Bad vacuum modulator? 1970 C6 transmission.

[MrSony]

Driving my Thunderbird around, and it takes forever to shift out of 1st to 2nd. When it's about to at about 45-50mph (used to be about 25-30mph when I got the car last December), it makes an audible whirring noise, and then shifts hard into 2nd and I can't legally go fast enough for 3rd to kick in. And is fluid supposed to come out of the hole the modulator screws into? It's a 45 year old car, so there's bound to be some gremlins. Any input? I'd ask the Ford Muscle Forums, they have a Thunderbird section, but I'm tired of waiting a week or more for responses that are vague at best. If it;s not a mustang or F100, they really don't care.

 

[lilbowtie]

Sounds like no vacuum to the modulator (broken disconnected line)

 

[pontiacgp]

The reason it takes Ford guys so long to respond is because they are usually broken down on the road side......😀

 

[1bad79]

if you talking the vacume line to the modulator that should be dry otherwise you'ed be sucking fluid into the engine theres also band adjustment for second gear and I thing a kick down rod from carb to trans that needs to be there

 

[MrSony]

if you talking the vacume line to the modulator that should be dry otherwise you'ed be sucking fluid into the engine theres also band adjustment for second gear and I thing a kick down rod from carb to trans that needs to be there

Yeah, kickdown rod is there. Hard to miss. Big ol red thing. I've never liked how floppy it is side-to-side though. Every old Ford I've sen has it. It works, but it's kinda unsettling. I guess a tighter bushing on the carb might solve it, but idk.

 

[MrSony]

Once it warms up here (and I have money) I'll put it up on jacks with an old milk jug and funnel (to catch fluid to reuse, new fluid is expensive 😛) and check that line and probably replace the modulator for sh*ts and giggles and play around with some stuff under there.

 

[1bad79]

that band adj is easy its on the side of the trans if you google a little bit you can find the procedure on line the other resource you may want to try is Johns cougar central in Holland Michigan I know you have a t bird but he has a crapload of parts for those cars, he's always got stuff like yours sitting around