Auto tranny not engaging when I come to a stop

[justinshelton]

Hi, Guys:

My '71 411 has occasionally started a funky thing. If I've been driving on the highway and then get into city traffic and have to stop at a light, the car will idle well, but then when I get the green light and step on the accelerator to move, the car doesn't move forward. If I shift it into neutral, I can rev the engine, then shift into drive and the car will move forward. This does not happen at every light, and it usually seems to happen only after I've done some highway driving.

This is an auto tranny car.

Help! My partner, who has little tolerance for old cars anyway, is refusing to drive this car, and I'm trying to get us to use it as our only daily driver so I can sell the "new" car and use the profit on my old car projects. So it needs to not do this.

Thanks.

- justin

[raygreenwood]

Ok....a few things. You need to get the bentley type 3 (brown) book. The type 3 auto IS the type 4 auto. It sounds like your shift cable is adjusted improperly. The book has a method of setting this up from scratch I believe. If not...contact me and I will walk you through it. You also need to adjust the bands. This is dificult, only because they are hard to reach against the car body. They are on the outside of the case. You may have to lower...but not remove...the engine to reach them. The modulator valve should be checked for vacuum leaks and adjusted. You will need a pressure gauge for this with some tubing. A water pressure gauge of the proper range will suffice and is under $10. The taps for these pressure checks are on the outside of the tranny and are pointed out in a diagram if the book. The modulator adjusts with a hex key through the vacuum nipple. At the same time, you will be able to check the main pressure of the oil pump. If its low, this could be a problem. Ray

[justinshelton]

Thanks, Ray. I will work through your suggestions . . . Gosh, I'm really getting willing to sell this particular car - I have scads of others I can drive . . .

- Justin

[raygreenwood]

Please...don't tell me you would rather drive those other.....cars(?)..... on your list!? . Actually the 411 is more depndable than most you have listed. They just get a lot of damage by sitting still. Look aound, it should not be hard to find another transfer section for the tranny if yours is messed up. Lots of places rebuild them. It takes like 10 minutes to attach the dfferential section that you have. You could evn just get a type 3 auto that is in bettger shape, leave the differential section and attach yours with a new seal. Ray

[justinshelton]

Ray:

I love driving my 411. I love the way it smells inside on a hot day when the windows have been rolled up. I love the high pitched whirrrrr! when I engage the starter. I love the fact that you have to have it in N to start rather than P (best anti-theft device I know of!)

On the other hand, I've always been a die-hard Rambler fan, and have driven the hell out of many of them, run them hard and fast, and they get about the same gas mileage as the much smaller 411 (low 20s) but I have much more space . . . and heat that doesn't smell like melting rubber to boot!

The Scout is great for towing, and removing the top (a 4-person job, so it comes off in the Spring and doesn't go back on until the fall) gives that fresh, open-air rush, especially when you zoom down backroads, plowing over any and all obstacles. But it gets only 13 mpg on a good day.

My Mercedes is pure snobism and I want to sell it, although I've always loved creamy yellow cars. My favorite one ever was a '54 Hudson with yellow body and forest green roof. It look so good I wanted to lick it.

But back to my 411, yes, I just plan to locate a rebuilt T3 auto tranny. Today I was browsing Ebay and got to wondering: wouldn't a 4-speed bus (or type 3) tranny bolt right up and fit in the Type 4? I realize that there's the hydraulic clutch issue, meaning that you'd need to do something about the pedal, but someone a bit more crafty that I am could surely take a clutch from an early 80s but (when the were mounted by the steering column) and fit it into the Type 4, right? I'd think that this would open up more tranny options for us 411/412 folks.

- Justin

[raygreenwood]

Putting any tranny into the type 4 other than possibly a 901 porsche or the stock 4 speed....will be a heartbreaking failure in the long run. The gearing is at issue. This car has almost the same gearing in last gear and final drive in both 4 speed and auto, for a reason. It will drive horribly with anything less. Also, there is no place to run a clutch cable...so it will need to stay hydraulic. You will also have serious fabrication to do for shifter linkage....and it still may shift poorly. The rear beam is totally different than anything else. Also, the trasaxle/engine case joint supports 100% of the load in these cars.The transaxle bumper and the hanger joints are simply buffers. Getting the adjustment correct with a different transaxle will be difficult. Lastly, the nose cone on the type 4 comes out of the tail on the bottom...not the top. That will make shift linkage even more difficult. A bus tranny is both heavy and geared really poorly for this car. It will be a dog.
But....putting the 4 speed type 4 tranny into an automatic chassis is a snap. No fabrication necessary. All of the bolt holes are already there. Just need to find a smashed 2 door with a four speed, and liberate the pedal cluster, the clutch tubing, the shift rod andd shifter, rear tunnel bushing and the tranny. After you get your hands on new...or rebuilt master and slave cylinders, its about an afternoon to install it all. Ray