Big Big Problem, I Think...

SK_BlownThunder

Registered User
The other day my 1990 5-speed SC had a fit at me. It is still bone stock and the second gear synchro is pretty much disipated in the tranny, so I am doing a tranny rebuild next month, or as soon as we can get all of my dad's tractors out of the shop.

Basically, here is what it has been doing. Second gear still works as long as I either start out in it, or grind into it from first, which I never do. Once in a while, when I go to punch it in second, the tach will hit close to 3000 rpm in nothin flat and all of a sudden the car will bog right down in nothin flat also. When this happens, it almost feels like the E-brake is suddenly being pulled on and the car loses 95% of its power. Its really funny because when it does this, I push the throttle down harder and nothing happens, the car just slowly starts to slow down while the tach also slowly starts to retreat back towards the 1000 rpm mark. I know this isn't normal and being it only happens in second gear, I have a feeling it has something to do with the transmission. It is really funny though because it almost seems like the car quits running by a sudden drop in noise level from the engine when it does this. The last couple times this happened I decided to push down the pedal harder and the boost guage would still read positive boost until of course the bypass would start to open from the rpms slowing down in the engine. Even though the throttle is wide open, the car is slowing down and seems like it is doing so silently. Very wierd.

If anyone has any input what so ever, I would really appreciate it. Remember, it only happens in second gear (so far) and only once in a while. Sometimes it will do it and sometimes not. But like I said, it feels like something literally gets stuffed into the air intake, blocking all power, and having the E-brake pulled on while trying to speed up. It also only happens right around 2700-2900 rpms. No indicator lights come on during this situation and all guages read normal. A soon as I let off the accelerator and push the clutch in, the car returns to normal, the engine idles perfectly fine, and I can try and do it again and sometimes it will do it and sometimes not. The car doesn't even lunge or nothing, it is just a steady drop in power and like having something resisting the engines capability to produce the power, big time. Punching it in first gear is still normal and third gear also. I was able to redline in third and do around 130 kph on the stock 2.73s and the car would not act up, only in second.

Opinions?:(
 
Possible that a bearing or bushing is going or gone. Possibly something has happened to the deep side of the gear. All of this comes into play when high torque is applied and the gears dig deeper into eachother or push the shaft harder in a certain direction, and binds the trans.

Just a guess, I'm really not a transmission tech.
 
What happens if you double clutch it going into second? You know, go from first to neutral, let out the clutch real fast, then push it in and try to go to second. That has helped me milk a bad trans for a few thousand more miles in the past and make "grinding into gear" symptoms better in the meantime.
 
I haven't really tried double clutching too much yet, usually I just get going fast enough in first then hit third. I tried double clutching while downshifting from third to second, but it doesn't work too well. I gave my car to my dad this week to drive to work back and fourth and he has not had a problem with it yet. I bet I can go home this weekend, jump in the car, and it will do it right away for me. I'll just have to take him with me when I go I guess. His experience as a Master Ford Technician has proved itself many times, especially in helping me keep this thing on the road for the most part, but first he needs to find out what it is doing, which I told him, but he cannot make the car do what I told him its doing. We'll see in a few days.

Thanks for the input, but I still cannot figure out why the power would die off so quick like it does.
 
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