65 Classic 327 V8 M-/10 no reverse.

    Might be a dumb question but....does it have the proper amount of fluid?

Try and find a shop that does work on classic Volvos or Jaguars. They used Borg Warner automatic transmissions that are very similar, if not the same as your Rambler's.

For what it's worth here's what the diagnosis chart in the factory TSM says to check for a no reverse condition:

(On car without removing pan)
1. Check oil level
2. Check oil pressure
3. Manual linkage adjustment
4. Rear band adjustment
5. Inspect governor

(On car after removing pan)
6. Remove, disassemble, and inspect rear servo
7. Oil tubes missing or damaged
8. Remove control valve assembly and inspect for loose screws, replace control valve if no defects

(Bench overhaul)
9. Sealing rings missing or broken
10. Rear clutch slipping, wory, or faulty parts
11. Rear band worn or broken

As others have mentioned a number of British and European cars (such as Jaguar and Volvo) used essentially the same transmission for years so if you can find a 'greybeard' type shop they may have the experience to deal with it.

I'm trying to remember the details, but back in the day it was common for these transmissions to lose reverse gear. As I recall it was caused by a condition where there would always be some pressure going to the rear servo (even in forward gears) causing the rear band to burn out, and the "fix" was to drill a small hole somewhere to relieve this unwanted pressure. (Details are hazy, I'm going by a half-rememberd decades-old memory here.)

My own memory of the mod is dim due to the passage of time, but looking through some of my saved stuff I found this 2005 posting to the AMC mailing list:

There was an ATRA bulletin years ago that called for drilling a .030" hole in the rear servo piston to relieve any pressure that wasn't supposed to be there. We used to do that to all aluminum BW's, it did save the rear band.

Before doing that kind of surgery to your own transmission I would check first to see if looks like that's the problem, see if the rear band is burned out. With the trans being recently rebuilt I'd be surprised if that were the case. (Then again if the misdirected pressure is due to valve-body wear that might not have been addressed by the rebuild.)

A good source of technical information for these transmissions is Northwest Transmission Parts. When I needed seals for my M8 they were not only able to supply the parts, but detailed installation info.


Edited by SensibleSpectaculars - Mar/22/2015 at 12:39pm

Thanks for all the advice, Now I only need to find a shop that can work on it!