2nd Trans probobly dead, any realistic options?

[Mbrooks420]

Well at 107k I think my second trans is on its way out. The first died at about 67k. I'm driving and all of the sudden the rpms just go up like it in Neutral. I let off the gas and wait a sec. I push the gas and the car goes fine. 1/2 mile down the road it does it again. O/d light starts to blink. I'm close to my mechanic so I drive there. As I get ready to pull in the Ford mechanic pulls out. No one there. I leave and it drives fine for about 10 miles. I turn a corner and I'm close to home so I get on it a little to see if it would shift ok. It had been shifting fine. It gets to where 2nd should be and just revs.O/d light starts to blink. The the CEL comes on. Then my gas gauge drops to empty. I get home, turn it off, and restart it. The gas gauge works but the CEL is still on.
I'm totally ill. I am not going to rebuild this trans again. Period. How unrealistic would a manual trans be? The only thing I don't like about this truck is the trans. I loath it and don't want to replace it for it to die in a year. A v-8 swap is too much $$ unfortunately. I really love my truck and don't want to have to get rid of it, but I am at a loss. Sorry for the long post. I'm going to lay on the bathroom floor now, because I think I'm going to be ill.

 

[Howard]

Have you checked the fluid level. Might just be low. Have you got a cooler for the trans? Could just be running hot. Can't be anything too bad or it would not work at all.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Plenty of fluid. Maybe a tad overfilled. Only drove it for maybe 25 -35 minutes. Engine temp was normal.

 

[Howard]

I have seen a number of posts about a flashing OD light worth trying there. I think that sometimes it's just a speed sensor on the trans.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Yeah I've been through all of this before. Before the light would blink for a while, stop for a while, then blink again. This time it had a steady blink. Last time it went my speedo quit working and I had to replace the sensor. It fixed it for a while and then it ruined the new speedo sensor. The last tranny had a bad one way clutch I believe. Lately the trans has been shifting poorly. It searches for the right gear a whole lot. I've searched for a manual swap but it seems a bit involved for me to take on. I'll have to talk to my mechanic. I love my truck, but the auto trans is killing me.

 

[410Fortune]

Is it under warranty? 40K miles and it goes out?

I know you dont want to hear this but I suggest having it rebuilt by somebody who knows how to do the A4LD.

Also yes the 5 speed is possible, it does require quite a bit of work......Email me if you want to know everything

 

[Mbrooks420]

The trans warranty is out and my used car warranty ended 7,000 ago The shop seemed to know the trans well. The shop owner had 2 Explorers. He rebuilt the autos in both. They supposedly used upgraded parts wherever they could. It was an upgraded price. $2500 He said it would outlast the vehicle. I didn't believe that at all. But I thought I'd get more than this.

 

[410Fortune]

$2500?????????????Ouch! For $2500 you should get completely new everything inside that tranny........with a custom converter and valve body............

I have a guy here in Denver that can build one for WAY less then that for you , he has been doing Ford auto's for over 35 years for performance, 4x4ing, and towing applications. I got a 80,000 miles warranty from him on my rebuild so he stands behind his work............

 

[Mbrooks420]

They supposedly replaced every part inside the trans. They said all they reused was the shell.

 

[Mbrooks420]

This trans here is worthless to me beause its for a SOHC right? Dead Link Removed

 

[Mbrooks420]

Well I just drove it a bit. It will lock in first gear until the rpm's drop to about 2k, then it will shift, and stick in second until I do the same thing. Overdrive goes in and out fine. Could it be a vacuum leak? What about the Check engine light? And the gas gauge. Last time I had the trans rebuit I had no CEL.

 

[espnfreak]

mbrooks dont feel bad man. Ford just rebuilt my trans less than 1000 miles ago and the thing is STILL a big pos. It revs up to 3k at 60 mph, shifts to 4th, and then finally shifts to overdrive. It seems the only way to get it to shift quicker is to mash the gas. These transmissions are pieces of junk. I even had amsoil in my last trans and a tranny cooler and it still went at 80k. Wish you luck!

 

[Jason_25]

Originally posted by espnfreak
These transmissions are pieces of junk!

And I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with flooding it with water

 

[POSex92]

If I paid 2500 for a rebuild that lasted 30000 miles id definately go back to the guy who built it and have a few words with him. I had a 92 with 180,000 on its first trans and it worked fine. Now I have a 93 with 130,000 and it shifts like new. Go ***** at the guy and mabye he will cut you a deal or something.

 

[410Fortune]

Also the first step any time you have a CEL is to check the codes.
9 times out of 10 the code(s) is the problem or can at least point you in the right direction.

 

[Alec]

I'll take a wild guess that your CEL is going to be due to the TPS, throttle position sensor. Get the CEL code checked. If it is the TPS, replace it and check the TPS wiring harness for any loose or corroded wires. I have a feeling that may fix your tranny problem.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I can't get the codes read until monday Until then I'm stuck with moms Blazer.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I hope the problem is sensor related. What about the GEM? My gas gauge quit working temporarily while I was having trouble with it. That happened when the CEL came on.

 

[Mbrooks420]

My mechanic said the CEL was caused by a stuck shift solenoid in the trans. The one that controls the 1-2 shift. It's at Cotttmans now. They will have it tore down before noon so I sould have all of the details after I get home from work.

 

[mjs232]

Let us know of the outcome......im having the same exact problem as you, and wondering how much this is going to cost. My codes also read the same as yours.