1957 Fairlane 500 automatic

[Habusailor]

When I shift into reverse there is a whistling squealing noise coming from the transmission also does that in drive


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[dmsfrr]

Has it been getting gradually worse or did the noise just start? Any recent work under the hood before the problem started?
Was anything done with the throttle valve / kick down rod adjustment?

[darrell]

does it stop once you get moving.

[Habusailor]

Just bought the car as is, I put a new holly 4 barrel on it, starts and runs good now. I havnt done any adjusting to the kickdown linkage. Doesn’t shift gears well either.


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[dmsfrr]

The procedure for adjusting the throttle valve / kick down rod is illustrated on page 2-89 of a '57 shop manual.
An important part to not skip is adding approx three additional turns of length to the kick down rod adjusting clevis when the throttle linkage is on the carb idle stop, after aligning/centering the various adjustment positions.

[Ford blue blood]

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Tranny full of fluid? Check it running and in neutral.

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by Ford blue blood

Tranny full of fluid? Check it running and in neutral.

Oops, Yes, the very first thing to check.
Would Park be suitable as well as Neutral?

(in the hope that Park is a safer option when the engine is running without someone sitting behind the wheel)
.

[40 Deluxe]

The noise may be pump cavitation due to a clogged filter.

[Aarongriffey]

Also put the hand brake (e brake) on when checking the trans oil level.
A fellow I know was working in front of his Ford pickup with his neighbor When they both saw the shift lever come out of park and drop past R and N into Drive.
The owner was badly injured when the idling pickup pinned him against a fence.
Usually says on the stick to check Hot and in Park.
He will suffer the injuries forever.

[Daves55Sedan]

If you've changed to a different carburator, the throttle linkage may not be same as the old carb, meaning that the idle point of your kickdown linkage might have moved. That is not good. Re-adjust in accordance with the shop manual.
Also, how do you know what type of fluid is in the trans? If they put type F in it, that is wrong. Originally the Ford-O-Matics used type "A", but since it has been discontinued, Dextron/Mercon is an acceptable substitute.
Check fluid level with engine running and gear select lever in neutral. Pull out the parking brake before checking. I like to run mine so that the fluid level is halfway between empty and full marks on the dipstick. Never overfill a Ford-O-Matic or you will blow the seals and make a big mess.

[Gene F]

No type F...May I ask why that is?

[scicala]

I thought Fordomatics used type F or possibly a Mercon substitute for it.

Sal

[delco1946]

Transmission fluid has been beaten to death and then some - I’d recommend doing a quick search on it here. Some on this forum do use type F with success but type A (and now dex/merc) is correct. It is what i use and although my transmission has been rebuilt it still has the original bronze innards. This question gets more complicated if you have more modern plates in your transmission but that is probably not likely. Type F has different friction modifiers and came out around 1968 as I recall.

[dmsfrr]

FWIW...
the Fordomatic in my '55 was rebuilt a couple years ago and the transmission shop guy said to use Mercon in it.

[Daves55Sedan]

Originally Posted by scicala

I thought Fordomatics used type F or possibly a Mercon substitute for it.Sal

Nope. Originally specified to use type "A". Many decades after whale oil was outlawed, somebody came up with a synthetic "type A", but you only saw it in big department stores and farm supply stores.
The Dexron/Mercon series trans fluid is as close as you can get to type "A".

[rotorwrench]

Type F won't hurt a thing. It will certainly keep those metallic plates from slipping since that's why it was developed. Use what you want but Type F will not hurt it at all. Just don't mix types. If you don't know what's in there then it should all be changed. If there is a problem, it's doubtful that the ATF is causing it.

The Ford-O-Matics function through the mechanical throttle valve and the internal governor. The quality of shift is controlled by that linkage that connects the throttle with the throttle valve down on the left side of the transmission. There is no vacuum modulator on these so it was all controlled by the throttle.

The old Ford transmissions can have a whirring sound in lower gears or reverse but they shouldn't be making any unnatural sounds like grinding or metal rubbing metal. Squealing could be a sign of band slippage, plate slippage, or a bearing problem. Shifts can be adjusted from soft to harsh if the throttle valve linkage adjustment is made by the directions in the transmission shop manual. I would do a pressure test on the unit and see if pressures are within specs. If not then is either has a pump or regulator problem or there is a leak in there somewhere. There are a fair amount of places that can leak inside there and rubber parts don't last forever.