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Hello all, I’m not exactly in the right place as the car I have questions about is a 72 oldsmobile cutlass. It has been sitting for about two years now because I moved away. My parents would start it up every once in a while but never drove it. I am now back and tried to take it for a spin and when I shifted into gear nothing. I would Rev the engine and I could feel a slight pull as though it was about to engage but wouldnt. I had to add about a 1/2 qt so it would reach full. I let it sit while running for about 30 mins then checked it. I shifted into drive and it engaged immediately. Any ideas as to why it will only shift when hot?
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You might have done this…If so, overlook my response. Sometimes folks forget that on most GM’s, the transmission fluid needs to be checked while the transmission/ engine is hot and the engine is running in Park. It sounds like a classic symptom of low fluid to me. I’ve encountered this before.
Yep that’s the first thing I checked. Then I checked the vacuum line and I looked alright. No cracks or leaks. I know very little about transmissions so I’m not sure where else to check. Maybe I’ll change out the fluid and filter.
Just speculating, but it might be that having sat for so long, the fluid had a lot of time to drain down out of places that are normally kept wet, and some seals might have dried out enough to allow air into places where it doesn’t belong.
Maybe just running the engine for a long time while shifting through the various gears (foot on brake while doing this) will eventually send the fluid everywhere it needs to go and might rehydrate the seals a bit.
A transmission mechanic once told me that when it comes to internal sealing issues or external leaks, it’s best to keep the old fluid in the transmission until the problems are fixed. Fresh fluid would only make the problems worse. I’m not sure if I completely believe this, but if you squint, it seems to make a certain kind of sense.
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