63 Lincoln Continental - possible transmission problem

[63linc]

Need help troubleshooting possible transmission problem. When the car is first started and driven the transmission doesn't seem to fully engage when driving up a low grade hill. i.e. little to no power. Once the car is driven for a few miles transmission behaves normal. Transmission fluid doesn't look low. Transmission seal and driveshaft seal both sweating, but no real leaks. Thoughts?

[Digger914]

Check for water in the vacuum modulator line. 

[61polara]

I'm not sure what you mean by "the transmission doesn't seem to fully engage".  If you mean that it doesn't seem to want to pull the hill, which Drive range are you driving in?  The drive position next to Neutral starts in second gear and shifts to third gear.  The Drive position with the green dot, next to Low, starts in First gear, shifts to Second and then Third.  You should be driving in the Drive position next to Low.

[63linc]

16 hours ago, 61polara said:

I'm not sure what you mean by "the transmission doesn't seem to fully engage".  If you mean that it doesn't seem to want to pull the hill, which Drive range are you driving in?  The drive position next to Neutral starts in second gear and shifts to third gear.  The Drive position with the green dot, next to Low, starts in First gear, shifts to Second and then Third.  You should be driving in the Drive position next to Low.

When I start driving uphill I press the accelerator and it feels like the car is in neutral (not moving and even rolls back). As I press the pedal more it very slowly starts to move. This only happens for the first few minutes of driving (after 1st start when she's relatively cold). It doesn't happen at all after that. My assumption is that it's transmission related, but it's seems odd that the problem resolves itself after a few minutes. I'm driving in D1 (the position next to low)... also tried low.

Edited August 2, 2022 by 63linc (see edit history)

[61polara]

I tend to agree that it is a transmission internal problem.  I think it's time to visit a transmission shop and have it pressure tested.  Your pump may have low pressure when cold and builds as the fluid heats up.  Low pressure will keep the bands and clutches from engaging tightly and thus the slipping.

[JACK M]

You could change out the filter and fluid in an afternoon.

[Margarita02]

I got a 2007 Chevy Impala 5.3ltr SS with 145,000 miles, and it's slowly shifting. You can floor the engine, and it takes a while for the car to get up. All gears work, just sluggish. Any idea what's going on inside my transmission?

It's a 4T65E transmission.

[Digger914]

13 hours ago, Margarita02 said:

I got a 2007 Chevy Impala 5.3ltr SS with 145,000 miles, and it's slowly shifting. You can floor the engine, and it takes a while for the car to get up. All gears work, just sluggish. Any idea what's going on inside my transmission?

It's a 4T65E transmission.

This is an old car forum, your car is way to new and your tranny is computer controlled, so what you find in this thread won't be of much help to you. 

To answer your question, if your chevy hasn't had a fluid change, it's way past due and don't flush it. Suck the pan dry with a vacuum evacuator and add a few quarts and drive it for a few hundred miles and then do it again. If things get better do it again. If things don't get better, you are going to need a two way scanner like a Tech2 to run diagnostics on your computer and valves, before you drop the pan. 

Edited August 4, 2022 by Digger914 (see edit history)

[hook]

A possibility is your torque converter is draining down some back into your transmission and it takes a little time for the pump to replace it. When it does everything functions. You need to see a transmission shop.

[63linc]

I had the ATF, filter and gasket changed and it looks like there's metal shavings in the transmission. I saw a pic and it'd looked like very little. I was told I may need a full rebuild. Any advice (other than pay the $$$ and get it done)?

[LARRYCAROL]

Did trans service have any affect? Small amount of metal may not be serious. Does engine rev up and car not respond? If car behaves normally after warmup perhaps you can wait on overhaul. Some trans shops are quick to condemn just to get work.

[rocketraider]

As averse as most transmission shops are to anything that old, would surprise me if they're drumming business. Most have no idea about a 60s Cruise-O-Matic.

 

Did the "shavings" look like fine metallic particles like you'd see in a metallic paint job, or larger particles? Fine metallic in the trans pan is normal; it's just friction lining material that has worn off the clutch packs. Big gritty particles spell trouble. 

 

More important, is the unit functioning any better?

[avgwarhawk]

On 8/2/2022 at 2:16 PM, 63linc said:

When I start driving uphill I press the accelerator and it feels like the car is in neutral (not moving and even rolls back). As I press the pedal more it very slowly starts to move. This only happens for the first few minutes of driving (after 1st start when she's relatively cold). It doesn't happen at all after that. My assumption is that it's transmission related, but it's seems odd that the problem resolves itself after a few minutes. I'm driving in D1 (the position next to low)... also tried low.

The internal rubber o-rings are probably perishing. The issue occurs when cold  The o-rings will swell when hot. The issue is then gone  The transmission needs a rebuild. 

[Bloo]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

As averse as most transmission shops are to anything that old

As they should be. These Cast-Iron-Cruise-O-Matic transmissions are so simple in design, yet can drive a sane person crazy.

 

I will never own another one of these transmissions, but if i did, I would not let just anyone work on it. Find someone who has Cast-Iron-Cruise-O-Matic experience recently. Get references. Talk to people who had that person overhaul theirs and are happy. If you have to ship the car to get that, ship the car.

 

References do not have to be all Lincolns. There are 3 sizes of this transmission, all about identical in design. The big one is only in Lincoln. The other two are in Ford and Mercury with the FE engines (332-352-390-406 etc.) and MEL engines from about 1960(?)-1965. They were used on some other engines as well, but I would keep it to those to prevent confusion.

 

I would be extremely reluctant to tear into this, but...

 

On 8/2/2022 at 11:16 AM, 63linc said:

I'm driving in D1 (the position next to low)... also tried low.

Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE that using manual low did not fix it?

 

Low in Green Dot Drive and low in Manual Low are 2 different things. In Green Dot Drive, low is a sprag clutch and the forward clutch. In Manual Low, low is the low-reverse band and the forward clutch. The thing they have in common is the forward clutch. It probably has bad seals.

 

On 8/2/2022 at 11:16 AM, 63linc said:

As I press the pedal more it very slowly starts to move.

Don't do that. Let it warm up. If that is the forward clutch causing the problem, you are spinning it and burning it.

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[EmTee]

What color metal?  Was there any yellow (brass)?  Silver/gray sludge may be normal wear.

[Oldtech]

Could be the fwd clutch slipping but I more suspect the torque converter. If it doesn't have enough oil in it or the stator is slipping you will get that effect. At any rate, tranny has to come out.