I have a 69 98 with a 455 and a TH400. With or without the motor running and the trans in park the car will roll very easily.

What if anything is this telling me about the condition of the transmission
or is the problem elsewhere ?

Any help would be appreciated

 

Shifter linkage missing? Or busted rooster comb in the trans?

 

J,

Thanks for the response. I will be pulling the motor in the next few days so missing linkage should become obvious. Re the rooster comb issue is that a fairly easy fix or is it leading to an overhaul of the tranny. The old as long as "I have this thing apart" philosiphy. Odometer shows 95k on it and I believe that to be correct.

 

This is very simple. Either the shift linkage is misadjusted and not going fully into PARK, or the parking pawl inside the trans is not engaging properly. Either problem is easily fixed without removing the trans (though you do need to drop the pan to access the parking pawl).

 

Joe,

Thanks for the response. If the shifter linkage is misadjusted would the car start as it should in park ( ie. without physically holding the lever up ).

 

If the neutral safety switch has been bypassed (easily done with a jumper wire), it could start in any selection of the shifter

 

Yes. The NSS is in the column. If the linkage rod between the column and the trans is misadjusted, it is very possible that the steering column (and thus NSS) would be in PARK and the car would start normally, but the trans would be in a position just out of PARK, thus the parking pawl would not be engaged.

 

Thanks all for the responses