Got the frame-to-block wire already attached, will check on this frame-to-fender possibility.

New more serious problem though: took the truck off its cinderblocks, started it up, and was bracing for some rusty brakes doing a short test drive. Welp, the brakes work, but the thing doesn't actually go into gear! Automatic transmission (2WD), can shift the shifter no problem from option to option, but I don't hear the truck going into gear, and it doesn't! What gives?

I know nothing about transmissions. Went into gear and drove fine when I parked it last November before replacing the head in March. Could I have unhooked something simple? Reading the manual right now...

 

Welp, added about a quart of ATF, dipstick reads to the top of the "cold" zone, and it goes into gear now! Don't understand the mechanics of this yet though...

 

[QUOTE=AJ Tarnas;51902786]I got the crankshaft bolt, pulley/flywheel, and timing cover off today before it started raining here. I was despairing last night, trying to think up a way of gripping the pulley, and I decided to boil down the common "strap wrench" design into a simpler one-off version. Tadaa!

I solved this dilemma by taking two short 3/8" extensions and sticking them thru the top holes in the cam sprocket, immobilizing the motor. Then a little tug on my favorite breaker bar/19mm socket and it was out. There is also a really easy starter bump method.

 

I still can't drive this thing. I don't really have the words for the problem, but the transmission seems to "slip". I have to rev the engine and there's a delay before the truck will go into any gear, and once it's in gear it doesn't have very much power -- have to press the gas a lot more than I should just to go 10mph up a slight slope. Not sure what's up -- where to begin? Other than wrong transmission fluid level, what could be wrong?

 

Does the engine rev when you're trying to accelerate up this slight incline? Clutch slippage?

 

Yes, the engine sounds like a normal engine. Before the gear engages, I give it gas, and have to give it gas for several seconds before the gear engages. Once the gear engages, I need to give the engine much more gas to do this small amount of work than I would normally expect, though the sound is of an engine under load. So I can drive the truck 500 feet, it just has very little power (distance per unit gas).

This auto transmission worked fine a year ago. It sat from November to May, when I finished rebuilding the head. I didn't put it into drive until a month ago. So the transmission has been unused for a full year.

If something is rusty/seized inside, how can I free it up? If the clutch is slipping, what would cause that, given that the only change since last October has been (1) sitting for a year and (2) being halfway drained of ATF for most of that time?

 

Oh no, the cast-iron coolant passage on the back of the head is leaking -- least accessible part of the engine. THE HECK!

 

Lifted the rear axle slightly off the ground onto jack stands, so the wheels could spin freely. Running the engine and putting the truck into gear, goes into reverse with some hesitation but otherwise feels normal. However, the rear passenger wheel has power and rotates normally when in reverse, drive, L2, L1, but the rear driver side wheel does not spin normally. When going into reverse or drive it will spin a few revolutions, then stutter to a stop. Is this normal behavior? What to do?

Some possible background on this: for a total of maybe 3 out of the 11 months this truck has been sitting on my property, the rear driver tire was deflated, so for a time there was a lot of weight resting on that wheel in an awkward way.

 

that's perfectly normal with an open differential. the tire being deflated is a non issue

 

Hmm. Welp, I'm out of ideas. Why did it drive fine a year ago, and now it has low power and exhibits clutch-slip behavior?

In other news, cast iron coolant passage plate on the back of the head was leaking. Had left two bolts out and the other three were loose -- wow is it hard to use a wrench back there. Need a couple ratcheting box wrenches. Anyway, no more leak.

Also, discovered where that ground wire went -- from fire wall to back of head cast iron coolant passage plate! Supposed to go under one of those impossible to reach bolts... leaving it off for now.

 

I re-attached that wire to the bolt holding the rear engine hoisting hook...I hope that works...

 

Hmm, that's an idea. Testing the head and valve cover shows that they're grounded, and I assume that the bolts connecting that rear cast iron coolant passage ground it in turn, so I'm just leaving it off for now.

Still looking for ideas on this sluggish transmission!

 

Well, truck's still just sitting out there. I start it up every week, engine runs and sounds fine, shift it through the transmission positions, it's laggy but it shifts. Still barely enough "power" to drive up and down my street though.

 

i had the same thing happen to a 71 gmc pickup with an AT, turned out the filter inside the transmission was semi clogged starving it for atf it wouldnt build pressure fast enough and when i revved it it would hesitate for a few seconds then grab kind of jarringly, it was worse when cold... the problem was solved completely after dropping the tranny pan changing filter and filling with new atf, i dont know if this helps but it sounded familiar so i thought id share.

 

Nice, thanks! I've been lacking inspiration on this, and my eyes glaze over when I look at the FSM automatic transmission chapter, so I've just let the truck sit. I'll look up the filter-changing process and give your idea a shot!