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Tranny or Transfer case issue

WaltZ

Active Member
Joined
December 21, 2011
Messages
88
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3
City, State
Port Byron, IL
Year, Model & Trim Level
2006 Mercury Mountaineer
Lately, but not all the time, there is some kind of very audible rattling/knocking noise coming from the center of the vehicle. It just started last week.

When I'm going under 5 mph (like cruising slow in a car lot, which is what I was doing, or going slow down my driveway) I would start to hear a rattling/knocking noise (very hard to describe) that got progressively louder. I would press the brake to stop and the vehicle would still be pulling to almost a stall, then "release" and it would idle just fine with no noise or pulling, like it should.

Some history: I've never had any tranny service work (other than the re-reprogram 100,000 miles ago and fluid change roughly 8 months ago). A year or so ago, the original T-case bearing went, so I just got a cheap, used eBay T-case. I'm thinking the TC in the tranny or the Viscous coupling in the T-case went out. I'm inclined to go with another bad T-case. Thoughts?

I still have the original "bad" T-case, which I'll take to replace the bearing, but hate to keep throwing money at it to see what sticks.

Thanks
 



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I'm 99% sure its the torque converter now. I addition to what i described above, sometimes it:

1- slight shudders like its misfiring (its not)
2- when I start cold, it will have the famous "jet-engine" sound and weak torque, which will last until I park it.

One thing I discovered about the noise is that if I pull over and turn off the engine, then re-start, the noise will last for a few seconds, then its gone and everything runs fine.
 






Bad solenoid(s) in transmission? Not that hard to replace (w/o removing trans). Get a professional mechanic to evaluate it (think twice before you take to a trans shop; look for an ATRA-member shop if you do). I took mine to a trusted mechanic for a trans rebuild/new torque converter (I was convinced), and he figured out it only need a new coil pack!
 






UPDATE-

I waited a few weeks to report this, but these problems seem to be gone after going through the problems every day. Truck runs great for a truck with a 192k on the clock.

here's what I think happened. During my Googling to figure out the problem, I came across a Youtube vid on a similar tranny problem. The mechanic noticed that the truck had cheap $7 Chinese eBay coils. The wires for the coils (1 thru 4) run along the same wire harness as all the other wires running from the PCM to the tranny (and other places). He said after a year or so, the coils begin crap out and cause issues through the wire (he had a better explanation that was Greek to me).

I do not have cheap $7 eBay coils. I have cheap $8 coils I got from some site a year ago. Still have the same cheap coils in the truck, but they will get replaced with OEM as soon as I save some coin. I just can't figure out why all of a sudden the tranny runs fine again if the coils were crapping out?
 






This is the most known secret on 4.6/6spd combos.

Ford almost sold me a new tranny for 5k when I had that problem. The bad coils interfere with the signal being send from PCM to TCM on the passenger side. I was getting "no communication " error. They said I need a new TCM which is part of the valve body and they said since my truck was over 200k, i needed a new tranny. I did not fall for it, replaced my cheap Accel yellow coils with Motorcraft coils and the tranny is still good at 292k.
 






Mine ran/shifted like **** when I bought it. Previous owner told me she'd had the trans rebuilt, and it looks as if it had been taken out and had work..it's a little cleaner than the rest of the underside...

Anywho, to get to the point, I did some due diligence, threw some cheapo coils in and it runs like a top...

I know eventually they'll need replaced with good ones, and next time I'll spend the bucks for OEM stuff.

OP, i'd try the coils first, they're cheaper than a new trans and likely need replaced anyway......
 






None of this seems to explain why the truck would almost stall when coming to a stop, then suddenly "release".
I don't disagree that there is likely an issue with the coil. Bu the almost-stalling things certainly sounds like the Torque Convertor is locking before it should.
 






Agree with the Brakeman, missed that in the original post.

I had the TC go bad on me, and when I would pull to the stop sign, the truck wanted to keep going. I had to put it in N or stand on the brakes otherwise I would go through the red light. At the same time, since the transmission was still engaged with the engine through the locked up TC, the engine wanted to stall, and it did numerous times making a clacking noise from the valve train.
New TC solved the problem (not before I replaced the engine following stupid diagnosis from 2 shops who did not know what they are talking about).
 






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