98 Taurus Trans slips intermittenly

I have an extended warranty that is about to be out (not from Ford). The trany slips intermittenly and the Ford Service Dept cant reproduce the problem. Basically, I stop at a light and when I push the excelerator, the engine just revs. I have to put it into 1st and the car will slowly start to roll, then I can go to second and eventually "D"rive... while I have and angry crowd behind me honking. Like I said it is rare but does happen.

Any ideas... on what is wrong or how to get them to really troubleshoot it.

got about 98,000 miles and had the trans serviced a while back when it was supposed to be done (I believe they just replace the filter and oil, not sure if it was flushed)

OH yeah the warranty is up at 100,000 miles

TIA
Len

Start with the basics; check the fluid level and color, change the transmission filter if there is any doubt. Carefully check that when you shift the trans into Drive that the cable is indeed moving the arm on the trans into the D position. THIS IS A BIG ONE!!! There is a detent in the shifter, and a detent inside the trans, too. They absolutely must be the same, every time. Check a shop manual for adjusting the cable if you need too.

Beyond that, get under the hood and check for corrosion and/or loose electrical connectors. The trans is controlled by the Powertrain Control Module, have a scan for codes run on the car's computer.

If that doesn't take care of it, there is a bit of junk or something floating around in the valve body.

Good Luck.

I'm sure its in drive, because it happens only after driving a while then when I stop at a traffic light or stop sign and start to go. The Ford place said there was no codes in the computer. Do you think that the trans should be serviced again after only 30,000 to 40,000 miles since the last one? Recomend a flush? Use of synthetic oil?

Thanks
Len

Originally posted by Dan_in_WA
Start with the basics; check the fluid level and color, change the transmission filter if there is any doubt. Carefully check that when you shift the trans into Drive that the cable is indeed moving the arm on the trans into the D position. THIS IS A BIG ONE!!! There is a detent in the shifter, and a detent inside the trans, too. They absolutely must be the same, every time. Check a shop manual for adjusting the cable if you need too.

Beyond that, get under the hood and check for corrosion and/or loose electrical connectors. The trans is controlled by the Powertrain Control Module, have a scan for codes run on the car's computer.

If that doesn't take care of it, there is a bit of junk or something floating around in the valve body.

Good Luck.

You might have to call around and talk to transmission shops; with a little luck, someone can recommend a place you can trust.


Still sounds like the valve body is a little flaky. If this were my car, what I would do at this point is go to the Transgo website and get the shift improver kit for my trans.

It will certainly help; these kits are designed and intended to overcome some of the factory problems that are encountered. According to my research, the guy that does these is named Gil Younger, and he is the Smokey Yunick of the automatic trans world.

The kit can be installed yourself, or maybe you can get a shop to do it without them wanting to overhaul your entire transmission.

I know and feel your pain. I have a 97 Taurus GL that is doing the exact same thing. It happened only a couple time the first two years but now it's terrible. Every now and then, just before I come to a complete stop, the tranny disengages about 95%. It will slightly move if I give the car gas. If I rev it up it will engage after an undetermined amount of time and screech the tires. The temp fix for me is to shut off the engine for a few seconds, then turn the car back on. It then acts like there never was a problem. It may go through 20 stops without a problem or may disengage at every light. The tranny runs great at highway speeds but has always been very poor when it comes to passing another car.
If someone has a fix for this problem, I love to know what it is.

My 93 Ford Taurus is having the exact problem when the transmission can be dis-engaged at the light. It happens intermittenly without any fault code at the computer. Any suggestions are welcome.

My 93 Ford Taurus is having the exact problem when the transmission can be dis-engaged at the light. It happens intermittenly without any fault code at the computer. Any suggestions are welcome.


My 98 Taurus (with about 90,000 miles on it) just started slippling this past week. I took it to my shop on an unrleated issue, and they took a quick look, and told me that I was burning tranny fluid. He told me that I'm looking at about $3,500 (on the high side) parts and labor. He also indicated there was a hole in the oil pan. He actually suggested just getting a new car.

Is it really that bad?

My 98 Taurus (with about 90,000 miles on it) just started slippling this past week. I took it to my shop on an unrleated issue, and they took a quick look, and told me that I was burning tranny fluid. He told me that I'm looking at about $3,500 (on the high side) parts and labor. He also indicated there was a hole in the oil pan. He actually suggested just getting a new car.

Is it really that bad?

Well, a '98 Taurus value is only about $4000, so his suggestion is not without merit. OTOH, if you can get another transmission that cost $3500 and will last another 90k miles (or a year, as that is about the payment on a new car for year), then I would consider it worth it to get a car fixed. Just looking around this board, transmissions *seem* to be the biggest gripe with this car. My wife has a 98 Taurus with 65k miles. I am hoping the car surprises us and makes good for many more miles than 90k before it self destructs. Anyway, did you do any other transmission maintenence up to now? Just interested, as I have been doing transmission oil changes all along on this car and wonder if it really does any good.

I too own a 98 Taurus SE it has 137560 miles on it and I too have the problem with the sliping transmission. It is not too severe yet it only does it about once or twice a month. I don't have any codes on my service engine light. Transmission fluid is clean and doesn't look or smell burnt. I had an 88 Taurus GL and I have to say I like the 98 even better. This transmission problem is a major issue though with these for some unknown reason. That is my only gripe about these cars. The other problem that ties in with the transmission is when you full-throttle it practically red-lines the motor before kicking into the next gear. I hope that this will help kind of narrow it down a little and to help some have faith in their taurus if they are reading this and don't have that many miles on it yet.

Leon

I just bought my 97 Sable Wagon, and this slipping out of gear happened while I was test driving it. I talked to a couple of tranny shops. One said it was probably the "forward piston" which is made with an aluminum housing and cracks easily. The other guy said it was probably second or third gear going. Both said it was about $2,000 (Canadian dollars or about US$1500) for a complete rebuild, including the torque converter. They replace the forward piston with one with a steel housing, and that once rebuilt, the tranny will generally last for quite awhile.

These trannys are notoriously bad, so tranny shops have seen lots of them. Find a reputable one and I'm sure they'll be able to tell you all about them. Or do what I did and call a few and see if you can get two to agree.