I have a 69 cougar with a 351w, fmx tranny. I have no drive gear.
Reverse works, 2nd and 1st work. Drive feels like neutral. Nothing at all. The shifter seems like it is adjusted properly.
When i put it in D it’s like neutral.
Car moves in 2nd and 1st
Tranny fluid is full and clean.
Does it go into Park?
If you start with the shifter in 1, start driving, then shift to 2, as you go faster will it get 3rd when you shift to D? If so, it sounds like the low sprag has failed. If that is the problem, the trans needs a rebuild.
Yes it has park.
No it does not shift to drive when I am driving in 2nd and I shift to drive.
That’s unfortunate!!!
That is an unusual symptom. When the shifter is put into D, the FWD clutch engages and the low sprag prevents the gear train from turning backwards. We know the FWD clutch works because you can get 1 and 2. Sounds like a sprag problem. The low sprag is only used for 1st gear in D. Once you are moving and get past 1st into 2nd, you can move the shifter to D and it should get 3rd. 3rd consists of the FWD and Direct clutches being applied. Being you have reverse, that tells us Direct is functional. It is an unusual problem with this trans. Not too long ago I rebuilt a Medium Cruise-O-matic in a 60 Thunderbird. Other than general wear from age, the pressure regulator body had a big chunk cracked out of it. Perhaps there is a similar problem with your VB? Unless your linkage is tweaked in just the right fashion, it seems like you have an obscure problem that is going to require a deeper look. Or the possibility of a compound problem like the sprag is broken along with no vacuum going to the modulator.
Thanks
I will check vacuum.