Good Morning Everybody First I wanna say I hope y'all have a great weekend & stay safe !! Ok gotta question or two.... I had a 1973 Maverick that wen parked while running had snapped in reverse and hit a tree smashing in the trunk pretty good. Oh wat a poor sad sight that was ...Ok so WHY did this happen and wat can be done to make sure this does'nt happen to my 1975 Maverick that I have now ?? Thanxs !!
I know that automatic linkages weren't real high tech back then but do you think there is chance someone was playing around in the car and caused the "event" to happen?
Worn bushings on the shift linkage or the slotted end of the linkage sometimes spreads and allows the shift mechanism on the side of the transmission fall back to "R". With no linkage attached, the trans selector will not stay in Park. There is a spring (flat metal with a rollerend that rests against a pawl) inside the transmission that always wants to push the selector out of Park and into Reverse. Having properly adjusted and maintained linkage is the only thing that will hold the transmission in Park. The end of the slot often cracks or spreads and no longer is able to "hold" the trans selector in Park.
A little side track memory from back around when I was 8 or 9 and was playing in my Dad's 58 Plymouth Belvedere with the push button automatic - I must have hit a button that caused the car to begin drifting down the driveway and panicked - somehow I knew enough to put my feet on the brake but also recall ducking down on the seat to hide because I knew I was somehow in "big trouble" - I guess I didn't know enough to put push the "P" button again and finally got our neighbor's attention who got my Dad and all was well again
The problem could also be behind the steering wheel causing the shifter not "locking" in place. Bob- I found out the starter switch was a button on the floorboard in a '51 F-10 when I was 5 or 6 years old. Funny how you can remember things in your childhood like it was only yesterday
http://www.fordification.com/images/fairbury71/IMG_9498.jpg My work van was hit early one morning when the paper girl's old Ford P/U jumped into reverse while she delivering papers at the other end of the block... Yep left it running in the middle of the street... It's a common issue with all the 60s/70s Ford transmissions, problem is due to the internal helper spring that's continually exerting force on the trans shift lever to assist shifting from park...
Never leave a late 60's - to mid 70's Ford ( of any type ) running if you're not in it! I had to chase down my 65 Falcon once! There's a fault in the steering column that will allow the shifter to pop into reverse! I always put my Maverick in park and let the car roll until I hear the trans lock " click ". Then I know the car won't move! This is with the engine off. Here in Florida now, it's illegal to leave a vehicle unattended and running! As far as making sure this doesn't happen again, just hold your shift in park and let the car roll until you hear the " click " and the car stops, and do not leave the car running if someone isn't behind the wheel!
Problem is through the '70s and likely into the early '80s... Ford sent the sticker to my Dad for his '79 Cougar as it was one of the effected models(FMX trans)... No doubt applies to all Mav & Comet as the C4 was also very prone to this problem...
Very common on the 60's and 70's Fords. I would never leave the car running in Park. I'd rather leave it in neutral with the parking brake on. Even then, you're taking a chance.
I live by the simple rule of if I'm not in it, the vehicle isn't running. I'd rather deal with having the vehicle a little hot in the summer and cold in the winter when I'm first driving it than to have to deal with an insurance company. I've seen way too many close calls and damaged vehicles caused by a vehicle popping into reverse or Drive on the old 50's vehicles where reverse is all the way down on the shifter. I've even seen a high idled manual transmission truck drop into drive and not stall. -Scott H.
No because I had put the car in park, went into my garage for a minute which was two feet away and all of a sudden the car slipped back in reverse and hit a small tree that was at the end of the driveway. It was in park but running. Thanxs for replying back
Thanxs for the info I had no idea at that time. I was 18 when this happened and it was my first car. I don't ever leave my car or any car unattended anymore due to that scarry experience I had back in the day NO more of that for me !
