I own a 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V. Bought it over the summer and it was amazing, no issues. Stored it for the winter. And now have been bringing it out again.
Going from 1st to 2nd is acting up. It revs really high for maybe 20 30 seconds and then finally gets there. Reverse also is a nightmare as it takes a good sec to actually get moving. It doesn’t die on me, it’s just really slow.
what can be the cause? My guess is a rear main seal leak, I got some leakage coming from the trans
oil leaks don't really cause shifting issues. I think it's your 47 year old transmission.
Please post your odometer per the instructions.
@imperator 34,300
wow really? 34k original?
Check the fluid level as others suggested.
@imperator yep all original! the fluid level is good and clean. I have a photo of the leak spot. Is there a place I can send the photo?
imgur.com
yup that's trans fluid alright. That putty on there isn't going to do anything. The leak is internal so trans would have to come out. Torque converter removed, and then inspection would begin to find the leak.
@imperator I was wondering what that stuff was, thought it might be left from mud daubers.
@imperator this is going to be a lot of fun
what can be the cause? My guess is a rear main seal leak, I got some leakage coming from the trans
Check the transmission fluid. The transmission works based partly on hydraulic action. If you don't have enough transmission fluid, your transmission could overheat and cause the exact symptoms that you're describing. The rear main seal seals engine oil within the engine. You have a leaking torque converter, or and input shaft seal may be leaking. The torque converter butts up against the flywheel and rear main seal is behind that. An input shaft seal leak will present as a leaking torque converter, as the input shaft seal is behind the torque converter and leaks into the bell housing. The two are in very similar locations.
@justin-shepherd isn't the TC welded shut? wouldn't a trans leak more likely come from a shaft or pump seal or something
I'm pretty sure there's a seal in between the torque converter itself and the inside of the transmission. My Catalina's transmission leaks from inside the bell housing. It used to leak really bad until I put AT-205 in, now it only leaks a little bit.
I goofed. The TC is welded shut, the input shaft seal may be his problem. I'll edit this.
That's a Ford C6 3-speed transmission. It is completely hydraulic, no electronics, with shift points and fluid pressure controlled by a vacuum modulator and kickdown linkage from the carb.
Is the transmission fluid level correct? What is the fluid's condition? Is band adjustment OK? Kickdown linkage adjusted? Is the vacuum modulator working properly? What is the fluid's condition?
That thing is so old it would not be a surprise if it needed to be rebuilt but it's worth checking the simple stuff before going that route.
I'm pretty sure there's a seal in between the torque converter itself and the inside of the transmission.
Yes, there's a seal where the converter neck goes into the pump which of course can leak. Also, some older automatic transmissions have torque converters with drain plugs that could conceivably leak but I don't think the C6 has one.
Usually when there is a fluid leak at the front of the trans it's the seal on the torque converter neck or possibly a crack in the converter itself.
For example, light-duty 3-speed Chrysler Torqueflite transmissions (models 904, 998, and 999) tended to crack the converter neck after many years and miles of service, causing a massive leak. I had that happen years ago on an AMC Eagle I used to own.
@chucktobias That's interesting, thanks for that. My mind blanked for a minute, the torque converter couldn't be a completely sealed system on its own, the transmission fluid in the converter gets really hot because of the constantly spinning impeller/stator when the engine is running -the hydraulic part.
@justin-shepherd yeah the fluid gets pumped in and out of TC through the shaft that drives the pump. This is what I meant by shaft seal. The turbine body itself should be pretty robustly sealed.
I got really confused for a couple minutes, lol. From the OP's description of the problem, my Catalina is suffering from the same problem. My Catalina leaks a little transmission fluid from the bell housing as well. I'm surprised he actually tried to move the car, I can tell when the Catalina is a quart too low because the transmission will delay for probably 3 seconds. OP said it won't engage for 20-30 seconds.