85 A/T won't shift out of first

[Joshg75]

Having an issue and looking for suggestions. My '85 model with automatic transmission suddenly won't shift out of 1st. I can place it in first, then shift it to second manually and it shifts fine, but won't shift out of first when in drive. I have the service manual, and have checked the fluid. Also checked the vacuum diaphragm and kick down solenoid. Anyone had this issue, and if so can you weigh in with the most likely culprits?

Thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions!

Josh

[evildky]

I'm sorry to say there isn't a lot of support in the enthusiast community for automatics. I believe that these are electronically shifted so the issue may be electronic in either case the fsm will detail the troubleshooting procedures. The good news is since there is no slippage it's not a wear issue meaning a full rebuild should not be necessary. I know on the old fors they had a vacume modulator which controlled the shifts, not sure if the z31 uses one or not but I know that valve is a common issue on the old fords.