[Cougar king]

i was thinking of maybe putting in a 4 speed manual transmission in my car (which is 3 speed auto right now) now first is this possible? like i heard its could be hard and expensive to do. also would it be to my advantage in doing this? or should i just get a better automatic transmission?

P.S.
i'm having trouble with my transmission right now. on starting it like in the morning after it hasn't run for hours, it slips in and out of gear. like when i first back it out its fine, but then i'll shift into drive and it acts as if its in neutral. and even moving it back into reverse won't do anything. still as if its like in neutral. what i was thinking is that it has something to do with the (seal?) cause after it runs for like 3 mins its fine. so i'm thinking that whatever kind of seal there is on the transmission its not holding. like its too small or something so when it heats up it expands and holds the fluid (i think) something like that, since i'm new to all of this, i'm just guessing by what would make sense to me. now i don't know how to fix this prob, other then take it to a shop, or just replace the transmission

 

[ZeroTolerance]

Have you checked the trans fluid level? Sure sounds like it's a little low (or maybe a lot low). Let the car warm up, and check the fluid with the motor running, blah blah you know the routine...

 

[72cat]

I'm not that clued up on A/T's but maybe your selector rod is causing problems, it could just be somethng simple, why don't you take it in, get it checked out, and if its something seriously expensive then consider a swop, whatever your choice I think it will be cheaper to replace it with another a/t rather than change it to manual. My 0.000002c

 

[swamper]

Zero Tolerance is on track for where to start. It is definatly less expensine and time consuming to repair your auto than change to 4 spd. The 4 spd is much more fun to drive though.

 

[jimk351c]

I'm in the starting stages of converting my FMX auto to T5 5-spd. If you are going to do it, you may as well go with an over drive tranmission. If you go to a toploader, you won't be able to go with a cable clutch and will have to find all of the pieces for the stock Z bar setup. Of course, converting to a toploader with Z bar setup would probably be cheaper, but having that extra over drive gear gives you the possibility of running a radical rear-end ratio without sacrificing drivability. Here are some websites that cover the topic and some of the options:

http://fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/09/t5swap/index.shtml
http://www.moderndriveline.com/Technical_Bits/automatics.htm
http://www.webtripper.com/automotive/ford/mustang/t5swap.html
http://www.mustangsteve.com/cable.html

 

[Cougar king]

thanks guys, yea i thought it was the fluids too myself, but i just added some and it helped a little, but it still didn't do it all the way. now on the dipstick it says to check when the car is hot and running, so i did that and it said that the fluid is full, but when the car was cold, the level was quite low. so it could be that when the fluids havent warmed up or something its not getting where its suppose to go. do you think i should add even more? i think i'll just take it to a transmission place to see what they think. again thanks

 

[ZeroTolerance]

Now that you've added a little fluid, try holding the brake and shifting into drive, then reverse, to drive, etc. a few times (slowly, of course). Put the car in park, leave it running and check the fluid again. Now that you've gotten things circulated a little bit, you might see a difference in the fluid level. If it hasn't changed, and still reads full, don't add more. You've got a problem that ATF isn't going to fix, and you might make the problem worse. Does the fluid look 'foamy' on the dipstick? Is it over the 'full' mark?
This isn't to say that your trans isn't shot. I'm just trying to help out a little bit so you have to yank the car apart just yet.

 

[Cougar king]

k thx, i'll try that when i go out in like 10 mins i'll let you know

 

[edsel]

have you changed the trans. filter?sounds like you need too!when was the last time you adjusted the bands? the way you describe the problem it sounds like a filter problem......easy fix

 

[Cougar king]

trans filter what? ill have to ask my friend to help me with that. thanks alot. and the fluid was a little low after what you told me to try zero. i'll have to do that this weekend with the extra 2 days off from school

 

[72cat]

If its pink and foamy it could be water is getting in from the radiator. That could also cause the problems you are having.

 

[bad]

I've had the same problem on two different trannys over the years. Both were C-6s. I do believe it is seal related. Try putting the car in drive for a couple of seconds before putting it in reverse(when its cold). You don't have to actually move the car. You'll probably find that it will engage normally(into drive), and then everything works normally. Somewhat of a pain, but alot less hassle then a tranny change. My 71 stang has done this since I purchased it 4 yrs ago -no worse. However it is a real good idea to do a fluid and filter change,and be sure to drain your torque convertor also if you're doing it yourself. Good luck, Baddad

 

[Cougar king]

so it doesn't do any damage? if its the same prob? i hope it doesn't. i'll prob change fluids and filter, but not till it dries up, cause its like flooded in my backyard, and so i don't have anywhere to do it till it dries

 

[bad]

Neither car had any other related problems(71 stang -73 ranchero). I am in the process of going to a toploader in the stang, but thats more for out of want then necessity. If your car responds like mine did(works fine if put in drive 1st), you should be OK but........ I can't guarantee that everything else is fine. When you do the fluid change, look to see how much crud is in the botton of the pan. That might give you a better idea as to it's general condition. Edsel has a point also, if the filter is plugged it could restrict ATF flow. On an unrelated note, if you stay with the auto, definitely invest in a tranny cooler! They're cheap, easy to install and really help extend tranny life.