Borg Warner Auto Transmission-1970 Ghibli 4.7litre

An independent Ferrari Garage did a transmission fluid flush, filter change and gasket change for me. Two miles from home the car would not go into third gear and started smoking. Upon reaching home, I lifted the hood to find transmission fluid had shot up onto the engine and was dripping down onto the hot exhaust pipes. The transmission fluid dipstick MIGHT NOT have been shoved in all the way, I can't be sure.

I put the Ghibli on my two-post lift (above the floor) and after cleaning everything up, I added a few quarts of new fluid through the dipstick tube to where there was some trans fluid showing on the bottom of the dipstick. I let the car idle for awhile, and when I shifted into reverse, the gears crashed together loudly. I added two more quarts of transmission fluid, with the dipstick showing fluid just below the "Max" mark.

I let the car idle again for a few minutes and moved the gear shift first in reverse, and then in D2. Same result: a crashing of the gears as if they are not getting any fluid at all. In Neutral, there is no noise.

I looked for a transmission modulator, or vacuum actuator on the transmission body and in the parts manual diagrams and couldn't find one. Both the garage and I are using the correct, non-synthetic ATF Ford fluid.

Can someone familiar with this Borg Warner transmission please share your thoughts as to what my problem might be? Taking the car back to the shop is not an option; long story.

Thank you,
Frank in Florida

 

JCR:
Thank you for responding. I called Fatsco Transmissions in N.J., a leading parts supplier for Borg Warner transmissions and relayed my story. One of the things they suggested was that the loud noise I was hearing when I put the car into gear, might be differential-related. They were exactly right! When I inspected the driveshaft, I noticed the u-bolt coupling was resting upon the top corner of the new resonator my muffler shop had installed. With my Ghibli on a two-post lift, the suspension was collapsing enough that the u-bolt was making contact with the resonator when I shifted the trans gear. That's where all the noise was coming from. I put the Ghibli on the ground and the transmission shifted perfectly.