Will not shift past first gear

1985 FORD BRONCO
300,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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JOHN R. FORD
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Truck sat for about a year. Finally fixed the brake system, so i started to drive it again. started out fine, but gradually it started to struggle more and more to shift up. has now stopped shifting up entirely. i get to about 25 mph, and the engine will just keep revving, with no more power output. i am reluctant to push it any harder for fear of causing damage.
Sep 20, 2019 at 12:42 AM
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MASTERWRENCH
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 258 POSTS
Welcome to 2CarPros.

The shifting in your transmission is basically controlled by two components. The governor(controls shifts based on vehicle speed) and the vacuum modulator(controls s**** based on engine load/acceleration). Let's try to narrow it down a little before getting too deep. Have you tried manually shifting the transmission? For example, place the shift lever in 1 or L while at a stop. Begin driving and move the lever up to the 2 position as appropriate and then up to D. Does it up-shift while driving in this manner?

Thanks.
Sep 20, 2019 at 11:53 PM
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