I am looking at purchasing a car with a 371 Olds & Hydro fitted to it, the motor & trans were reconditioned about 20 years ago & has never been fired. I managed to start the motor but the trans seems to be locked up, the motor fires up but can't rev of idle, plus the car won't roll. The drive shaft had to be removed to make it roll. Any fellow Hambers got any idea what could be wrong? Thanks in advance.
The first thing I would check is that the selector shaft on the side of the trans moves when you move the shift handle. If the lever/shaft is tight and not slipping, count the clicks (detent notches) and find neutral. In the old Hydros, “reverse” is “park” when the engine is off. That may explain why the car wouldn’t move.
No Greybeard, Just locked up. I don't need any grief from you Graham., how you been buddy,? Yes could be , I don't have the car home yet, but what you say makes a lot of sense .
Also, if it's not building enough oil pressure it's possible have 3rd and 1st engaged at the same time which will lock the transmission. The old Type A fluid dries very sticky and gums things up. First check would be to eyeball the fluid on the dipstick. Clear, and it's got the original in. Red is a modestly good sign because it's been changed at some point. Hopefully it's just stuck from disuse. It may be completely seized up too. Dropping the lower pan will give a bit of indication as to the condition. The drain plug is not the lowest point and a lot of trash can get caught in the bottom of the pan upon draining it. Phil Edited because it was late when I typed this up and now it's not so late.
Since the 371 never came with a hydramatic, does the owner know if it ever worked prior to the rebuild?
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