Hi Alan,
Okay, this is probably not good news for you. He was hoping you meant
the gear selector was stiff, because that was the lesser of the two
evils, indicating that the external shifter linkage was binding in the
bushings due to rust buildup. This happens because of age, not
mileage.
However, since reverse gear doesn't kick in without you having to
fiddle with the selector, he says you should take the Aerostar to a
transmission shop and have the mechanic run a diagnostics test on it.
What the mechanics should be looking for is an internal problem where
the seals or clutches are worn, causing a delayed shift.
The same thing happened to my Bronco. First I slowly lost my reverse,
then one by one the other gears starting disappearing. It's an '88
(the smaller Bronco II), with a slew of miles, and a 4 x 4 to boot. We
had a heck of a time finding a rebuilt transmission for it. New ones
are definitely too expensive!
Good luck with it all,
revbrenda1st |