* Cruise-O-Matic HELP *

[Guest]

Myself i am not really great at transmissions so i need a hand from a tranny guru. I have a 60 bird with a cruise-o-matic tranmission. I had to pull the engine to do a little work on her. Before the engine was pulled the transmission was shifting and pulling just fine. While the trans was out i installed a new front pump seal around the torque converter due to a small leak. I drained the torque converter and transmission and replaced the fluid with freash f type. While out testing the car after reinstalling the trans I am having problem that seem to keep growing worse of the trans slipping when taking off in 1st and reverse. I dropped the pan and cleaned the metal mesh filter. The filter was very clean as well as the inside of the pan. When i pulled the engine i made sure not to knock any of the linkage out of adjustment. I have even came to the point to sliding the tranmission back off the engine and checking to make sure the converter was torqued and not lose at all on the flexplate. I plan on doing a pressure test tonight and see whats going on around there. The bird has to 1/8" line that runs from the rear port on the engine up and bolts to the back of the engine with a port there to test the pressures. my book says that it should be running at idle pressure around 56-72 lbs and a 1000 rpm pressure around 80-85 lbs. While at idle if i open the cap and and depress the test valve ( it looks like a tire valve) it doesnt seem to have the pressure that it should. I would figure that pressing the valve at idle with the ideal pressure of 56-72 lbs that it would just spray like a cut jugluar vien. It trickeled out.

So where do i go from here?

In the trouble shooting section in my bird bible it says thats the causes i need to look into are Fluid Level, Throttle Linkage, rear Band, Preform a pressure test, Pressure Regulator, Valve Body and Rear Servo,
i can do a rear servo air test but i am not sure how to test the rear band.

HELP! before i lose the rest of my hair...

[Guest]

RE: * Cruise-O-Matic HELP *

Lets go back.........you say the trans was fine before you took it off. You replaced a seal........is that seal leaking??? What about the lines that run from the trans to the radiator??? are they connected or leaking. ****Check to make sure you have enough fluid. If you dont have enough....it will give you the "slipping" feeling. I emptied my trans out to put a new pan gasket on and didnt put enough fluid back......I paniced when I went to move the car and it would not go anywhere......I didnt have enough fluid. Hope any of this helps......but as you said......if it was working fine before.......it may be something simple. Your torque converter takes ALOT to refill.......and you should test the fluid level with the car running......unlike this dunce

[byersmtrco]

RE: * Cruise-O-Matic HELP *

Check fluid level with the eng & trans at operating temp, on level ground in Neutral. If you don't trust your E/Brake (I don't) have someone asst you (foot on the brk, eng running) I'm pretty sure a Cruis-o holds aprx 12-14 Qts.

[JBird]

RE: * Cruise-O-Matic HELP *

Naturally you filled the torque converter with fluid before seating it into the transmission and you rotated the converter until you felt it drop into the front pump.

Don't laugh. I didn't do that and I dry started the front pump but only after smashing it and destroying my torque converter by trying to draw the bell housing tight up against the engine using the bolts.

Dumb...$$$$

That was many years ago though.

[KULTULZ]

RE: * Cruise-O-Matic HELP *

"In the trouble shooting section in my bird bible it says thats the causes i need to look into are Fluid Level, Throttle Linkage, rear Band, Preform a pressure test, Pressure Regulator, Valve Body and Rear Servo"

The pre-1961 CRUISE-O-MATICS did not have a modulator valve and all shifts are controlled by TV linkage (coming off the fuel linkage bell) and this adjustment is critical to proper operation. You most likely lost this adjustment during service. Follow the shop manual instructions and make sure all linkage/bushings are operating properly and adjust accordingly.