Hello, My name is James, and I'm new to the forum. Im hoping I can get some answers about the car I bought today. It's a 91 crown vic thats in great shape, but the transmission doesn't want to shift when it reaches 45mph. I knew this when I bought it, but it is in great shape and I only paid $300 for. Can anyone direct me towards what the problem may be? Thanks for your time. James
James. $300 ain't a bad price for any car that starts and runs. Will it shift through the gears manually? Checked the transmission fluid level?
Thanks Yeah, it will shift manually, just not on it's own. I hav'nt checked the fluid levels yet. It runs great and looks great and for $300, I couldn't pass it up. I've been wanting a wagon for sometime. There is not rust or body damage and I live in Florida. I'm hoping a fluid and filter change will solve the problem. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. Your car looks great. How long has it taken to get the motor to that point?
Enjoy that Ford Cloud-9 Ride! James, Give the car a thorough going over. Replace the oil and filter, spark plugs, air filter, distributor cap and rotor. Then check for leaks. These cars were famous for burning up steering gear pumps so watch the fluid on that as well. Hopefully it is just a low fluid level. You don't want to drive it with low levels to avoid damaging the transmission. Make sure the fluid doesn't smell burnt and has no bubbles. You can get a transmission overhauled, but it is getting hard to find a reputable place that will do that. Most places want to sell you a new one. I went through my Ford transmissions before both my 89 Crown Vic SW and my 90 Grand Marquis hit 100k miles. I replaced them with Jasper transmissions at a good shop that I trust. Your prep time will pay off big when the car purs along and is completely reliable. Watch the back of your hand when backing out those spark plugs. There are a LOT of sharp angles that you will hit yourself on. Go slow, pad the sharp areas, and wear gloves. I had bloody stumps the first few times I did it until I learned! A little Silicone on the plugs and wire boots will make the job so much easier the next time also. Good luck and welcome aboard!
Welcome aboard! The guys have already offered some tips on the trans, probably a C6 auto, so I'll just say "Yippee, another Ford!"
I'd be willing to bet that it's electronically shifted being a 91. I'll put a $1 on it being cheap and simple. Check wiring connections at the tranny. They get greasy and dirty and the wires flop around when not properly clamped. It's probably an AODE transmission (automatic overdrive electronic).
Welcome to the forum! My first full size wagon was a 1983 Ford LTD Crown Victoria "S" model in gold. It was a state of Wyoming service car, so it was well kept other than the paint. At a little over 100k miles, it drove me all over Wyoming and Colorado when I was out there for school. Major mountain snow storms, deep cold, wind, ice storms, the Vic was just fine with dealing with it.
chances are the vacuum line to the modulator on the tranny is done...or the modulator...its self....either way...cheap and easy
That is good news. At least the core mechanicals are functioning. Should be a relatively inexpensive fix. It took me 3 summers to get it done. If I were to do it again with the knowledge and experience gained, I could have it done in one. I agree, Rev That would be the next thing I'd look at after the fluid level.
Thanks Thanks for all the help guys. I gave it a good test drive today, and I have been amazed all day long. It is a one owner 2 owner car and the second owners got it from the first for some boat work. They do canvas work for boats and they were friends so they traded even. It has all of the service papers, and it is actually a 1990. With the exception of the cargo area have a lot of wear from working out of it, all the seats, dash, headliner, door panels, and carpet are in mint condition. Power windows, locks, and seats all in good working condition. The motor has never been touched by anyone other than the Ford dealers. I'm at a loss for words, I really am. I am going to do a tune up this weekend. The trans doesn't shif hard or jerk, it just doesnt seem to be going into overdrive. There is no doubt that it is something simple. This is the first one I have ever driven. The side mirrors are going to take me a bit to get used to, but it drives and floats like a cloud. I've been driving an 07 nissan for 2 years, and that new crap doesn't compare. It is such a piece of junk. It's the only new car I've ever owned, and I don't think I'll ever buy a new car again. Planned obsoletion will only get worse. I bought it for the wife, got rid of her but I'm stuck with the car untill it gets repoed(lost my job). I'll get some pics up as soon as I can. Thanks for all the advice. It's nice to know there's folks out there to help. Have a good night guys! James
I agree, James. For what you pay for a new car, you could buy or build a very nice classic car that will turn heads everywhere you go. Keep up posted on your progress.
Planned Obsolescence is worse than the flu bug. Look at house construction today. OSB melts in 20 years! 30 if you don't have much rain or a big Ant colony. Plastic plumbing? Yuk. It may last in a Landfill for 1,000 years, but other than where I live, any repeated shift from an earth tremor or worse, and they leak like a sieve!. And most of all the new wizardry in the latest models is there to compensate for the lack of sheetmetal. Airbags, sensors, vehicle computers and engine data loggers... The newer cars have rigid plastic frames above the window line, but you never seen an ad, like Volvo used to, showing where the rollbar integrity is builtin. Most of our snowbound highway accidents are one-car rollovers, sometimes not found until the spring melt. What good is GPS if there are no receiver towers? Milk! You used to be to count on the 'date'. Now they extend it to 14 days, and it never makes it past 7. Here it costs more than a gallon of gas! Makes good satin finish paint though - indoor or outdoor.
It seems to me in my sometimes feeble memory that there is a small relay type box that engages the overdrive on the AODE transmission. Same for the AOD transmission. I'm not sure where it is. It's not vacuum actuated. It's electric. Both the AOD and AODE were in use then I think. My wife's tbird has the AOD and it's a 92. Last I heard somewhere in the $20-$30 range.
