell it engages better and runs smoother than it did before. Makes me smile because I really can feel it. Sort of like when I had the stroke and heart attack ten years ago. I didn't know how bad a shape I was in until I recovered. Old cars, old people, old buildings. You just learn to live with broken stuff and think it's OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 16 hours ago, 39mmm said: Which type of ATF should be used in a Dynaflow? What about Valvoline Dex/Merc? No, do not use Dex/Merc. Use straight Dexron III or VI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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