Transmission not shifting out of first
- Thread starter Chris X
- Start date
Scoutboy74
Moderator
First thing to check on an auto trans when erratic behavior is encountered is the ATF level. On these A-727 boxes, that is best done while at operating temperature with the engine idling in NEUTRAL.
Now some questions....
Just to get a feel for some history and backstory, how long have you had this rig and how much recent driving have you done in it? Had it been shifting properly one day and then it all of a sudden malfunctioned the next time, with no repairs or adjustments made in between drives? Have you tried manually moving the shift lever down to L1 position and then manually bumping it forward to L2 as you accelerate? Is the throttle valve (kickdown) rod in place and properly adjusted? This next question might seem weird to you, but are there any issues with the gas pedal arm? Those pedal arms are notorious for failing when the thin metal fatigues after 50 years of heavy right feet stomping on them. A broken pedal arm won't let you apply throttle, and thus you can't accelerate, so just make sure you can still open that throttle fully when you put your foot on it.
Now some questions....
Just to get a feel for some history and backstory, how long have you had this rig and how much recent driving have you done in it? Had it been shifting properly one day and then it all of a sudden malfunctioned the next time, with no repairs or adjustments made in between drives? Have you tried manually moving the shift lever down to L1 position and then manually bumping it forward to L2 as you accelerate? Is the throttle valve (kickdown) rod in place and properly adjusted? This next question might seem weird to you, but are there any issues with the gas pedal arm? Those pedal arms are notorious for failing when the thin metal fatigues after 50 years of heavy right feet stomping on them. A broken pedal arm won't let you apply throttle, and thus you can't accelerate, so just make sure you can still open that throttle fully when you put your foot on it.
Thank you for the reply.
I did confirm the ATF is at correct level.
I have owned four different Scout 2s since the late 90s and this is the only one I have ever had any issue with the trans.
The trans on this one has always shifted hard from 1st to 2nd gear and I was told that was because the previous owner had installed a shift kit.
Before the transmission stop shifting out of first gear at all, I had driven the truck long, hard and at very high prolonged highway speeds from Northern California to Las Vegas. Immediately after this I did notice that it appeared to be taking longer and shifting harder when it did shift out of first. Until it stopped shifting at all.
I have had to leave the truck at my friends house in Vegas until I can fix it.
I have not tried shifting it manually from L1-L2, etc but I will do so when I go to Vegas this weekend.
I did confirm the ATF is at correct level.
I have owned four different Scout 2s since the late 90s and this is the only one I have ever had any issue with the trans.
The trans on this one has always shifted hard from 1st to 2nd gear and I was told that was because the previous owner had installed a shift kit.
Before the transmission stop shifting out of first gear at all, I had driven the truck long, hard and at very high prolonged highway speeds from Northern California to Las Vegas. Immediately after this I did notice that it appeared to be taking longer and shifting harder when it did shift out of first. Until it stopped shifting at all.
I have had to leave the truck at my friends house in Vegas until I can fix it.
I have not tried shifting it manually from L1-L2, etc but I will do so when I go to Vegas this weekend.
Scoutboy74
Moderator
That answers some of my questions. It's very likely this trans will eventually require some time out of the rig and on a bench, especially given the disclosure of a possible shift kit install. That means someone has been inside it recently. One can only specu-guess at this point as to whether the associated repairs/mods were done properly or not. Given the fact that it was upshifting at least quasi-properly to begin with and then got progessively worse as your drive went on, my hunch is something inside has failed.