1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
it.

A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
Ford dealer.

Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
works OK.

Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
without dismantling the transmission?

What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?

What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
this old a vehicle?

Thanks.

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:30:52 -0600, PastTense
> wrote:

>I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
>it.
>
>A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
>a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
>reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
>mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
>just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
>Ford dealer.
>
>Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
>transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
>works OK.
>
>Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
>without dismantling the transmission?
>
>What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
>likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
>safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
>per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?
>
>What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
>this old a vehicle?
>
>Thanks.

The possible problem here is that when the bracket broke it messed up
the pressures in the transmission. I've been told that driving them
for very long with the cable not connected properly, as would happen
when the bracket broke, is very damaging to the transmission. That
said, there is really no way of knowing exactly what going on with
yours, it could be anything from just worn out OD clutch/band (don't
know which it uses) to a failure of some of the hard parts. When the
OD in my Explorer went out it was due to a disintegrated roller thrust
bearing for the OD unit which then proceeded to grind up other parts.
But I was able to drive it for many days by not using OD. I could
tell other things were wrong however - it no long had any engine
braking when you took your foot off the gas. How is yours in that
regard, does it still feel "normal" when you coast? If it's just worn
out clutches you can probably drive it for a long time and many miles
by just not using OD. That's how all cars used to be, it just means
the engine runs a little faster and you use more gas - it doesn't hurt
anything. But if you have other damage there is no way to predict
when it will "blow up". Personally, if it seems OK other then not
having OD it'd just keep driving it till if and when it stops working
and then worry about a replacement.

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

On 11/25/2012 03:30 PM, PastTense wrote:
> I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
> it.
>
> A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
> a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
> reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
> mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
> just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
> Ford dealer.
>
> Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
> transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
> works OK.
>
> Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
> without dismantling the transmission?
>
> What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
> likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
> safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
> per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?
>
> What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
> this old a vehicle?
>
> Thanks.
>

call a local cab company - they have more crown vic experience than any
other user class. if you do so, you'll find most of them say the
transmissions start to go at pretty much exactly your mileage. [this
was confirmed for me as a "design life" by a buddy that used t work at
one of frod's r&d facilities.] so, while others are indeed correct that
you might be able to "fix" the immediate situation with some tinkering,
it's not going to pay if the rest of the trans craps out next month.

bottom line, just bite the bullet and replace it. if not, get rid of
the car at an auction and buy something newer [and better supported].


--
fact check required

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

PastTense wrote:
> I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
> it.
>
> A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
> a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
> reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
> mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
> just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
> Ford dealer.
>
> Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
> transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
> works OK.

Did it slip prior to the bracket/reverse failure?

>
> Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes?

Multiple possibilities.
OD band worn/broken, low apply pressure, internal damage

> Is it fixable without dismantling the transmission?

All depends on what the problem is.

>
> What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
> likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
> safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
> per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?

Don't have my crystal ball handy.

>
> What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
> this old a vehicle?

Depends on when the trans came out of the vehicle, where/how it was
stored and what condition it was in.

>
> Thanks.
>

I would take it to a good trans shop. They would be able to answer the
questions better because they can see and run the vehicle.
It's possible that a fluid/filter change and a couple adjustments will
fix the problem.

--
Steve W.

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

On Nov 25, 6:30*pm, PastTense > wrote:
> I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
> it.
>
> A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
> a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
> reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
> mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
> just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
> Ford dealer.
>
> Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
> transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
> works OK.
>
> Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
> without dismantling the transmission?
>
> What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
> likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
> safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
> per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?
>
> What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
> this old a vehicle?
>
> Thanks.

You could always try some Trans Tune by Seafoam.

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

"Ashton Crusher" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:30:52 -0600, PastTense
> > wrote:
>
>>I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
>>it.
>>
>>A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
>>a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
>>reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
>>mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
>>just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
>>Ford dealer.
>>
>>Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
>>transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
>>works OK.
>>
>>Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
>>without dismantling the transmission?
>>
>>What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
>>likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
>>safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
>>per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?
>>
>>What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
>>this old a vehicle?
>>
>>Thanks.
>
> The possible problem here is that when the bracket broke it messed up
> the pressures in the transmission. I've been told that driving them
> for very long with the cable not connected properly, as would happen
> when the bracket broke, is very damaging to the transmission. That
> said, there is really no way of knowing exactly what going on with
> yours, it could be anything from just worn out OD clutch/band (don't
> know which it uses) to a failure of some of the hard parts. When the
> OD in my Explorer went out it was due to a disintegrated roller thrust
> bearing for the OD unit which then proceeded to grind up other parts.
> But I was able to drive it for many days by not using OD. I could
> tell other things were wrong however - it no long had any engine
> braking when you took your foot off the gas. How is yours in that
> regard, does it still feel "normal" when you coast? If it's just worn
> out clutches you can probably drive it for a long time and many miles
> by just not using OD. That's how all cars used to be, it just means
> the engine runs a little faster and you use more gas - it doesn't hurt
> anything. But if you have other damage there is no way to predict
> when it will "blow up". Personally, if it seems OK other then not
> having OD it'd just keep driving it till if and when it stops working
> and then worry about a replacement.

I concur with the above, the below may prove of interest:
"According to Mike Stewart of Mike's Transmissions, one of
the most common problems with the AOD is its tendency to
burn up the overdrive band."
http://www.fordification.com/tech/transID-auto.htm

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:30:52 -0600, PastTense wrote:

> I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
> it.
>
> A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
> a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
> reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
> mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
> just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
> Ford dealer.
>
> Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
> transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
> works OK.
>
> Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
> without dismantling the transmission?
>
> What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
> likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
> safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
> per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?
>
> What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
> this old a vehicle?
>
> Thanks.

This is an old problem that goes back to when the cars were NEW!

Take Jim's advice and talk to someone who has experience with Crowns, like
the Police maintenance crew. I remember hearing of the Sea Foam trick, and
it works short term, but there is a fix for this. Just can't remember,
it's been so long.

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

On 25/11/2012 11:30 pm, PastTense wrote:
> I have a 1988 Crown Victoria with a 5.0 engine--with 110,000 miles on
> it.
>
> A few days ago when I stopped the car wouldn't go into reverse. After
> a while of shifting through gears, shutting the car off, restarting
> reverse suddenly started working again. I drove it 20 miles to my
> mechanic. He found that a bracket ( or something?) holding a cable
> just under the fuel injector had broken and got another one from the
> Ford dealer.
>
> Currently the transmission slips in overdrive. If I put the
> transmission lever into Drive instead of Overdrive the transmission
> works OK.
>
> Any thoughts of what could be wrong and possible fixes? Is it fixable
> without dismantling the transmission?
>
> What are the consequences of just driving with the car in Drive? How
> likely is it transmission will go completely out soon? Would it be
> safe to take the car on long trips? Any problems driving at 75 miles
> per hour? How much will it reduce high fuel economy?
>
> What's your experience with junkyard transmission replacements for
> this old a vehicle?
>
> Thanks.
>
Crown Victoria, what a stupid name for a car, it's nearly as bad as
Edsel or Probe!

FORD - Stupid cars for stupid people!

1988 Crown Victoria: Slipping in Overdrive
 

replying to Jon, BetterWorld wrote:
And you are stupid enough to believe that the name of the car has some bearing
on the quality. Fortunately for you, they don’t make an Ignorant Dip****,
as you’d undoubtedly own a fleet.......

--
for full context, visit https://www.motorsforum.com/ford/198...ive-76586-.htm