Not sure if this is a ford problem, but...

[mygrain]

My grandmother passed on last year and we are finally cleaning all the stuff out of her house. There was a 1985 Mercury Gran Marquis in the garage that hasnt run if 4 or 5 years. With a fresh battery it started right up without any problems, but the trans wont shift out of 1st gear. Reverse, nuetral, park, theyre all ok but the car will only go about 25 or 30 mph. The trans fluid was low and it took about 3 quarts of ATF to fill it. Anyone know why it wont shift? TIA

 

[MeanBuicks]

It's probably either a sticking governor or 1-2 shift valve assembly. The governor is accessed by removing the tailhousing on that transmission. If the car sat that long with the transmission fluid level low, it most likely suffered from condensation/corrosion buildup inside. Doesn't take much to cause problems.

Drop the pan, service the valve body and governor and replace the filter & fluid.