transmission will not shift to overdrive

Asked by tom_ Jun 10, 2013 at 08:38 AM about the 1985 Lincoln Mark VII LSC

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

will not shift to overdrive, all other gears work fine

3 Answers

100

Look to see if the transmission throttle valve grommet right below the engine air intake is still in place. Ford made these out of plastic and they often get brittle with age and break. There was an aftermarket copper replacement part that will last forever. If this part breaks and the cable is left to dangle the fourth gear will quickly burn up.

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18,675

The kick down cable can also stretch with time, causing the same issue with overdrive burning out. The carbureted version used a kick down rod, and I know of one that is still working like new at almost 1,000,000 miles, and we have had 4 in our family that have exceeded 200,000 miles with not one bit of trouble. The transmissions outlived the cars.

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