Lord Porky

Hey peops,

Well, I have a Ford Falcon XE (I think it's an XE..... !! Oh, I just became the idiot on the forums now eh? )

Anyway, we just got the car back from the mechanics yesterday from a Grease & Oil and new brake pads... (the mechanic discovered for us that the bolt on the 'sump' is screwed... so he couldn't replace the oil and it is now dripping EVERYWHERE!! :o) but apart from that the car was then fine. (well, it was ALWAYS fine to tell u the truth...)

Until this morning - I put the car into reverse, put my foot on the accelerator and basically it just revved (as if in Neutral)... I tried changing the gears around and back into Reverse, but still, it pretended to be in Neutral..... after putting it into Reverse on the 3rd go it went... so, good news there... But, a few minutes later when Dad got behind the wheel (I'm only on Ls... the ink still wet on my licence...) and he tried to put it in reverse, it did the same thing. He drove forward a bit, then put it into reverse and it started going backwards - but it was as if he had the handbrake on.. it was chugging and shaking and moving VERY slowly despite the high revs....

We took it back to the mechanic to get some Automatic Fluid (we checked it and it appeared empty) but when -he- checked it, the Auto Fluid was up to the 'OK' line on the dipstick (tho he wanted it checked as close to turning the car off as possible, I assume this is normal, but, u never know). After working out it was not the Auto fluid we told him that reversing was as if we had the brakes on and he jumps up coming up that we've busted our Diaphragm Spring ($650+ worth :o)...

Now, not that I don't trust him (okay, I don't... but anyway) but I was wondering, are there any OTHER possibilities as to what could be causing this? And do Diaphragm springs break -that- suddenly? (the transmission was FINE yesterday, like, PERFECT and it always has been....)

It also seems strange to me that the only gears that are affected is the reverse gear - the Drive, High & Low gears are FINE (also I think Neutral lets the car creep forward a bit but I think that was just Dad not using the brakes maybe...)

Anyway, I leave this predicament to your expertise (and pray you aren't laughing at my stupidity.... :p) and hope that you can come up with good news....

Thanks in advance for your help
-Lord Porky

P.S:- If anyone knows where I can get a new engine for a 1.6 litre Holden Camira - oh god I hope that doesn't make me a blaspheemer here... - I would also be very grateful...

xacoupe

the fluid needs top be checked within 10 secs of the motor being turned off (it says so on the dipstick!!)
if you have fluid but no reverse then you most likely have the reverse pistion (servo??) popped out.

Lord Porky

Ahh, Well I personally didn't see the dipstick, so yeah prolly...

Also, that servo could be worth looking into, but the thing is, I *do* have reverse when it finally clicks in, but it is like I'm driving with the parking brake on, but hey if it's just a servo being out of whack... how much are they to fix usually? (warning - I'm a novice... I'll simply tell the mechanic what needs to be fixed :p)

T3man

I think you better find another mechanic FIRST - 'cos if he couldn't change your engine oil because the thread in your sump was stuffed, then he hasn't got even the most basic of equipment - just go somewhere else pronto.

There can be several reasons for the auto to be slow engaging R and then slipping/shuddering - go to a reputable auto trans specialist who can test the line pressures - maybe you need nothing more than a service and adjustment or you might be up for a recon unit - hope for the best.

Lord Porky

Ahh.... basic!? Well, he said he could fix the sump thread but it was gonna cost a fair whack.. I can't remember how much but it was enough for Dad to tell him not to worry about it... so before we start making sure everyone in the local area avoids this guy like the plague - is the Sump thread major work or is it very basic work as T3man was making out?

Dude, you've given me hope!! Thanx a lot pal :D