Topic: C4 Whine in 1st gear only

[Tiny]

About to pull down my C4 because of oil leaks etc but I wanted to know if anyone has any knowledge of what causes the C4 to whine in first Gear.  My Transmission changes from 1st to second very quickly however it does whine whilst in first gear only but okay in 2nd and 3rd.  Other than that the Transmission behaves fine.  From what I have read they say this is normal for a C4 but I dont believe that should be the case.
Anyone had the same issue.

I have 66 A code GT Coupe

[67gtasanjose]

The planetary gears can make noise, sometimes quite a bit of noise. You can replace those whilst you rebuild the transmission. I used to have a quiet C-4 till I had a "trans Guy" rebuild mine (circa 1980, also "just for leaks"). My guess is he switched out parts or re-arranged items in the planetary gears differently than before taking it apart. Essentially, the noise never went away from 1980-on. I recently purchased another transmission to use for parts when I rebuild the trans again for my restoration in hopes that the whine will be gone. Besides, I wanted an original date-correct converter rebuilt too (I had exchanged mine back then).

[MattDoscher]

Drivetrain hum/whine is normal in our old Fords/Mercury's.  Especially on the 1-2 shift.  My '65 coupe w/ 289 and C4 does it, my '91 Grand Marquis w/ AOD does it, and my wife's '65 Comet w/ 200 and C4 does it.  I used to have a '79 Econoline w/ the 300 and C6 that did the same thing.  It's just something that I have gotten used to hearing and attribute it to normal operation and nothing to worry about.

Matt

[Tiny]

Thanks for your help guys.  Must have been a headache back in the day for Ford dealers trying to please customers and reduce the noise.  I assume it that the noise is something that comes over time and not there when the cars were new.

Cheers

[MattDoscher]

oh yeah, I'm sure it was a headache.  Aside from the transmission, Ford rearends are famous for their whine/humming at different speeds.  Normally nothing is wrong, it's just a product of how precisely the pinion and ring teeth mesh together.

Matt

[67gtasanjose]

Hmmmm....

I've driven so many that were not noisy, I would say by far, I've drive far more quiet rides than noisy ones and the noisy ones were higher mileage cars, or re-worked, non-original cars generally speaking.

[markb0729]

My 65 C4 was quiet before and after a rebuild.  No whining.