96 windstar tranny

Im not sure if this is a trans problem but I have a 96 ford windstar trans was replaced about a year ago. last month i was on the freeway doing about 65 mph the i felt this jerk about 1 min. later it happend again .it kept up all the way home. i parked the van for about a hour then drove it again didnt happen this time so i set the trip od. to see how long it took to happen again i got about 300 miles out of it before it happend again. it would jerk hard then the rpm's would jump about 1000 rpm then go back down.so today i took it back because i have a warranty on it.plus its not shifting right. they take it for a ride the guy comes back and asked me how long i was driving it around with the brake light on i said what does that have to do with the trans. he told me that the abs is tied into the trans and driving it around like that could overheat the trans.i was like what! the reason the brake light is on because the abs was acting up so i unpluged the pump. i called 4 ford dealers and talked to some one in the service department they said that never heard such a thing. the abs has its own computer, has any else had this problem with the bucking and rpm jumping up and down. thanks

I had a similar problem with my 96 Windstar as well. Mine happened after I had been driving for approximately 1 1/2 hours at about 90kms with some stop-and-go mixed in with straight driving. My RPMs suddenly jumped from around 1800 to 3000+. It turns out I had lost 3 and 4 gear and had to drive home in 2nd. Everyone here in the forum said it was a transmission range senror. My husband replaced this and after 3 trips over 2 hours in length, things seem to be working fine. I am from Canada and the part cost about $45 up here.

As far as the ABS goes...I'm no mechanic but my ABS light has been on since July 2005 (due to a totally seperate issue) and my transmission or engine has yet to overheat because of this.

I'm sure others will chime in with more advice, but I hope that helps a bit anyway.

Naomi

It does not make sense at all for the ABS light to cause the transmission to overheat. I guess if the brakes were on (like the parking brake still set), it would cause the transmission to work harder, but you would have smelled the brake linings cooking LONG before the transmission would overheat.
I do know that some brake issues may have something to do with shift points, supposedly the brake pressure switch on the bottom of the brake master cylinder is used by the PCM for the transmission, but my brake pressure switch failed, and I had no shifting issues when that happened.

Did the "Check engine" light come on?
You can get the codes read at many auto parts stores.

Did the "O/D" light on the gear select lever flash, or come on?
That would indicate an issue with the transaxle electronics.
I think that you have to have a dealer or other repair shop read those codes.

Next time this happens, look for one of those 2 lights.

Another thing that will cause a jerking is clogged EGR ports. If it is bad enough, it will cause the CEL to come on and / or flash. I got a misfire code on cylinder #4 for clogged EGR ports. Codes P0301 and / or P0304 are common for clogged EGR ports.

Unfortunately, as long as the problem is intermittent, you will be playing a guessing game until is sets a code.
Yes, the TRS is a high failure item, and not expensive or hard to replace.

When they replaced the transmission, they should have back flushed the radiator mounted transmission cooler.
There is a TSB from FORD on this, as when a transmission fails, it can clog the cooler with crud.
If the cooler is partially or totally clogged, the transmission will not cool properly, and may fail due to overheating.

In the mean time, check the level of the transmission fluid (on level ground, engine warm and running at idle, gear select set at "P" park).
The fluid should be changed AT LEAST every 30K miles.
The 1996 windstar MUST have MERCON rated ATF, NOT Mercon V.

I got my van back today from the trans. shop today they said no codes came up. which leaves me to belive that its a engine problem could be egr. i get no check engine light,no od light flashes its running a little ruff but with no check engine light i dont know :banghead: