crono61

well the tranny's been acting up alot lately. i've had problems with reverse gear for a longgg time now (for as long as i've owned the car - you have to really pull the shifter most of the time to get it into reverse and it grinds a bit on the way - i heard that problem's pretty common with these mustangs tho...on a side note (a strange side note) the reverse gear problem seems to go away/get betterwhen i'm on a hill/slant...don't know if that's a coincidence or what? anyways, i can live with the grinding going into reverse, but now the car has problems going into 1st from a stop. if i stop the car and have it in neutral it's nearly impossible to get the car into 1st gear - you really have to push the shifter, and most of the time that doesn't even work. sometimes i have to force it into 2nd and start in 2nd cuz it's actually impossible to get the tranny into 1st. it'll slide into 1st if i downshift from say 3rd to 2nd then to 1st, but i really don't want to wear my clutch by sitting at every red light with the clutch engaged. any ideas? i was told i might need a new clutch but that doesn't really make sense to me in this situation...

atomsk680

my tranny has been acting up in similar ways, for instance mine grinds in reverse too, but when i put it in drive, it acts like its in nuetral, and i have to hit the gas a little to nudge it into drive, then when i slow down it does the same thing, its quite annoying, but i dont have much longer with the car, any idea's?

ceccacci316

When I picked up the 88 LX 2.3 convertiblein the fall of 2005 I noticed the tranny was not going into overdrive and was leaking fluid. I took it to the tran shop last summer and they tuned it up and replaced some seals; but told me a rebuild was in my future.

Last week I took it into the tran shop and had a complete tran rebuild (over drive and 4th gone) and had a shift kit put in. Also, needed a starter.

So now I have twcie as much into the car than it is worth; but, the car now drives great and the shift kit makes a big difference in the initial acceleration from a dead stop and also in passing. An the overdrive and 4th now work great also.

So with gas prices nearing $4.00 a gallon in MI we can let the SUV rest for a while and see how the 2.3 does on mileage.

So some would say I wasted my $1800 putting it into a $2000 car; however how often do you have a rust free Mustang convertible that runs great; and looks pretty good from at least 20 feet .

And of course being a Mustang enthusiast I believe any Mustang convertible is worth keeping alive.

Nick

TBird232ci

Crono, it sounds like you may need to adjust your clutch. If i remember correctly, on those stangs, you can pick up on the pedal to adjust the cable.

Reverse is non-synchronized. Thats why it grinds. Its become habit for me to flick it into 5th, then pull it into reverse. Something else to consider, have you ever changed the fluid in the tranny? Yes, T5's have fluid too.

A trick that ive learned from driving big rigs and box trucks around, clutch to the floor, try to put it into first with a little pressure, and slowly come off of the clutch, it should just drop right into first.

LilRedHoss

I've kept them going by shutting off at the lights and putting
it into 1st. Then clutch in, fire up and drive away.
A PITA, but it works.
And you automatic guys:
Get an Inline Fluid cooler. Do it on every Auto I own.

sleeper_inc

Maybe if I have money left over from parts