no backup lights

[dodj]

yes it is a key on only circuit
test light at the firewall is how I would check it you can also use a test light at the tranny plug , it is not going to hurt anything to have the key on for 5-10 minutes even

Your ballast resistor will heat up but it will live.

[shadango]

Thanks guys.  I took your advice and did the tests....

Another question --- can I assume that the reverse switch in the tranny works like any other  switch...ie when the switch closes it closes the circuit and sends the power from the one side of the switch to the other?

I found I had no power...(well...like .4 volts) ..at the connector behind the kick panel but I DO have 12 volts to the one side pin on the switch itself. 

I took an ohms reading acorss the two outside pins with the tranny in reverse and no continuity...there should be continuity right?

Also, the switch seems to be leaking...a little tranny fluid in the boot when I pulled it off.

I fed power to the connector that leads to the back of the car just for kicks while I had the connector apart and the reverse lights work.

So, does this sound like a bad switch?  The tranny was just rebuilt back in May and the switch looked brand new to me....it worked at first but then we started noticing it wasnt working every time....then not at all....

This all adds up to me to be a bad switch, right?

I had tested for 12v at the light sockets and only got that same .4 volts or so....seems like if I got ANYTHING back there, I should have some continuity at the switch?  Or maybe not. 

Or am I way off in thinking I should have continuity across the switch's two end pins?? 

But its leaking so....I guess I will have to replace it at some point anyways.   

And if you do think its the switch, is there some magical incantation to allow me to get to the dang thing?!??!   With the headers installed its awefully tight around that switch....doesn't seem like wrenches will even fit....

[Chryco Psycho]

if you have power to the rear lights when you jump power across the switch on the tranny yes it is a bad switch

[shadango]

I didn't try jumping power across the switch.....I just tested for continuity across the switch....and found none when (I think) there should be...

I jumped power to the plug behind the drivers kick panel that leads to the back end of the car....so I know that end is Ok.

Are you suggesting  I could jump the two side pins on the plug /wiring side of the plug that connects to the switch to each other, right? Will have to find some pins I can use to do it with.

[dodj]

I didn't try jumping power across the switch.....I just tested for continuity across the switch....and found none when (I think) there should be...

Are you suggesting  I could jump the two side pins on the plug /wiring side of the plug that connects to the switch to each other, right? Will have to find some pins I can use to do it with.

A 'U' shape piece of wire into the two outside contacts of the connector should do the trick.

[dodj]

I took an ohms reading acorss the two outside pins with the tranny in reverse and no continuity...there should be continuity right?  Yes

Also, the switch seems to be leaking...a little tranny fluid in the boot when I pulled it off. There is a gasket that might be leaking.

I fed power to the connector that leads to the back of the car just for kicks while I had the connector apart and the reverse lights work.

So, does this sound like a bad switch?-Yup     The tranny was just rebuilt back in May and the switch looked brand new to me....it worked at first but then we started noticing it wasnt working every time....then not at all....

This all adds up to me to be a bad switch, right?

I had tested for 12v at the light sockets and only got that same .4 volts or so....seems like if I got ANYTHING back there, I should have some continuity at the switch?  Or maybe not.  Yes you should

Or am I way off in thinking I should have continuity across the switch's two end pins??  No, you're right

But its leaking so....I guess I will have to replace it at some point anyways.   

And if you do think its the switch, is there some magical incantation to allow me to get to the dang thing?!??!   With the headers installed its awefully tight around that switch....doesn't seem like wrenches will even fit....

The usual expletives while not really helpful, make you feel better.

The higher you get the back of the car before you remove the switch, the less fluid you will get on the floor.

[shadango]

The usual expletives while not really helpful, make you feel better.

The higher you get the back of the car before you remove the switch, the less fluid you will get on the floor.

I was afraid of both of those issues.  LOL   

I was thinking of approaching it like I did for the speedo gear, high in the back and the left side higher than the right.

But.......I am still having that delayed engagement issue.....shift from drive to neutral and rev, or drive to neutral rto reverse to drive again , and sometimes (not always) I feel it shift into gear but when I step on the gas there is a delay and a grab of full engagement...the shop asked me if I was sure the shift linkage is set up right.....I am fearing that the tranny is coming back out soon....so I may just wait and change it out then.....   I still haven't decided whether I just live with the delay or pursue it.

[dodj]

I know the adjustment of the kickdown linkage has a significant effect on shift points, delay etc... I'd go through all the linkage and make sure it's ok before I dropped the tranny - that's a lottta work. Especially when you thought that job was done.

[shadango]

Believe me, if there was a way to avoid it, I would be all for it.

But, from what I can tell, its shifting fine as far as the linkage......when the car is cold it doesnt delay at all.

Once the car is hot, it does it. 

And its not like its notgoing into gear at all..its like a partial engagement......it kind of half catches and actually has some forward movement, as though it shifted in to gear....and then lurches in when I gas it.....

I am calling the shop tomorrow to schedule a time to take it in and have them experience the issue.

You're right on one thing though...lots of rework doing something I put a lot of effort into finishing....and that is not making me happy.

[BruteForce]

You're right on one thing though...lots of rework doing something I put a lot of effort into finishing....and that is not making me happy.

I hear ya. Despite my best efforts, most jobs I wind up doing 2 or even 3 times, in and out. I just redid the fuel lines to route them further away from the exhaust pipes, I just wasn't happy with the proximity.

The good news, though, is the job goes much faster the 2nd and 3rd time. I remember on my old Mustang the time it took me to take the heads off went from 4 hours to 20 minutes.

[shadango]

Yeah, usually it does go faster the second time around, but in my case, I had no exhaust installed when I put teh tranny in.

Nowm, I have an X pipe and headers to contend with....cant tell you how I am hoping I wont have to pull the exhaust and headers to drop the tranny.....

And that is all after having to deal with the shop and their 'the work we did is perfect' attitude.....

[BruteForce]

I've finally finished installing a new 3" TTI X-pipe exhaust. It probably took me at least 10 hours to do it, and I took it on and off a couple dozen times minimum. Most of the problems were caused by they'd sent me the wrong mufflers and an X that had been bent wrong at the factory.

TTI's customer service was great, but it was still a long slog.

The pipes go together with slip fits. I aided the slipping with some hi-temp anti-sieze compound on them. I could probably get the whole thing off in 10 minutes at this point

I was also pretty modest with tightening down the clamps over the slip fits, because I didn't want to crimp the pipes together to the point where I couldn't get them apart without a sawzall. The pipes are stainless and I think even a sawzall would have a hard time cutting them - it took 20 minutes per pipe with a cutoff wheel to cut them.

[shadango]

Yeah, I had my exhaust installed by a shop...magnaflow ss x pipe system.....the shop had to bend/tweek quite a bit to make it work....not sure how THIS system is a bolt-on...LOL

I am hoping that I wont have to pull the exhaust or headers, like I said.....it would be like undoing everything I have been working on.

[BruteForce]

I really wanted a bolt-on because the nearest muffler shop is miles away through the city, and I'd never get there unmolested by the cops for running open headers. Bolt-on saves me a an expensive tow.

[dodj]

Believe me, if there was a way to avoid it, I would be all for it.

With TACTRANS suggesting the shop needs to fix that tranny, I'll bet it's gonna be coming out. Maybe the tranny shop will do something to help out with the removal/installation. After all, it seems to be their faulty rebuild causing you the grief.

Man this thread has drifted a bit away from back-up lights!