car wont go into drive

[methos76]

yes I just got my car back from the garage getting a bunch of work done and get it inspected, ive had the car for a year and this is the first ive driven it, shifts into all gears but not drive. anyone have an idea on this problem. car is a 66 t-bird 390 engine. filter and gasket were replaced while in garage

[RAVEN]

Define your term "It shifts into all gears but not drive" Do you mean the selector moves through all detents but the tranny does not provide DRIVE in any position of White dot, Green dot, or L (low); BUT you do have reverse?
How did you get the car home, or is it still at the shop.
If you got the car home, did the problem develop after you got it home.
Have you checked the fluid level, you stated that the filter had been changed and it may be low, due to dropping the pan.

[methos76]

what I mean is the car will move in all drive gears except drive. when taking off it runs thru 1st and second but wont shift into drive, fluid level is correct just had filter and pan gasket replaced along with new fluid, it moves in reverse also park works. I will double check fluid level tomorrow, I noticed it didn't shift into drive when I drove it home from the garage. as I stated this is the first ive been able to drive it on the road since I bought it last year. just trying to get the bugs out and hoping I don't have to replace the transmission.

[RAVEN]

What position do you put the gear selector in for forward direction? The GREEN DOT or the WHITE DOT?
This is very important and may explain why you feel that you have only a 2 speed transmission.

[methos76]

the white dot is where I place the shifter to go forward, what is the green dot for? I always assumed they went drive-second and low. meaning the first notch after neutral would be drive. I cant find the owners manual I bought to check

[RAVEN]

There is your problem!!!!
You have selected a 2 speed tranny
You must put the selector in the middle position or the GREEN DOT location for the tranny to work in all 3 gears

[RAVEN]

Thìs is where an owner manual comes into play, little things like this make the Bird a unique car.
The tranny was built to be a 2 speed starting in second in snow/slippery conditions to make it possible not to get stuck. OR a 3 speed in normal conditions. It all depended on the gear selector position
WHITE DOT 2 speed GREEN DOT 3 speed.

[methos76]

wow i never knew that and im 61, I mean I never owned a 66 t-bird before now im finding out all the peculiarities ford did to the t-bird. thank you very much for letting me know that

[64ZCODE]

Yup. Another cruise-o-matic feature is that if you're going over 25 mph in D1 or D2 and pull the shifter into "L", it will hold the transmission in second gear until your speed reduces below 25 mph at which point it will shift into low. I have a '90 Mustang 5.0 with an AOD with a similar feature.

[RAVEN]

Follow up question, did you test drive the car today and learn you have a working 3 speed tranny on a GREEN DOT detent?

[methos76]

no its raining and my defrosters aren't working because I had to unhook the vacuum to the cabin due to a vacuum leak somewhere in the cabin. hoping its dryer tomorrow. its a work in progress, was tired of seeing it just sitting in the enclosure so I got it tagged and inspected. thanks for checking up though if it quits here anytime today I will take it out and let you know

[64ZCODE]

As I remember, the Thunderbird Ranch website has vacuum schematics, as does the shop manual.

[methos76]

I have a shop manual but I didn't find a schematic for vacuum hoses inside the car, unless your talking about the one small picture in group 16. anyway the vacuum hoses aren't my chief concern at the moment ill get to them in due time. right now getting all my windows working and finding out why its hard to start when cold, and why it idles rough when I put it in gear, new plugs cap rotor wires and new carb timing is at 6 before tdc. like I said its a work in progress

[Terry64HT]

Your engine issues sound like a vacuum leak under the hood. Also check that the #6 plug wire is between #7 and 8. That will cause rough engine at low speed.
Terry
64HT

[64ZCODE]

Hi methos, a couple of thoughts on this. One is that if you haven't already, you could consider replacing the points in the distributor with an ignition module like a Pertronix. Coupled with a higher voltage coil and MSD spark plug wires or equivalent, the car will start and run better. These old t birds were endowed with weak ignition systems for some reason, and as a result the stock systems do a poor job of igniting the air/fuel mix. Even if your car has the optional electronic ignition module, it was point based, anemic, and how reliable can a 50 year old semiconductor be anyway?

My '64 was hard starting (mainly because the choke butterfly is fixed wide open, but I live in California so I can get away with it), and last weekend I installed the Pertonix III ignitor module, their power relay and 65K flamethrower coil, and the car now starts right up and runs smoother and stronger throughout the rev range. The Pertronix III has the advantage that it delivers multiple coil discharges during each cylinder power stroke, so it's like having a spark box without the box. All told, the ignitor, power relay and coil cost around $200.

Also, make sure the engine is getting the air it needs. A clean air filter is clearly important, but replace it with a free flowing filter and housing (like a K&N) and you'll get better power and fuel efficiency. The stock air filter housing is cleverly designed to deprive the engine of the air it needs. I got a circular filter housing and free flowing filter online for around $50.

Doug