Amazon: Automatic Transmission - Won't Go Into Reverse Right Away

[Iowa122S]

That's sort of correct, if you have a PRND21 indicator plate in the car, and a PRND2D1L gearbox. D2 is second gear start, and will change 2-3 and 3-2 but locking out first and that will be in the D position in the car if there's a mismatch. D1 is fully auto.

On my automatic Amazon, the indicator plate is PRNDL. So would you expect D to start in 1st or 2nd gear?

Thanks for confirmation on the ATF.

[harvey]

Originally Posted by Iowa122S

On my automatic Amazon, the indicator plate is PRNDL. So would you expect D to start in 1st or 2nd gear?

Thanks for confirmation on the ATF.

Sorry I'd forgotten that is was going to be an early five position selector.

If it's PRNDL, then D is fully auto, so first gear start and automatic changes 1-2-3 & 3-2-1 as required. If you select L at a standstill it will pull away in first gear and stay there. If you are in D and move the lever into L while driving in either first or second gear, it will lock it in whichever of those two gears you were in at the time and keep it there until you move the lever again. So the only way you can get a second gear start is to move the lever to L while driving in second, and then stop, and pull away again, without moving the lever.

[Iowa122S]

Thanks for the information. I will use this to try and discern whether I am starting in 1st or 2nd while in D. I only experience one shift from a dead start through 70 mph. Based on the engine speed while at 70 mph (4000 rpm), I assumed I am only getting 2nd and 3rd gears.

[harvey]

4000rpm at 70mph would be Top gear as you say.

It should be easy to work out whether you are pulling away in first or second.
If you select L and pull away, and then select D and pull away, and compare the performance between the two. They should be the same if you are pulling away in first gear in both, and if that's the case you're changing 1-3 in D because you've lost second gear. That's why you only have one gearchange.
If they are different, so you're pulling away in first gear in L, but second gear in D, then you've lost first gear in D, but retained first gear lockup, in which case the only things I can think of offhand are either the 1-2 shift valve sticking in the 2 position, but sticking valves are very rare, and you can check that by trying to reverse, or the one way clutch faulty, but although when I've dismantled the boxes I've seen those in need of replacement, I can't ever remember seeing one fail to work.
If you've lost second and are shifting 1-3, then that's a front band fault, which could be the band adjustment, the operating servo faulty (both of which can be sorted with the box in the car) or the band itself, replacement of which requires removal of the gearbox.

All of the above assuming what you've told me so far is correct, as if you're not used to the boxes it's quite easy to miss things that are happening that shouldn't, or things that should happen that don't.