ideas on o/d light flashing wired....????

[Cockatoo]

1st off i did search, couldnt find anyone with the same thing going on....

my o/d light will come on and flash for about 10-50miles or so, different everytime, then it just turns off and is fine. the trans never acts different aside from harder shifts when the light is flashing. but it drives normal, no slipping or anything, fluid is clear and red, dont smell burnt, and is at the proper level.

i used an obdII scan tool when the light was flashing, and it never throws any codes at all.

now it will also turn on out of the blue, even with cruise control on , on the highway, not even when the trans can be shifting.


any idea on what could be causing this?

 

[dogfriend]

It is probably setting a Ford specific code that the generic OBD2 scanner can't read. When your O/D light is flashing, it is setting a transmission code.

Also, the harsher shifting is probably a result of some missing sensor data - the PCM reverts to a "limp home" mode when it detects that sensor data is missing or incorrect.

You should try to find someone with a scanner that will read Ford Enhanced codes.

 

[BrooklynBay]

What brand is your scanner? Maybe AutoZone could read the code for you.

 

[marragtop]

Also, it's not good to drive it in 'limp' mode as it's causing additional stress on the trans.

 

[Cockatoo]

the scan tool i used was the one murrays rents out.

it only stays in limp mode for maybe an hour driving at the most, then goes back to normal.

 

[jimbo74]

Take It To A Tranny Shop, The O/d Light Is A Last Failsafe, Pretty Much Means Your Tranny Is Screwed, Or There Is An Electrical Problem

 

[Cockatoo]

well if my tranny was screwed, why would it drive and shift perfect. and have perfect clean fluid as well?
if i take it to a shop, they are just gonna say whatever they have to to get me to get a new trans.

 

[glfredrick]

It has been my observation that the flashing OD light generally means that the transmission isn't doing something that the computer thinks it ought to do. That means that it is compensating for whatever is messed up by increasing system pressure or something else.

It virtually always means trouble, except if the electrical system itself is messed up, and that doesn't happen all that often.

Have you trailered, pulled some big hills, or otherwise overheated or overworked the transmission of late? I'd expect that the OD sun gear is either gone or about to be gone -- that is generally what sets off the flashing light. It will weld itself together and the transmission will still shift OK for a while -- that is before it suddenly fails completely.

Get someone with a real scanner to read the codes -- not just a code reader. They are basically worthless. Codes only mean that something is set in the computer. For instance, many people get an oxygen sensor code, so they go out and replace the oxygen sensor with a new one. The problem is that the oxygen sensor probably worked perfectly and the code was because the reading the computer was seeing was out of spec from something upstream sending the wrong air/fuel mix to the exhaust, thus setting a code.

A good scanner will see real-time data, not just codes, and you can operate all of your transmission solenoids from the scanner to see if they are doing what they should do. Find someone with a Snap On Modis, Solus, or Heritage Scanner.

 

[bearman]

Go here http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161337
This may help...

 

[Cockatoo]

i pulled a 18 foot boat. all last year, once so far this year. not a heavy boat though, whole thing is maybe 3000lb. with the trailor.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Sometimes a band out of spec could throw a code, like an intermediate band. Readjusting the band might help in some cases, but not when the band is broken. First find out what the code is, then repair what is necessarily. There are a lot of things that could throw a code.

 

[Cockatoo]

but where do i get the code ran where they will honestly tell me the problem.

my clutch was slipping on my mustang a few years ago before i knew much about cars, took it aamco and they told me that my whole hydrolic system was bad and that i neded a new $1200 hydrolic system. so for a few weeks i thought thats what i need.

turned out mustangs dont even have a hydrolic clutch, let alone a whole system.,

replaced the $150 clutch and all was fine.

so you can see why i dont trust tranny shops.

 

[glfredrick]

but where do i get the code ran where they will honestly tell me the problem.

my clutch was slipping on my mustang a few years ago before i knew much about cars, took it aamco and they told me that my whole hydrolic system was bad and that i neded a new $1200 hydrolic system. so for a few weeks i thought thats what i need.

turned out mustangs dont even have a hydrolic clutch, let alone a whole system.,

replaced the $150 clutch and all was fine.

so you can see why i dont trust tranny shops.

Almost any independent mechanic with Snap On scanner equipment can scan those tranny codes for you. I avoid AAMCO. Though there are some good builders out there, some of the ones I've seen in action are sort of shady in their business practice. One in West Allis, WI had a cart full of junk parts they would wheel out to show you how bad your tranny was -- before they even pulled yours! Another in Louisville, KY pulls the tranny, dissasembles it then hits you with the bill. You have no choice but spend the money.

There are some good tranny builders out there though. Look for local independents that make their living on what they do -- not on having a big corporate name.

Otherwise, make a road trip to Louisville and I'll do it for ya. I've got all the stuff.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Go to this website: WWW.Atra.Com, and see if they have a listing of a shop in your area.