2000 Windstar transmission fluid leak

Hello people, it's me... again :shakehead. At this point I really hate this van, honestly...

Today after a 200 mile trip and when I arrived home I noticed a small puddle of oil on the driveway, I checked the transmission oil level but I couldn't see any oil on the dipstick it took me about half an hour to check it because I could only see some transparent oil on the dipstick.

Is this normal? I've read that Mercon V oil is also red, maybe the level is too low?. Do you think any damage could have happened to the transmission?

Then I crawled under the van and it seemed to be leaking between the engine and the transmission, I found this post and they say it's either the main seal or the pump:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t757854.html

The transmission was rebuilt a month ago, so my question is if I should ask for a warranty repair or this is something apart from the rebuilding process?.

Thank you very much in advance for any help given.

The seal replacement would be under warranty, its a standard item that has to be removed then installed after reassembly of parts back together.

It may have been installed crooked, or they scored the case side when removing it causing the leak.

A low fluid condition can certainly overheat the transmission on a long run and could possibly have caused new internal issues after the rebuild. Hopefully you caught it in time.

The seal replacement would be under warranty, its a standard item that has to be removed then installed after reassembly of parts back together.

It may have been installed crooked, or they scored the case side when removing it causing the leak.

A low fluid condition can certainly overheat the transmission on a long run and could possibly have caused new internal issues after the rebuild. Hopefully you caught it in time.

Hello thanks for your answer, I took the van to the mechanic and he said the same that maybe they made a mistake while putting the transmission back on, They should have it ready for tomorrow, and about the oil level it was ok I guess I couldn't see it because of low light conditions and the fact that I was a bit tired =). Also with the overheating they said the oil was still in good condition so there should be no other problems.

Best regards...

Hello, I finally got my van, it took more than expected because they messed the installation of the exhaust pipe and the van had a rattling sound but they have fixed it. The transmission shifts ok, but I can feel a little kicking (like the van tries to keep going) from the transmission when I'm braking at a red light; also the speedometer starts jumping beyond 50MPH; if it jumps up it will make a BIG jump form 55 to 75 MPH, if it jumps down it will make a small jump from 55 to 50 MPH. And finally while driving on the highway if I step off the gas pedal the van feels like I'm using the engine brake for example at 2000RPM's it will maintain 2000 RPM's for some time and will then drop to 1000-1500 RPM's, this is where the van starts to feel like it's braking with the 2nd gear.

And finally I can't seem to put the van in 1st gear, the shift lever hasn't enough travel to reach the number 1 on the dashboard.

Is it possible that some connector isn't well connected or the shift lever being out of adjustment is causing my problems?.

Thanks in advance...

P.S. I'm asking this before I go back to the mechanic, maybe I can fix it by myself and avoid any other problem with the mechanic, I already hate him too. ¬¬ LOL

Today the CEL came on so had the van scanned and the result was P0156, P0161 and P0401. I know the first two re related to the bank 2 oxygen sensor and the 401 is related to the EGR system and an insufficient flow.

Since the mechanic took down the whole exhaust pipe including the cat converters I was thinking that he might had messed something else apart from the pipe not fitting well on the exhaust manifold so I took a quick look under the van and I could see the blue connector of the oxygen sensor hanging loose so I will lift the van and will plug it in tomorrow; that should take care of the P0156 and P0161 codes.

Taking into account the fact that the mechanic is an jackass, is there any other thing he might have forgotten and it's causing the P0401 code?, I guess there must be some connection form the exhaust to the EGR, is it a hose or a pipe?, should it be accessed from below the van?, any other ideas?.

Finally could the EGR code be causing the van to sometimes feel like it's engine braking and some rough shifting?.

Thanks in advance.

OK here's some update, I went under the van to find the O2 sensor is melted down so I'll be replacing it this afternoon right now I'm on my way to buy a new one that will definitely take care of the first two DTC's. About the EGR P0401 I checked the EGR tube and it is OK, it doesn't looks like they disconnected it because it is all rusted, so I took look at the EGR valve vacuum line and trace to the back of the engine to find out if wasn't properly fitted, it has a double boot connector, one of these boots was properly fitted, the other wasn't, I guess that will take care of the P0401 DTC.

Did you have the DPFE changed?

Here's my old post that dealt with this issue.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=408652

If you do a more thorough search on the DPFE you will come across many posts I am sure.

Food for thought also was the whole upper manifold service bulletin, that dealt with CEL coming on always flagging O2 sensors. I know you said your O2 sensor was cooked and you had different fault codes, just thinking it is possible it could be related.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=935718

Did you have the DPFE changed?

Here's my old post that dealt with this issue.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=408652

If you do a more thorough search on the DPFE you will come across many posts I am sure.

Food for thought also was the whole upper manifold service bulletin, that dealt with CEL coming on always flagging O2 sensors. I know you said your O2 sensor was cooked and you had different fault codes, just thinking it is possible it could be related.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=935718

Hello and thanks,

no I haven't changed the DPFE I didn't think I should because mine is the black version, not the silver one as mentioned in most of the DPFE related threads, You're right I found lots of DPFE and Ford related problems when fixing a '95 town car, I had to replace the silver version dpfe and everything went back to normal.

About the O2 sensor and the TSB, I'm aware of it too, actually I had problems with the P0171/4 DTC's about a month ago, I was scared when somebody told me about it, but my problem was because of a bad MAF and a bad fuel pump too. However I might give a try to the TSB since my windstar has a diesel like sound specially when it's cold, but that will be another story... I will go to a junkyard to see if they can sell only the connector of the O2 sensor, it's the only thing I need and not the whole sensor.

Any idea if the rough shifting can be because of a vacuum leak? or how can I correct the problem of not being able to use the 1st gear because the lever won't reach there?.

Thanks for your help!.

When it comes to transmissions I am in the dark. All I can say is make sure the fluid level is good. I believe there are sensors involved with automatic shifting perhaps dealing with the vehicle speed sensor? <<----Complete guess there. If I have tranny problems I let the real mechanics handle them, not the Sunday mechanic like myself. Some of the other guys here I am sure will be able to give you some pointers.

Forgot to mention my DPFE was black too, but I've not had the code or problem in five years now since Ford replaced it.

Oh I see, I'm in the same situation as you are about transmissions, I have no idea but I remember my Pontiac GP had the same problem and it was fixed by adjusting a cable, I have no idea if this might apply for the windstar too.

About the DPFE, I will wait and see if the P0401 code is gone after driving for a while, as I mentioned before the EGR valve's green tube wasn't properly fitted to the back of the engine, I'm pretty sure this was causing the problem, if that's not the case I will give a try to the DPFE.

Thanks for your help buddy.

Here's a quick update, I found one loose hose from the HVAC system on the engine compartment, at the moment I blocked it with a small screw and the van runs smoother and the shifting is back to normal so IN CONCLUSION A VACUUM LEAK WILL CAUSE SHIFTING PROBLEMS.

I will post back with any update about the P0401 DTC, hopefully it must have been the improperly fitted EGR valve green hose.

PS. I forgot to post this pic to show you how far will the shift lever will travel:

http://a.imageshack.us/img16/2268/img00492201008041928.th.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/i/img00492201008041928.jpg/)

Any idea on how to fix that?

UPDATE:
I've found the tenth post within this thread describes how to re-align the TRS, I will give it a try and post back.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t532817.html

there is a shift lever adjuster that you can access beneath the steering wheel. It could be that or it could also be that the actual shifter is loose. I know a while ago my shift lever was doing weird things and that's what it was. Crawl underneath the dash, lying on your back. It' an awful position to get in. There's a torx screw (maybe t25 but don't quote me) that on mine came loose. Once tightened the shifter was much more accurate. If your whole shift lever is loose, it's likely this.

Piper

there is a shift lever adjuster that you can access beneath the steering wheel. It could be that or it could also be that the actual shifter is loose. I know a while ago my shift lever was doing weird things and that's what it was. Crawl underneath the dash, lying on your back. It' an awful position to get in. There's a torx screw (maybe t25 but don't quote me) that on mine came loose. Once tightened the shifter was much more accurate. If your whole shift lever is loose, it's likely this.

Piper

Thanks Piper, I checked that and the torx screw is OK, I don't think the problem is under the dash, I think it must be related to the TRS on top of the transmission itself since it all started after it was rebuilt; I'll give a try to an adjustment guide I found in the forum, hopefully the screws were left loose or it isn't properly aligned.

Thanks for your help buddy.

Best regards,

Oscar

I'm still concerned about the speedometer jumping you mentioned.
The speedometer gets its input from the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) which is mounted in the rear of the transmission case......right above one of your catalytic converters.
The VSS drives the speedometer AND tells the PCM how fast the vehicle is going......
If the PCM is getting an incorrect value for vehicle speed.....it will not know how to correctly shift the transmission.

BOTH the VSS and the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS.....aka Neutral Safety Switch) are directly related to the transmission installation.

Hi wiswind, thank you for posting.

I was thinking about the VSS but since I'm not an expert I wasn't sure if it could be related to this. I've been reading about it and at the moment I can tell that it's hard to replace it, am I correct? Also how much would the VSS cost?.

I will give a try on re-aligning the TRS maybe next weekend, today I was driving and the shift lever was showing the right positions for each gear (the needle stopped at the center of each letter (P,R,N,D,2,1) without any adjustment, later I stopped to buy some stuff I needed, when I started driving again the needle had some miss-alignement again. That's why I'm thinking maybe the so called "mechanic" didn't tighten the TRS bolts properly.

Also when coming to an stop at a street light I can feel what it seems to be the torque converter unlocking, just like a little kick on the transsmision.

Best regards,

Oscar

Try putting in some Lucas transmission additive. how is overdrive working?

Try putting in some Lucas transmission additive. how is overdrive working?

The overdrive works fine, it will occasionally have little rough shifting between gears, but besides that it's working fine. The transmission has been recently rebuilt.

Best regards,

Oscar