03 windstar mo reverse

I just bought a 2003 windstar se it has 160000 miles and when you first start it in the mornings the reverse works just like it did when it was new. you drive it for a while get it warm and when u go to reverse nothing if you give it alot of gas it will start to barley pull. any solutions would b helpful. thanks

Hello, Welcome to the forum!

When was the last time you replaced the transmission fluid?.

If the van is slipping it is very likely you'll need a rebuilt tranmission. The weird thing in your case is it only happens with a warm engine, you might be lucky and go away with it by replacing your old fluid.

Best regards,

Oscar.

well i just bought it yesterday and it does not slip one bit it pulls like mule in forward gears. but when u first start the van reverse works excellent but when engine and trans gets up to temp no deal everything else is perfect but reverse you can put in revers and floor it and it will barley pull. coulld it be the range selector switch?

See if your van starts in P and N gears only be careful and keep the brakes applied, if it does then the switch is good. I don't know much about transmissions but i just read you could have a failing solenoid/ servo with high temperatures. Hopefully a more experienced user will show up soon!

Best regards,

Oscar.

yes it does start fine in park and nuetral. so i guess i can rule that out. ill look into the solenoid thanks a bunch. if anybody else has some tips or advice please let me know thanks.

I would check a few simple things 1st.
Did you check the fluid level of the transmission after the van has warmed up? The van takess mercon V atf fluid, a previous owner may not have used the right fluid which is critical in these transmissions.
Check the fluid condition, is it a nice red color, or is it brown looking?
You do not have any service engine light on the dash showing, right?
You have a 4F50N transmission in that van and it is a much improved version of the older windstars with a much better valve body revision.
Your transmission filter may be plugging up, sucking all the debris from inside the bottom pan up to it, causing a low fluid flow condition when the reverse gear is selected.

The transmission fluid level should be within the cross hatch mark when warmed by about 20 minutes of driving 1st before checking it with engine idling in park position..

I would drop the transmission pan, saving all the old fluid, check fluid condition,
change the transmission filter, install approx 5 qts. of new Mercon V fluid. then see if that does not help things. A fluid change can solve alot of problems, and these transmissions need a fluid change approx. every 25,000 miles to stay in good shape.

When I 1st read your post my 1st thought was a low fluid condition.

Hi, does the overdrive ligth flashes? If so, then the tranny has detected a problem and stored a code. In that case you must remove your battery cable for maybe 15 minutes (to clear the code from PCM). Then connect your battery again and try to drive it normally. If it stills feels "heavy" and doesn't move well then your problem is mechanical and the first thing to check is tranny fluid. In the case that your windstar runs well then your problem is not mechanical and you wont need to rebuilt your tranny. Maybe few wires are bad or a sensor/selenoid went bad too.

You can damage the transmission really bad by forcing it (since it doesnt runs well).

Do you have CEL on?

thank you so much guys I am going right now to get fluid and filter to try that but no there is no o/d light flashing or check engine light flashing. Ive seen alot of people ask if the o/d light is flashing but mine works and is not flashing. so i was thiking and correct me if im wrong trans filter or that range selctor but everyone says if its starting in p and n then its good. then i had a dealer tell me it could b the range selector thanks for all the info

Yes, it's called: Safety Neutral Switch. If it's wrong there should be a CEL with a code of it... or not.

Here is a video about how to change it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3inAO9gORh0

thank you so much guys I am going right now to get fluid and filter to try that but no there is no o/d light flashing or check engine light flashing. Ive seen alot of people ask if the o/d light is flashing but mine works and is not flashing. so i was thiking and correct me if im wrong trans filter or that range selctor but everyone says if its starting in p and n then its good. then i had a dealer tell me it could b the range selector thanks for all the info

The Neutral Safety Switch can go wrong and cause different symptoms, weird things; we all have mentioned the fact that if your van starts in P or N it's OK, BUT WE ALL HAVE FORGOTTEN to say that the van SHOULD ONLY START in these two, if it's starts in any other gear the switch it's bad.

Regards,

Oscar.

it does not start in any other gear but nuetral or park. so im gonna change the fluid and filter tomorrow, would it b all right to add some lucas trans fix? I put it in everything else i own just to help. but ive hurd that those trans are picky. thanks

I would not put any Lucas transmission fix in the transmission. It is a totally different viscosity. The Mercon V only is what I would suggest.

It could be the range sensor switch. Does the rear backup lights work when you are on reverse when it happens?
When you said it barely move, which speed approximately? It could move because high rpm engine shake the car and move it a little bit (<1 mph) or because you're in a slight uphill (even few degrees) + engine shake the car. If you do the same in neutral, it goes at same speed?

So if the reverse is like neutral, problem could be the range sensor switch.
No start in other gear but P or N doesn't confirm that range sensor switch is good. This switch does several other things. Like light up backup lights and send gear selection data to PCM.

Bad reverse isn't caused by a bad shift solenoid if the 3 first gears work. You have 3 shift solenoids and combination of 3 solenoids + mechanic shift who decide which gear is used and whenever engine brake clutch is used (for lower gear). If 1,2,3 gear work, solenoids are ok.

If you're 100% sure it slipping, then you can try to change fluid and filter, but this trick rarely work. Hope it's not a mechanic failure.

Yes the reverse light's do work when it goes into reverse. And u can b on a flat surface put in reverse and it dont even move u dont feel it go in let off the brake dont move when it. Give it alot of gas and it will start to go backwards then pull in reverse just like low trans fluid or something but when u put it in any forward gear you feel it go in and it does not hesitate. I noticed yesterday though when i tried it it shuttered in reverse but not forward it shifts smooth drives great kicks down good. And it only does this when the engine and trans are warm, when you first start in the morning or if it set's and cools down it works perfect goes in as soon as you select it and pulls great no shutter or noting. thanks for all the info really helpful and its not really like it slipping after further inspection its like its not wanting to pull till rpms are high

Did the filter and fluid change help the condition?

ok i changed the filter added 5qts of fluid mercon 5. still no fix same thing. and the fluid looked horrible it was black and had like brown little bubbles all in it. the magnet wasnt bad either had just a little shavings on it. if i knew how to put pictures onhere i would. i guess now im gonna try the nuetral switch now. the guy I got it form i called him and he told me thats what the dealer told him what was wrong with it. I wish i would of known that b4. fluid still needed changed though. so im gonna try that. i put it in reverse and you can let off brake no deal wont even budge rev it one time and it will start to pull if you hold it you feel it shuttering and pulling back.

When reverse is selected none of the shift solenoids are needed to be activated for that gear.So you do not have an electrical problem.The fact that you can use reverse when cold leads me to believe the shift lever is working as designed.

There is a reverse accumulator spring and piston located behind the valve body internally that may be stuck or non working after temperature rise.To work on that you would have to drop the transmission, pull the side cover and valve body to access the accumulator.
You may want to have the problem diagnosed by a transmission shop to get trans codes and possibly they have ability to air test the reverse accumulator piston function, to see if its functioning properly.

I know lots of people are against using additives, I had a 93 Plymouth Voyager that the tranny had a delayed shift into gear (forward or reverse). I had changed the filter and flushed all the fluid and still the same. I then added some SEAFOAM transmission additive (i don't remember exact name) Let the tranny warm and drove without any problem from that point on. I beleve it cleaned the valves and such permitting everythingto work properly again. Since your fluid was black it might be worth a try. If it works you should flush the fluid again to get rid of all the contaminated fluid that the 5 qts. did not replace.

just my opinion.

ok thanks so no need for the range selector switch? i guess ill take it to a shop and have it flushed and diagnosed. im at my wits end with it. the guy that sold it to me told me today that he took it to a dealer and they told him it was the gear range selector. i ordered one from oreiley auto today for $30 wont have it till tomorrow. should i try it or should i get my money back? thanks for al the help

I would let the shop check the diagnostics, they will show everything anyway including the neutral switch if its an issue. The neutral switch usually would not be working all the time, not just intermittently.So, maybe just return it and save the money.

Please let us know how things go.

ok thanks. i guess ill call the ford dealer tomorrow and get raped:boink:. but I only gave 1500 for the van and its in excellent condition has all the bells and whistles. so i guess if i had to drop a grand on a trans fix it would still b worth it.

ok thanks so no need for the range selector switch? i guess ill take it to a shop and have it flushed and diagnosed. im at my wits end with it. the guy that sold it to me told me today that he took it to a dealer and they told him it was the gear range selector. i ordered one from oreiley auto today for $30 wont have it till tomorrow. should i try it or should i get my money back? thanks for al the help


Here is a link to the SEAFOAM TRANS TUNE:

http://www.seafoamsales.com/trans-tune.html

I am going to let others respond on the switch issue.

Maybe check with any well known trans shops in your area too. You could ask them about repair just bad parts, or would they want to do friction disc, torque converter replacement and other upgrades while the transmission is out of the vehicle.The time to fix it is while its apart and you will only have to pay labor for removal once.

My suggestion would be spend a little more $ going thru the trans with new upgrade parts if it has to come out to repair a minor part anyway.That way you know it will not fail again, and you still have a great vehicle for the money spent.

I have heard that most Ford places just give quoted prices on a new rebuilt ford transmission, but their warranty is for 36 months as opposed to 24 months.

You may find that it is just something minor that could be fixed easily with no trans drop.

very true. today after i let it warm up i was on flat surface put it in reverse and the rpms didnt change one bit gave a little gas and it kinda pulled a little bit backwards. took it up to bout 3grand or more and it started pulling backwards and you could feel it shuddering like it was struggling or playing tug of war or somthing. im thinking its internal. im gonna call some shops tomorrow and tell them all the info c what they say. and im like u id rather replace all the weak spots while its out that way i know its good.

If you know an honest mechanic shop maybe call them and ask if they can recommend a trans.shop. The mechanics all have an inner circle thing, they talk and they know who the rip off places are and who is reputable for trans repairs. The more suggestions you get the better. Knowledge is power in this case.

When reverse is selected none of the shift solenoids are needed to be activated for that gear.So you do not have an electrical problem.The fact that you can use reverse when cold leads me to believe the shift lever is working as designed.

There is a reverse accumulator spring and piston located behind the valve body internally that may be stuck or non working after temperature rise.To work on that you would have to drop the transmission, pull the side cover and valve body to access the accumulator.
You may want to have the problem diagnosed by a transmission shop to get trans codes and possibly they have ability to air test the reverse accumulator piston function, to see if its functioning properly.

I 100% agree with that. It's an hydraulic problem, not electrical.
Don't mess with range sensor, it will fix nothing. Since when you rev up a lot, it moves.

In addition of that, it could be also a clogged valve body or a leaking piston clutch seal.

no still the sameit goes into drive alot better. it was kinda hesitant about going into drive for like half a second but now its instant.

ok i called several transmission shops.
1st one said reverse clutches worn.
2nd one said low line pressure
3rd said some kinda piston or actuator and that it needed the upgrades he said they had upgrades for those transmissions. idk what to think one shop said if i bring it by theyd hook it up to a computer and do a road test and put it on the lift and check it for free. I was thinking bout running some seafoarm through it to try it and if all else fails just go to pullapart get me a trans. thanks guys for all the info let me know what you think on this too

Huey,

All the trans shop suggestions for whats wrong could be good guesses, but they are just guessing until you get into it. The suggestion for a free diagnostic sounds really good to me, and it may get you closer to an educated guess. Just don't sign a paper to authorize an overhaul, just a diagnostic, that they told you was free.You can always drive it back home afterwards, and do the work yourself.

Rebuild soft parts and new converter will cost around $650 range to buy just the parts, no labor. The labor to R&R trans is alot .
There are 2 pressure tappings on the top of the valve body (line pressure tap closest to firewall, EPC toward radiator)that you can get a gauge hooked on to let you know if the line pressure is low, in that case a low pressure issue would be in the valve body or accumulator spring and piston right behind the valve body. The valve body can be removed in vehicle repair,without taking the transmission from the vehicle, but its a tight area.The removed valve body could even be brought to a trans shop for them to install R+R upgraded parts. They probably will not warranty their work, but its a cheaper solution to rebuild.

With the 166,000 miles on the vehicle and the filthy fluid from draining,
You may as well give the Seafoam Trans Tune a try, It will not fix hard parts but may clean things more internally for you as a last ditch effort. Seafoam is 80% solvent based product, not good for clutch plates, but will remove varnish and possibly sticking valve or piston problem. You would need another full fluid exchange after using it, there will be lots more debris loose.

If you feel comfortable swapping transmissions, this would be the least expensive repair. You may find a lower mileage trans.but you probably want to know that it is tested good before installing, I would.. I think labor would be about 2 days for the trans removal / replace. You do have to support the engine from top, and drop the subframe down to get the trans out.A new converter possibly.

Line Pressure Chart

³ Gear ³ EPC ³ Line ³

³ Pressures at Idle(a)
³
³ P 10-20 60-84 ³
³ R 10-20 78-108 ³
³ N 10-20 60-84 ³
³ (D) 10-20 56-84 ³
³ 2 30-40 102-138 ³
³ 1 15-40 67-155 ³

³ Pressure at Wide Open Throttle (WOT) Stall (a) ³

³ P ³ Ä ³ Ä ³
³ R ³ 70-90 ³ 265-328 ³
³ N ³ Ä ³ Ä ³
³ (D) ³ 70-90 ³ 208-257 ³
³ 2 ³ 70-90 ³ 208-257 ³
³ 1 ³ 70-90 ³ 208-257 ³

ok thanks that one guy told me it sounded like what u said in the valve body but he said he would have to drop trans guess i c his true colors now I really didnt trust him anyway. but I bought some seafoam gonna try it. if not then ill try the pressure test what kinda gauges do i need? to try this thanks for the info and were can i get most of the internal trans parts?

Test gauges are around $100. for a set, you may try getting a shop to do the test.Really any 0-300psi gauge, 1/8" NPT thread should get you hooked up for a reading, you could use reducer and a pipe nipple if you needed

Do a Search for 4F50N Parts
http://www.makcotransmissionparts.com/AX4N.html

http://www.sonnax.com/product-lines/transmission

Torque Converter
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-AXOD-AXODE-AX4S-AX4N-4F50N-Torque-Converter-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a0070b73eQQitemZ18039 6013374QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccesso ries

ok i poured it in while it was warm drove it downthe road. and still no reverse. so i went out to a 2mile straightaway we have and stopped in the middle and put it in reverse I watched and paid attention to everyting. I had to tach it up to bout 2500 and it slowly came in and then it was like it just went in full and it took off like a rocket stopped and tried it again and same thing it pulled perfect. its just like a high stall converter in a race car high rpms then goes in. so i thought id go to a small hill and stopped at bottom coming off of hill and put it in reverse and once it grabbed it pulled no problem up the hill i only went 30ft or so not all the way up. so I guess i could say it isnt clutches right?

Sounds like the clutches are ok and most likely you have a valve body problem, maybe some debris got caught inside and keeps the fluid from flowing freely until high pressure breaks in, which is good because you wont have to take the whole transmission out; this can be done from underneath the vehicle.

Best regards,

Oscar.

Now that you got reverse going, with the seafoam, keep trying reverse, and drive the thing around to let it clean the internals well. Do you have a spot where you can run it in reverse a while, or just raise up the front wheels , start it and run reverse for several minutes to let the fluid clean things up.Drive the vehicle to let the fluid clean things.

found this on the sonnax site grog suggested.

http://www.sonnax.com/publications/transmission/titles/point-of-noreturn-point-de-nonretour

is this transmission original? were there some modifications done to it? perhaps why you aren't getting a code thrown?

SWEET i guess ill try to get a gauge and test it and if so ill take the valve body off and go from there. thanks guys you all r great!!! I graduated a tech school for automotive but transmission's wasnt my best course and what they did teach was on a th350 and a JUNK 700r4 witch my opinion theyre junk new. so is there any where i can get like pictures or micropfiche or exploded view of trans or at least valve body?

Matthew, I'll send you all information I have on the transmission, it is a big file so I'll send it to your email.

By the way, I like the interests you cited in your profile :D

Best regards,

Oscar.

Attached a trans file, uploaded it and nothing on the site. I guess I don't have authorization or something. I will pm you.

great my e mail is matthewhughes224@att.net thanks

ok i poured it in while it was warm drove it downthe road. and still no reverse. so i went out to a 2mile straightaway we have and stopped in the middle and put it in reverse I watched and paid attention to everyting. I had to tach it up to bout 2500 and it slowly came in and then it was like it just went in full and it took off like a rocket stopped and tried it again and same thing it pulled perfect. its just like a high stall converter in a race car high rpms then goes in. so i thought id go to a small hill and stopped at bottom coming off of hill and put it in reverse and once it grabbed it pulled no problem up the hill i only went 30ft or so not all the way up. so I guess i could say it isnt clutches right?

Yes your clutch bands are good. Because when the problem is the clutch, it always slip. In your case, it almost no grab, then it grab completely and suddenly. When you rev up, there's more hydraulic pressure cause trans oil pump spin faster. And when car is moving, it requires less pressure on clutch to grab the steel plate, thus gear train, since they are both already moving, so there's no need to add extra inertia. Also less friction on tires at motion, so more easy to pull.
So it's definitively an hydraulic problem.

But on Windstar, valve body is a good quality part, and rarely fail. The weak point on Windstar are the pistons clutches. They tend to crack, and leak pressure. So some of the oil go past the piston clutch. So don't be sure that cleaning or replacing the valve body will necessary fix the problem. So the problem is more probably the reverse piston clutch.

I think again about it, my best suggestion would be, if your sea foam doesn't work, installing a brand new tranny. In my opinion, it doesn't worth to rebuilt a tranny only to repair a reverse problem, other parts of the trans may fail few years later. If you put a new tranny, it will cost more, but will last many years w/o expecting other trans issues.
Reman tranny is not good either.
Used tranny may be advantageous, but it could be a risk.

I think again about it, my best suggestion would be, if your sea foam doesn't work, installing a brand new tranny. In my opinion, it doesn't worth to rebuilt a tranny only to repair a reverse problem, other parts of the trans may fail few years later. If you put a new tranny, it will cost more, but will last many years w/o expecting other trans issues.
Reman tranny is not good either.
Used tranny may be advantageous, but it could be a risk.

Listen to what he says, he really knows what he is talking about.

In any case I sent you 2 e-mails with all the information I have.

Best regards,

Oscar.

ok thanks guys but how hard is it to replace the reverse piston?

Accumulator Pistons & Springs behind valve body. #15 is reverse in the photo.

Item ³ Part Number ³ Description ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 1 ³ 7005 ³ Case assembly ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 2 ³ 7H276 ³ Shaft Ä drive shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 3 ³ 7G095 ³ Seal Ä 1-2, 2-3 and N-D shift ³
³ ³ ³ accumulator piston ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 4 ³ 7G274 ³ Piston Ä drive shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 5 ³ 7G300 ³ Spring Ä drive shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 6 ³ 7G301 ³ Spring Ä drive shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 7 ³ 7H277 ³ Seal Ä drive shift accumulator ³
³ ³ ³ cover ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 8 ³ 7H275 ³ Cover Ä drive shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 9 ³ N807757-S ³ Bolt Ä 6 mm x 1.0 hex flange ³
³ ³ ³ head (1 req’d) ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 10 ³ 7G094 ³ Shaft Ä shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 11 ³ 7G266 ³ Spring Ä 3-4 shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 12 ³ 7F248 ³ Seal Ä 3-4 accumulator piston ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 13 ³ 7F246 ³ Piston Ä 3-4 shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 14 ³ 7E485 ³ Spring Ä reverse shift ³
³ ³ ³ accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 15 ³ 7H274 ³ Seal Ä reverse shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 16 ³ 7H273 ³ Piston Ä reverse shift ³
³ ³ ³ accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 17 ³ 7F285 ³ Spring Ä 2-3 shift accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 18 ³ 7G095 ³ Seal Ä 1-2, 2-3 and N-D shift ³
³ ³ ³ accumulator piston ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 19 ³ 7G133 ³ Piston Ä 1-2, 2-3 shift ³
³ ³ ³ accumulator ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 20 ³ 7G267 ³ Spring Ä 1-2 shift accumulator ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

would it help if I took it to a shop and had the trans flushed? would that maybe help it? it seems like its trying to work a little better sice i changed the fluid but i figured a flush would get it all out of the tourqe converter and the valve body and might help it

would it help if I took it to a shop and had the trans flushed? would that maybe help it? it seems like its trying to work a little better sice i changed the fluid but i figured a flush would get it all out of the tourqe converter and the valve body and might help it

You can actually change the entire fluid capacity yourself. There are posts on this forum detailing it if you search. The new fluid is probably cleaning up things for you making the trans work a little better.

Remove the bottom trans cooling hose, point towards the pan and start the vehicle in park. I have attached instructions for the procedure.
The transmission is the same on your windstar.

thanks i thought of doing this but i was afraid to run it till it was dry wouldnt that burn up the pump?

If you read the instructions, you will notice that after the fluid flow stops you immediately shut off the engine. A helper would be ideal for this job.

My Windstar has the same problem, namely no reverse until I bring the RPM up to 2,500. I also used Seafoam and am hoping for the best, but so far no luck. At this point I'm thinking the low pressure is caused by old, contaminated tranny fluid or the reverse piston is cracked or there are seals leakning preassure, which all contributes to the problem of getting the tranny into reverse ***What I want to know is this: How did the story above end? Did you ultimately have to get the tranny fully overhauled or were you able to fix the mechanical problems without pulling the tranny out of the car or did the Seafoam work?

I'm no expert, specially with transmission but 2500 RPM's seems too much to start moving. I think the clutches might be completely worn and an overhaul is the only thing that will fix it.

You have nothing to lose by replacing the entire fluid. If the clutches are worn I guess you can recover the new fluid and save it...

Oscar.

If it's only the clutches bands, the problem will worsen by the time. At begining, the trans will slip before 2500 rpm and it'll accelerate constantly and not grab it suddenly and t'll go faster as you rev up and will engage and it'll worsen with the time. You'll have to press more gas with the time or it'll be slower with the time and it'll never engag. But In your case, when problem start appearing, you immediately need to rev up at 2500 rpm until it moves and it grab instantly and it didn't become worse and it was slow and didn't engage. So it's more likely the reverse piston clutche that is cracked. But it'll cause the clutches to wear out fast, they will burn, contaminate the fluid and cause the transmission to fail. Overhaul will be necessary.

I suggest you to not use the reverse. When you've to back up, put it in neutral, and push the van. You can inflate your tires to 40 psi if it's 1999-2003 so it'll be more easy to push it.

If there is a crack in the reverse piston, I understand you can repair this without dropping the transmission, by removing the valve body. Is this true? And are you really sure it's true?

Most tranny shops don't want to fix this problem; rather, they only want to quote me a full overhaul. So if I'm going to insist they try to fix the reverse piston without removing the tranny, I want to be very sure it can be done.

Yes, it can be done.

The sub frame needs to be partially lowered at the driver side and the side cover removed. This will provide access to the valve body, solenoids and pistons. If you are already changing one piston, it might be a good idea to replace all of them and, perhaps, the solenoids; that's one of the reasons for transmission shops to quote with a full overhaul.

The last thing you want, is to fix the reverse piston and find out one of the forward's has started to leak later on.

Oscar.

I understand my transmission (Ax4S) has a reversed clutch, a band, and a accumulator piston that may be cracked. Since all of these can cause the reverse gear to fail, then how do you know which one it is?

Note: My reverse can engaged after reving-up the motor to 2,500RPM, and it can slowly back out of the driveway, but doesn't have enough umph to backup an incline of any grade. So it would seem to me that the clutch is the problem, but maybe if the piston is cracked that too can cause the clutch to slip. Can it?

It would be great if someone can definitively say how to repair this problem without dropping the transmission and doing a full overhaul. Many thanks in advance.

My reverse can engaged after reving-up the motor to 2,500RPM, and it can slowly back out of the driveway, but doesn't have enough umph to backup an incline of any grade. So it would seem to me that the clutch is the problem, but maybe if the piston is cracked that too can cause the clutch to slip. Can it?

Yes it can.

Every tranny shop (4 out of 4) wants to rebuild the entire transmission instead of taking the less expensive approach of fixing the cracked piston behind the valve body. Does anyone have a TSB (technical service bulliten) I can show the shop how this problem can be fixed without dropping the tranny? ...It appears I need some leverage. Also, what would you think is a fair price a shop should charge for this bandaid approach? I say bandaid because I don't expect them to guarantee the fix for any length of time.

Every tranny shop (4 out of 4) wants to rebuild the entire transmission instead of taking the less expensive approach of fixing the cracked piston behind the valve body. Does anyone have a TSB (technical service bulliten) I can show the shop how this problem can be fixed without dropping the tranny? ...It appears I need some leverage. Also, what would you think is a fair price a shop should charge for this bandaid approach? I say bandaid because I don't expect them to guarantee the fix for any length of time.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/muddyford/2010-11-04_022656_1.png

Interesting. But when we need to rev up above 2500 rpm to engage the reverse, it's because of an hydraulic or mechanical problem; not electric.

This is taken from my 2000 manual, it's not strictly for the pistons but for the valve body and pump; pistons are behind so this same procedure should apply.

Oscar.

Thanks for the additional information, but I still getting no where with the tranny repair shops. They only want to overhaul the unit. My 2000, 3.8l, Winstar has a AX4S transmission type and I need someone to say without any doubt that a knowledgable shop can repair a crack accumulator piston WITH OUT DROPPTING THE TRANNY! It also would be nice if you can tell me how much I should expect to pay for this type of repair. Thank you very much!

PS
I do have one shop investigating the electrical possibility of the Shift Solenoid '3' mentioned in the prior post and I promise to let everyone know this whole story ends.