In my last post, I discussed how my 1973 Ford F-100 rebuild project has turned into an Odyssey of sorts, during which the automotive gods toyed with my vainglorious mortal attempts throughout the engine rebuild. However, I take responsibility for my mistakes, chief of which is my truck's C6 automatic transmission.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I mistakenly hired a friend who was reputedly an expert on the C6 transmission to rebuild and upgrade my truck's C6 transmission. However, following the engine rebuild I successfully completed, when it came time to install both my engine and transmission I wound up with a truck that would start, go forward, but not backward when shifted into reverse. Today, I remain ghosted by said friend and expert.
What I should have done is what I am doing now: attempting to learn everything I can about C6 transmission diagnosis and repair.
I decided to go this route because it is difficult to find someone reputable and still alive who has experience working on this transmission model. It also means I would have to pay twice, a cost I could have otherwise spent on a new replacement transmission.
Where to Go for C6 Automatic Transmission Instruction
For the DIY mechanic who has not been to an accredited automotive mechanic school and is working on an old vehicle, finding resources to help you learn independently will take some effort and good luck.
My advice has always been to search not just for one resource but multiple resources on any part of a rebuild because almost no single book, video, manual, etc., says and does it all. In other words, I need to be home-schooled (self taught) on a lot of what I do. Which entails figuring out what information is useful, what information is clear, and what information needs to be ignored. If you follow any car forum online, you will know what I mean.
That said, here are my recommended resources, each of which has its relative merits and value for learning about the C6 transmission for diagnosis and repair.
Recommended C6 Resources
1. Your basic automotive lecture books for vehicles slightly more recent than your model. For this, I use the two books I depend on below as a good place to start understanding how automatic transmissions or anything else automotive works from that era works. The value of these old textbooks is that they often have multiple illustrations of common transmissions of the time with part nomenclature to make learning a little easier for the novice DIY transmission mechanic.
2. Your make (and model, if possible) transmission repair manuals as shown below. However, many of these types are focused on repair or upgrade and not so much on diagnostics.
3. The original shop manual for your vehicle is always the best and most necessary resource, particularly when reassembling a system and needing some of the-devil-is-in-the-details information not found in any other repair manuals.
4. Training Manuals from the years that cover your transmission and TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins). These are gold when tackling a diagnosis or repair you are unfamiliar with. Only recently did I find the manuals in the images below that complement each other by explaining in the simplest way how your transmission works, how to diagnose a problem with practical tests you can do, and how to remedy a C6 transmission problem.
5. Test equipment from the same era (if possible). While the literature can be inexpensive, older automotive test equipment sold on eBay is often beaten up, overpriced, and comes with no guarantee. I found a Rotunda automatic transmission tester used on Ford vehicles during that era, and it is in remarkable condition. If it turns out not to be 100% operational, the electronics are simple enough for my skill set to repair. You can DIY make a tester similar to the Rotunda, but DIY fixing an old one is cheaper.
Where I Am Today With the Transmission
Having returned from extensive and prolonged traveling last Spring and this Summer, I finally have time to tackle this latest obstacle. My next step is to work through the training manuals, check the functions of the Rotunda tester, and then go back to a systematic diagnosis to see if I missed anything during the transmission installation and hookup before applying the recommended diagnostic tests.
Until then, I will be sure to post an update on what I have found, but I will predictably do some intervening posts before then.
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