transmission woes

[nailbender]

Hi folks,
I have a '86 century w/ th440 trannie. Prob is it will not go in any gear. Fluid is full & clean, filter changed last winter. Never any slip, it just quit moving after stopping at the stop sign by the house. No tow truck Any input on troubleshooting & poss. do-it-yourself would be greatly appriciated. By the way, checked linkage, etc. This shadetree will be in over his head if i have to do a complete teardown.
thanks
nailbender

[kluvsk]

Questions... Does it still start?

Have you checked the neutral safety switch wiring harness to make sure it is still plugged in?

Did you get a "CHECK ENGINE" light before it died?

Is it a column shift or a floor shift?

[nailbender]

Thx for the reply kluvsk, yes it starts. only in park and neutral to your second question. had the car 2 yrs. and always get check engine for a few mins., but only on the highway while in OD, and it goes out after a few min. It does have a loccking tourque convertor. don,t know how to test the solnoid tho...........thx again

[RABarrett]

This problem sounds to me like a defective front pump, or some other reason for not moving fluid. I would first check the detent on the trans, making sure it moves like it is going into "detent". I would then drop the pan, looking for blocked filter intake, leaking filter seal, something to locate a leak to the pan. If nothing is found, it may require a specialist... Ray