1985 ford bronco 2 stalls when put in gear

150 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by fordbronco2, 2 d ago

fordbronco2

Discussion Starter · 3 d ago

Hello, I’ve been reading through old posts about similar problems & I appreciate the help.

I have a 1985 ford bronco 2, 2.8 automatic transmission. Truck was running great up until one day it started stalling when put in gear.

Truck will start and idle fine but once shifted into forward or reverse It will stall and die.

Attempts to fix:

replaced torque converter
replaced torque solenoid valve
went through all vacuum lines & verified against diagram under hood
cleaned valve body and filter under the pan

Truck is still doing the same things after all of this. Any help or info on the next steps to resolve the issue will be helpful.

thank you!

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AbandonedBronco

· #2 · 3 d ago (Edited)

Hello, and welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately, the Bronco II is a completely different vehicle than the full sized Bronco that is discussed here. And aside from the name, they have very little in common. You might get lucky with an issue like this, since it might be a more generic question about automatic transmissions, but overall you will get a lot better help over on a Bronco II dedicated forum.

This is one of the more popular ones:

Ford Bronco II

Be sure to check out the Bronco Corral!

www.therangerstation.com

Best of luck!

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para

· #3 · 2 d ago

A locked up brake, a locked up drive shaft?....

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robbz28

· #4 · 2 d ago

Maybe a fuel issue? Pretty sure those were carbureted, maybe the carb is dirty? Sounds a lot like my 4 wheeler, sometimes i get trash in the carb and it will crank and idle fine, but when i put it in gear to go it will just shudder and spit and die.

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fordbronco2

Discussion Starter · #5 · 2 d ago

I have recently replaced in line fuel filter, filter on the rail, and filter at the carb. Coincidence or not, the fuel pump went out shortly before this was happening & I put a new fuel pump on. The truck ran good for a few days after putting the pump on but this issue started happening again.
It will crank, idle and rev just fine. Once dropped into gear, it lunges then dies.

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robbz28

· #6 · 2 d ago

Have you pulled a plug to see if its maybe really gassy? New pump might be too much for your old needle and seat to handle, could be flooding you out.
Also as @para mentioned, could have something else binding, can you put it in neutral and roll it back and forth without any extra resistance?

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klh95bronco

· #7 · 2 d ago

Put a vacuum gauge on your vacuum system and crank the truck. The vacuum should be around 20 mg of mercury at idle. Then have a helper drop it in gear while you are watching the gauge. It should not dip much when you put it in gear, if it does bottom out, you have a vacuum leak. Stalling when being put into gear is a classic vacuum leak symptom.

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robbz28

· #8 · 2 d ago

klh95bronco said:
Put a vacuum gauge on your vacuum system and crank the truck. The vacuum should be around 20 mg of mercury at idle. Then have a helper drop it in gear while you are watching the gauge. It should not dip much when you put it in gear, if it does bottom out, you have a vacuum leak. Stalling when being put into gear is a classic vacuum leak symptom.

Just to add to this excellent tip...remember you may have checked all your vacuum hoses as mentioned, but vacuum leaks can happen anywhere, bad intake gasket, cracked manifold, faulty EGR system. Old mechanics trick was to take starting fluid and spray it around the intake (not down the carb) but around the base and all and see if the engine revved up, if so, thats where your leak is.

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miesk5

· #9 · 2 d ago

Yo fordbronco2,
Welcome!
You can check for Diagnostic Trouble Codes by using the diagnostic connector located in the engine compartment by the fender near the battery.
Getting the obd1 codes need a couple of tools: a 4 inch long gage 16 jumper wire and a 12 volt test light.
Both tools are hooked up to the diagnostic connector and when the ignition key is turned on (without starting engine) the codes will begin to flash in the test light, not in the dash panel. If there is no code, you will normally get code 11 or 111. On Fords, there are 2 test modes, the KOEO (key on engine off) and the KOER (key on engine running). Both test modes should be used to get the accurate evaluation of the stored fault codes.

Suggest you join Bronco Corral Forums

Al

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fordbronco2

Discussion Starter · #10 · 2 d ago

Thank you. Yes, the truck moves freely when put in neural. It does not act like anything is in a bind.

when put in gear, it lunges then dies. I would describe the lunge as if the Emergency brake was pulled but it is not.

thank you for the tips on checking the vacuum system. I will do this.

thank you

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