C4 Transmission questions

[Steve72]

I am nearly done with a frame off 72 restoration and I have just started the beast for the first time in 2 years and this is what I see.h

It starts in in park( I think) but the rig wants to move backwards so I believe that the neutral safety switch may need adjusting. Can this be, the only adjustment I see is the shift linkage and I beleive that is OK.

I also think I put too much transmission fluid in the C4. is there a way I can drain some out? It may be that the fluid has not worked its way into the troque converter but the stick still reads over full.

I was also wondering if there could be a connection between the transmission being too full and it wanting to go backward at start up in park.

Thanks in advance.

Steve72

 

[jabranovich]

C-4

Take linkage off at trans.,put trans.in park,rock vehicle to make sure,put shifter in park,then tighten linkage up,put shifter in nuetral.theres a little hole in switch you put small drill bit in and align,then tighten bolts on switch up,that should get you what you need.

 

[BwoncoHowie]

Take linkage off at trans.,put trans.in park,rock vehicle to make sure,put shifter in park,then tighten linkage up,put shifter in nuetral.theres a little hole in switch you put small drill bit in and align,then tighten bolts on switch up,that should get you what you need.

Yup! I agree!

As for the removing the excess, heres a few different methods of which, I have used them all with success.

1) Make a vacuum jar from a mason canning jar stick 2 vacuum hoses in holes punched in the lid. Drop one hose down the filler tube and hook the other one up to a vacuum source on the engine. Start the engine and watch the engine vacuum pull oil out of the filler tube and into the jar. Unscrew the jar lid when you want the siphon to stop. !caution! Do NOT let the jar fill to the top or you run the risk of sucking ATF into the intake manifold. A small amount wont hurt but a large amount will severely damage the engine.

2) Loosen the filler tube at the pan and drain the excess fluid off. This is the easiest method as long as the flarenut is not badly rusted or stripped. A flarenut wrench or flarenut crowfoot is recommended.

3) Take loose a cooler line and place it in a container, start engine and let the container fill to desired amount and turn off the engine. get someone to help you, this job is better done with 2 people. I usually take loose the top radiator cooler line or the rear transmission line and stick the line into an old antifreeze jug.

4) (Last resort) loosen pan and drain off excess into a clean container, replace pan with new gasket.

 

[BwoncoHowie]

The neutral safety switch is responsible for the vehicle only cranking in Park or neutral, but the same switch also operates the Back-up lights.

I had to repair the neutral safety switch because a new one was not available at the time. Since my repair I bought a new old stock switch from Dennis Carpenter but haven't installed it yet. Ford P/N D1FZ-7A247-A, Motorcraft #SW-1028

The reason I repaired the neutral safety switch is because I had to lift up the shift lever to start the engine. I finally got tired of that because it eventually would only start in neutral. I decided to remove the switch and take it apart by drilling out the brads on the back side and bending out the tabs ever so slightly that hold the contact plate in place. I cleaned and greased it and put it back together.

It not only fixed the starting problem but my B/U lights started working as well!

The switch comes off the trans by removing the kick-down lever and the (2) 1/4-20 bolts going into the trans case. If it's pretty crusty down there, you may have to use a small screwdriver. Position the screwdriver blade as close to the shaft as possible, then gently pry it straight out and away from the transmission case. The wires unplug in the area of the firewall next to the master cylinder.

There is also a procedure that needs to be observed to properly adjust the switch during installation
1) Chock wheels, set parking brake, and put trans in neutral.
2) Loosen Neutral Safety Switch (NSS) mounting bolts.
3) Find the adjusting hole on the side of the switch, it is approx. 3/32” diameter and just about ½” to ¾” above the NSS pivot point.
4) Insert a pin, drill bit or nail into the hole in the switch housing, this will be used as your adjustment tool. You may need to rotate the NSS on the shifter shaft slightly to be able to insert the pin.
5) Once the pin is inserted tighten the two ¼”x20 mounting bolts, then remove the pin. Don't forget to remove the pin/nail after tightening the bolts or you will break the switch when you shift the transmission.
6) Check operation by cranking the motor in neutral and park. The motor should only crank in these 2 ranges. This same switch also operates your back-up lights when you shift to reverse.

Note: Don't lose the o-ring behind the kick-down lever, be aware that it's there and make sure it's in place before re-installing the lever.