1985 Mercury Marquis (not Grand)

[johnboy123]

Hello, my first post. Here's whats going on..
1985 Mercury Marquis, AT, PB, V-6, TBI. All factory/stock.
This problem has been going on for years, hopefully someone can sleuth this out!

At the first crank of the day (or night) in any weather, the car idles high, I kick it down with the gas pedal, it idles down smooth without surges, or misses. Then when I put it in reverse, it literally slams in gear, then stalls. I restart it again, put it in reverse, and its good for the rest of the running day, no stalling at all. I've been under the hood and dash, no leaks, no check engine light, no white or dark exhaust. The idle is about right in the summer with the AC on. No lagging or pinging during acceleration. Shifts smoothly. (except for the first start episodes). I"ve allowed this car to warm up and drop idle for up to 30 minutes at its lowest idle, still does it, but only once per day!

[Blue)(Fusion]

First and foremost, welcome to AF!

I wonder if it is transmission related. I'm not familiar with the Mercury Marquis and the engines/transmissions in 85 but since you only have the problem during the first gear shift, I wonder if it is a locked up torque converter or some other problem that causes too much load on the engine too quickly to cause it to stall?

This may sound counter intuitive, but if you shift into reverse with your left foot holding the brake firmly and your right food slightly on the gas (give it an extra 300 RPMs approximately), does it still stall?

Does this problem only happen when shifting into reverse or does it also happen if you shift into drive first thing in the morning?

[Joe Bloggs]

I have an 1985 marquis thats doing the same thing
starts and runs fine but it started slamming into gear and stalling when going from park to reverse or drive.I have found if I can get it rolling it will drive away but will shake and stall if I come to a complete stop like the converter is licked up.
then it wont do that for a day or two then its impossible to drive for a few days

help me please