The 'E' Type Forum

Hi everyone,

I live in London , UK and I hadn't driven my Etype for over 12 months and now I can't get the transmission to engage- neither Drive nor Reverse. Any ideas as to why? is it the fluid? i haven't seen any leaks.

Thanks for help.

Marc

If you are concerned about automatic fluid levels you can check with the dipstick located at the rear of the engine.
Mike

Thanks. Any recommendations on what type of Fluid ? any generic ATF or Comma AQF Mineral ATF?
Its 9 liters if full?

I use Mineral Comma AQF. Same as in the power steering.
You can put fluid into the box via the dipstick tube.
Good luck.
Mike

great Mike ! that's the type I ordered and will do as suggested - thanks

Hi Marc, could the gear lever be not doing its job, perhaps it has become disconnected at either end, worth a quick check. Also if possible test the gearbox drive with the hand brake firmly applied and the wheels chocked in both directions, also ensure nothing is in front or behind your car as if the drive suddenly engages the V12 motor will ram the car into any obstruction before you have been able to turn the ignition off. best of luck, cheers John.

thanks Jack !
car up and running all good after adding the ATF BUT I unfortunately overfilled it !
How complicated is draining the extra ATF?

Suck it out of the dip stick tube...syringe and tube...Steve

Gents,
still looking and appreciating your advice on ATF.
The strange things is I siphoned out extra ATF but still couldn’t figure out the real fluid level.
I checked it with cold engine and was above max level.
Then when engine warm and running and hand gear engaged…it was showing NOTHING ( totally empty) on the dip stick ??
As engine cooled level started going up again!
Any ideas ?

A contact in USA sent this below :
"I have a pretty good idea, the fluid is draining out of the torque converter when the engine is off giving you the false impression that you have adequate fluid. You need to check the fluid level right after you shut it down. Funny thing, I did the exact same thing with mine after I bought it 20+ years ago. Thinking that it was leaking because it was over filled, I drained it down to the full mark, well you know the rest of the story- test drive didn’t get out of the driveway till I added the fluid back.
Cheers,
LLynn
PS: My understanding is that the torque converter has a valve that is supposed to prevent it from leaking down but it goes bad over time."

See post #4 ref checking level correctly:
viewtopic.php?t=10786#:~:text=Re%3A%20S ... id%20level.

Here’s the procedure from Christopher Storeys reference in post #2 for reference: