Tranny issues- how bad

[daveyboy43]

I'm considering buying a friends 2001 Sport Trac with 120,000 miles on it. They are willing to sell it to me at a good price because it has a tranny issue and it needs some minor body work. The tranny issue is the o/d light starts flashing and then the vehicle has shifting issues. I've not seen the trouble first hand but we'll be checking the vehicle over this weekend as they will be out of town and have given me the keys so I can look everything over and decide if I want to buy it or not. Is there anything I specifically can check for as far as the tranny issues go. I really like the truck but my financial situation keeps me from being able to put thousands of dollars into this truck to get it on the road but I really do like it's looks and would love to own it. It would be like a new truck for me considering the vehicles I've had in the past. I just want to know if I'm getting in over my head on this. I do alot of my own work but I'm by no means a mechanic. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless.

 

[01STrunner]

Check to see if one of the shift solenoids are bad. It'll take a code reader but could be a lot cheaper. I had that same problem and that was the code that was thrown. However, I replaced the oem tranny with a new jasper for just under 3 grand. Another option is a rebuild for just under $2000. Solenoids are less than $100 so I'd try to see if those are your problem.