It sounds like you don't have a TV cable hooked to the transmission. If the TV cable is not connected the transmission will default to full TV pressure. If TV pressure is full shifts will only occur at the wide open throttle shift point, which is usually around 4900 RPM. This means that even at light throttle you would have to get to 4900 RPM to get a 1-2 shift. If you do have the TV linkage connected, you will need to put a pressure gauge on the TV port to make sure the TV pressure varies properly with throttle position.
It is also possible that the TV valve in the valve body is stuck in the high pressure position. The easiest way to see if this is the case is to perform a TV pressure test.
Keep in mind when installing the Lokar TV cable with a carburetor, or when making your own TV linkage it is possible to push the TV valve in further than the factory cable allowed. If you are using a valve body with some mileage on it there may be enough of a ridge from the original range of travel to cause the TV valve to get stuck when it travels past the ridge.
You could also have a stuck governor, or a stuck 1-2 shift valve. If the governor is sticking it will cause a delayed, or no upshift, depending on how bad the condition causing the sticking is. If the 1-2 shift valve is stuck, and will not stroke, the transmission will not shift out of first gear.
I assume that the ATF condition and level has been check. Try to check into the TV cable and adjust it as indicate in this link: Do some reading in this site will help:
http://www.becontrols.com/tvlinkage.htm
Hope it help. E mail if you need more help. HTH
no modulator for this transmission. now a common problem is with the kick down cable runs from the side of the transmission to the top of the engine on the drivers side and held in place by a grommet if that has broken then the car won't shift. and if that has been broken for awhile then it has taken out the direct frictions meaning you now need a rebuilt transmission. check the fluid any hint of burnt smell transmission will need rebuilt. find a local shop for more help at ATRA.COM
First, it's a 30 year old car, so can't expect it to be perfect. But, automatic transmissions are full of demons & witches, so you don't want to open one up without some powerful JuJu at your right hand. So, let a pro drive it around the block & he can probably tell you exactly what it wrong. He is consecrated & inoculated against the bad Voodoo inside those demon boxes.... and speaks their language...
had an 87 do that lol, even reverse it still went fwd and was still in low while in park although the car wouldnt move. surely its a stuck servo or maybe a bad/gummy valve body. i finally got angry and shifted from reverse to d a couple times with the throttle mashed pretty good. figured screw it ill frag the darn thing! with a loud pop she came free and worked fine afterwards. same deal, hard shifts and never could feel od shift in. finally manually downshifted to verify od was even working. just wanted you to know its prolly more common than you thought
The governor makes it upshift, the modulator makes it down shift. the two are connected to opposite ends of the same valve.
Now you have line pressure, governor pressure, and modulator.
The governor ends up winning at speed, the modulator wins due to throttle opening. when speed is low because governor pressure is low. You guys go out in the shop and look at some we have torn down and see if you can tell me which one is a ford, GM and Chrysler. and write on your lab sheet which one is shifted by what and by what action...
Thats the third day of transmission class.
Go see a trans expert.
So it started out shifting pretty hard and wanting to search around a lot, especially between (I think) 2nd and 3rd at 45mph... And I'm pretty sure it never shifted into OD. Not certain, but if it did it must have slipped gently into 4th after crushing through the first 3.
Think the Ol' walfs are sticking?
Maybe crap in the oil?
Bands?
