Choking in D gearbox related ?

  • Thread starter Deleted member 1959
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D

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My mechanic tried that briefly, and he did not think there was a big improvement. But the muffler had to be replaced anyway.
The next thing he will try is to take it to an automatic transmission specialist and check if the stator is the problem.
how likely is this ? Im just asking because the bill is adding up the more stuff he has to try out.
 

AJ/FormS

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A seized stator is very rare. and the symptom is very sluggish acceleration, especially from a dead stop. Once cruising. the stator is usually stationary or close to it, so then you can't tell.
IMO, I doubt you have a trans problem at all.
IMO, you have a fueling issue.
Yeah, it could be a bad coil, or possibly a valve timing issue, but I doubt it.
Well I suppose if your timing chain jumped a tooth, between that and the retarded ignition that would cause, I suppose that could run the way that you describe.
But to me it sounds like funky gas, or a bad tank vent, or vapor lock, a faulty power or pump circuit, or some kind of fueling issue.
 
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D

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Hi AJ. I Think you are right that it could be fuel related. The ignition system is brand new, so is the fuel pump and filter. But something could have come loose from the gas tank and clogged the filter.
Its a relief that a gearbox problem is unlikely
 

Camtron

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Sunday afternoon, my car started running very similarly to what you’re describing. By Sunday night, the car was stalling when I would shift into reverse or drive and eventually I couldn’t even get the car to start. Fortunately it was already in the garage by this point.
Anyway, after doing a number of checks that the others have mentioned here, it ended up being my “new” Jegs ignition box that I installed about 6-8 months ago.
If you haven’t checked over your new ignition system, I wouldn’t rule it out just yet.

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D

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Didn´t check that one yet... Is yours cracked so it has let in moisture and made it fail ?
My car has always ben able to start up fine and run smooth in P - even now. So I don´t think it´s the ICU, but thanks for the tip :)
 

Camtron

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Didn´t check that one yet... Is yours cracked so it has let in moisture and made it fail ?
My car has always ben able to start up fine and run smooth in P - even now. So I don´t think it´s the ICU, but thanks for the tip :)
Correct, the casing cracked and the module failed. Most of the modules currently on the market are prone to premature failure. They’ve left more than one person stranded, lol.

Good luck.
 

Mr C

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Well, let us know what the issue was when you sort it out. Curious to know.
 

Shorty Thompson

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If no one has already suggested this , then I suggest it now, if yes then repeat what's already been said. If I were to make an uneducated guess I'd say your torque converter is in the process of locking up / binding up and will need replacing soon.
 
D

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If no one has already suggested this , then I suggest it now, if yes then repeat what's already been said. If I were to make an uneducated guess I'd say your torque converter is in the process of locking up / binding up and will need replacing soon.
Well, while we were a week on vacation (staycation in Denmark) my mechanic has done some testing. (Changing the carb and the rusty exhaust made no difference.)
He is now 99% sure the problem is in the gearbox. :eek:
It drives fine in 1 and 2, but when he tries in D and the gearbox shifts into high gear / lockup it loses power. He will take it to a AT specialist on Tuesday and get back to me after that.
I will post here as soon as I know something - thanks for all the feedback :)
 

Shorty Thompson

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Well, while we were a week on vacation (staycation in Denmark) my mechanic has done some testing. (Changing the carb and the rusty exhaust made no difference.)
He is now 99% sure the problem is in the gearbox. :eek:
It drives fine in 1 and 2, but when he tries in D and the gearbox shifts into high gear / lockup it loses power. He will take it to a AT specialist on Tuesday and get back to me after that.
I will post here as soon as I know something - thanks for all the feedback :)
Hope all gets better for you.
 
D

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Update on the case:
My mechanic was supposed to go to an AT specialist shop on Tuesday, but it was closed for holiday.
He had in the mean time been reading up on the lock-up system, and how it worked (or not worked), so he did some adjustments, and then took it for a 150mi drive. It seems to have done it good, because the problem is gone...
I also read up on the history of the lock-up, and it seems Chrysler had make a lot of changes and adjustments along the way to make it work properly. Initially, they had the system engage at too low a speed (to save fuel), so the engine would struggle. They then changed it to a higher speed by replacing a spring in the TC, and this was just the first in a long line of adjustments along the way. I´m sure someone on this board knows the story better :)
He will make a little more adjusting of the kick-down function tomorrow and the I will get it back :)
 

Shorty Thompson

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Update on the case:
My mechanic was supposed to go to an AT specialist shop on Tuesday, but it was closed for holiday.
He had in the mean time been reading up on the lock-up system, and how it worked (or not worked), so he did some adjustments, and then took it for a 150mi drive. It seems to have done it good, because the problem is gone...
I also read up on the history of the lock-up, and it seems Chrysler had make a lot of changes and adjustments along the way to make it work properly. Initially, they had the system engage at too low a speed (to save fuel), so the engine would struggle. They then changed it to a higher speed by replacing a spring in the TC, and this was just the first in a long line of adjustments along the way. I´m sure someone on this board knows the story better :)
He will make a little more adjusting of the kick-down function tomorrow and the I will get it back :)

I knew it was in the torque converter
 
D

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Yeah well, what puzzles me still is that the problem started as cut-outs which felt like a fuel problem. Then it developed into a permanent loss of power in high gear.
Then after some adjustments it went away. So appearently nothing was broken in the TC, it just needed to be tweaked and driven to get "unstuck" ?
I don´t get it and neither does my mechanic really. I´m just happy that it finally works :)

I read about it on Allpar, and they recommend that the fluid be changed on all TC´s with lockup - Have anyone tried this ?

Chrysler continued to add lockup torque converters to its lineup; the 1979 cars saw it used on just about all other cars, except “efficiency-size models and small specialty cars,” California sixes, and 360 four-barrels with towing packages. There were no lockup torque converters in the company’s early front wheel drive automatic transaxles; those had to wait for the 1987 car-line.

Starting in 1986, Chrysler recommended that all transmissions with lockup torque converters — going on back to 1978 — use the new Type 7176 (ATF+3) transmission fluid. The company suggested that this could resolve “lock-up shudder.” Numerous Allpar contributors have confirmed this.
 

Mikes5thAve

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Did the adjustment make it go away or did he adjust it that its not locking up anymore? When lockup clutch fails it can make a violent shudder in 3rd speed when lockup tries to engage and people used to either block it off completely or adjust the spring pressure so high that it didn't lock up at all anymore. Otherwise you're into dropping the transmission and replacing torque converter.
 
D

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He adjusted it to stay longer in each gear which in turn delays the lockup I guess. He didn´t remove the lockup function.
I havent driven it since before he did this, so I don´t know how it feels.
 
D

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Now it runs again :) The gearbox stays longer in each gear, and the lockup kicks in at around 40 mph.
My mechanic had also read about the initial problems Chrysler had with the early lockup system, and how they issued a recall to change a spring in the TC so lockup moved from 27 to 42 mph.
My car was made 11th of January 1979 in Fenton, MO. I am really curios to know if the spring was already changed to the 42 mph by that time, but it proably wasn´t.
The service history is not good enough to tell if it was done later by recall.
But anyway - she runs and thats the main thing.
Thanks to everybody who chipped in here, stay safe and have a great Summer

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