hey guys, new to the site and im really needing some help.

i just got a 89 f150 with a 302 and an aod tranny.
the 1st problem is the tranny. when it has just been cranked up after sitting for a little while it will hold the gears for a very long time before it shifts and when it does shift it shifts very hard. after about 5 to 10 mins of riding it will shift just fine.
the 2nd problem is that it wants to bog down and shut off sumtimes like it isnt getting fuel. when it cranks up it will idle fine and when i put it in gear and start to go it will die. after a shift sumtimes it will buck and surge and occasionally when in 4th with the motor lugging a little it will surge as well. ive put a new fuel filter on and it seemed to help a little. also the battery light is on. the battery is only a couple months old though and it cranks good. is the fuel pump not getting enough juice?
i do alot of the basic mechanical stuff like oil changes and etc. but im not a mechanic. so sry if i need a little extra explaining to understand what nebody is telling me to do and sry i got a little long winded.
thanks.

 

Did you run it using both tanks? Check for a vacuum leak to the fuel press regulator, Also, you might want to change the trans fluid if its old, I had a 95 tbird which shifted horrible when I bought it, I changed the fluid and it came to life, if not, try a little conditioner to clean the valve body, If it is an aod not an electronic aod, try to set the trans shift cable, there is a clip you release on the throttle body to relax the cable at idle, aod transes must have the cable properly set to work right.

 

The problem (as i've been told) is the torque converter lock-up. The lock-ups are supposedly notoriously bad with Ford AT. (check / search my other posts on here to see if you can relate symptoms)... Here's what I recommend. Get a can of Seafoam Transmission Tune and put that in the tranny fluid. Drive around for about a tank (or 2) of gas. Then, do a drain and fill cleaning as much of the metal shavings out that you can. (i would NOT send it to a shop to do a transmission flush) In the end, I probably waited too long on mine but I'm hoping for another 10-15k miles out of it before i have to have the tranny rebuilt...

Check around on some other posts for sure. Your symptoms are common ones. Everyone on here will pretty much tell you to pull the codes, which gives you a good starting point. There's a write-up on here somewhere on how to do it yourself with a jumper wire. Then either google them or post 'em here.