Thunderbird Water Pump

Thunderbird Water Pump

Problem with my 89 thunderbird?

So I just bought this car july 4th, it has 170xxx miles on it. I just replaced the fan clutch, water pump, thermostat and radiator cap to stop the over-heating problem. Now, after i start it and put it in drive, sometimes it takes a while for the transmission to recognize that it is in drive and revs the engine up like it is in neutral before it shifts over. Is there any way i can prevent this from happening? I think i need a transmission flush but my friend told me i might need to accelerator "brushes" whatever that is. Any ideas?

Sometimes it's not such a good idea to flush certain transmissions due to the age or type etc.If you have checked the transmission fluids level and know thats okay and have checked the transmission , transmission lines , rad etc for any possible leaks then the next thing to take under consideration is that the engine must of been more then likely over heated in the past.

Once you know that the engine has over heated or run hotter then normal then you have to consider that so did the transmission actually over heat and that damages transmissions and it's fluids.I'd start with changing the transmission fluid and filter and it's always a good idea to change them anyways especially when buying used older vehicles , plus changing the oil and coolant is wise too.

Hope that helps and best of luck.By the way if you see any metal particles in the transmission pan or old fluids tiny specs of metals are quite normal but what for big pieces that will tell you a lot.Also even if you change the transmission fluid and filter be sure you check that the coolant is mixed right and of good quality no more then 50/50 though and up to a good -40 F is okay.

Sometimes adding a transmission additive helps in cases like this too but try changing the fluid etc first off and be sure that you keep the engine and transmission running as cool as possible too.

1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe from North America - Comments
What things have gone wrong with the car? The electronic climate control was replaced three times (while under warranty) and has not failed again in fourteen years.