Automatic Trans Weirdness

Car is my 1994 mustang V6

Car is cold. I back out of the driveway and go about 50 feet and take a right turn on to the street that runs up by the front of my house. I loose all drive. IT is like it goes in to neutral.

This only happens when it is cold. The trans has the proper amount of fluid in it. I topped it off about 6 months ago. There has been not loss of fluid.

Is it time for a trans flush and filter? I will say that this problem did arise after the overheat I had when the cooling fan failed. Did I also toast the trans? I know form past experience with my 94 explorer that those trans are very sensitive to being over heated.

The reason for asking is I am virtually positive I lost a head gasket in the motor and now if the trans is junk I will probably scrap the car (figures I just put over $400 in parts in to it this spring including a new rad and a heater core last fall.)

that new radiator and heater core will fit the bigger engine you put in the 3.8's place.

I think this car hates me. It has been the most reliable one in the fleet for the last 10+ years.

Just for S&G's I decided to check the trans fluid again but this time I made sure it was really warmed up and that I was an truly level ground.

I was a quart+ low. I added the trans fluid and took it for a drive. It now seems to be shifting fine.

I do agree that I think it is time for a 5.0. This YMM it was an option. I am seriously thinking getting one of the explorer motors in the junk yard and adding megasquirt. My only concern is can the trans from the 3.8 take the power / torque from the 5.0 and will it bolt up.

Fluid and filter wont fix that if it was full. But sounds like it wasnt.

I was running a 3.8L T5 behind a relatively lo-po 351W (stealth intake, flat tappet cam swap headers and thermactor bumps ground out of the exhaust ports)and it was fine. It gave me lots of grins on the street. The bellhousing bolt pattern is the same for the 3.8 and 5.0 so it shouldn't be a concern. I am not certain whether the slightly deeper SN95 bellhousing will cause a problem with the driveshaft length but it wouldn't stop me from doing the swap as it's a minor thing.

As for the transmission thing, my Crown Vic does something similar occasionally. I'll start it up cold, drive off, stop and then take off again. The transmission will flare (engine revs up but no movement) and then engage. I suspect the transmission is on it's way out.

I let it cool and just took it for another spin and it seems to be working perfectly now so I think it was just low on fluid. That is good info re the trans thanks!!!!

Wonder how an M90 works with a 5.0? I have one on the shelf looking for a home. Probably undersized unless I put a small pulley on it and then it would be running outside its efficiency range.

Just ran the numbers and it really does not work unless the crank pulley is large. I will have to measure one the next time I am in the P&P

My father's '98 Taurus did many of the same things your Mustang is doing, until he finally broke down and had the original transmission replaced with a slightly lower mileage transmission. I drove it a few times, when he didn't want to drive (we was in his '80s, at the time) and that car was one of the reasons why I'm glad I don't drive a car with automatic.

The last car I had with an automatic I had the transmission flushed within weeks of purchase. Other folks on here will attest to the fact that NOT flushing a transmission of it's fluid is one of the chief killers of these transmissions.

What bugs me is that EVERY manufacturer out there claims a lifetime ATF and that's just not the case. Seen way too many die early.

Everytime I've seen those symptoms it was the torque converter fried.