1998 Taurus Tranny issue

Hello all, I'm having a little tranny trouble with my 98 taurus. Seems that when i come to a complete stop, the tranny won't upshift into first, it will just rev like it is in neutral. Once i throw it in reverse then drive again, it catches and goes on its merry way. I also notice that if i leave it out of OD, that it doesnt repeat this problem. Other than this the tranny works fine, no grinds or jerks or anything, and goes down the highway perfectly. Just wondering where to start to fix this problem.

TIA
manimal

I'd start with a thorough tranny flush and have the valve body cleaned. Check your manual and if your tranny calls for Mercon V, make darn sure they use V or you will have problems.

hmm, when you say you throw it in reverse it catches and goes, is that reving it then shifting into drive, or is that just going to reverse and then drive with no rev, another question, if you rev it in drive will it shift hard into first after a while? And when it does go to first, how hard of a shift is it? Does this only happen when the tranny is hot, or all the time, or just when it is cold? Also, what engine is your car running? Knowing all of this will help us better figure out your problem. The repair could be anything from flushing the system and cleaning the valve body, to a full transmission rebuild. Just so you know what you might be gettin into.

~Ken

First,DO NOT flush and it is a big no no.You are pushing dirt back right in.If you want a flush do it this way and it is the better way than the machine,it removes all the dirt and crud: remove the bottom transmision line from the radatior and point it to a pan.Start pouring fluid while the the car is running and make sure not to run the transmission dry.Stop when the fluid is clear and you are done.Is the service engine light on?If it is, get it scanned with a scan tool,there is a code stored and it will be a transmission code.Ford electronic transmissions are a PITA to diagnose.My father knows someone that owns his own transmission shop that "bangs" his head against the wall when diagnosing Ford electronic transmissions when there are problems with them.

Transmission flushes are NOT a no no. If the trans has never been flushed or maintained regularly, there is a possibility the crud could be pushed into the valve body. If I were going to flush it, first thing to do is drop the pan and clean all the gunk out of pan. Re-assemble pan and gasket and then go for a flush. Replace the filter while you are dropping the pan too. If the problem only occurs when the trans is in the OD position, I don't think a flush will cure it. It may delay he symptoms, but you will have it return. Sounds to me like a servo or a clutch pack is going. This usually means a rebuild. Sorry.

Lets play the guessing game ^_^

78,000 miles? (Actually I want to say 112,000 but 78,000 is what my book says)
AX4N - OHC (32v SHO, 24v Duratec) and a limited amount of the Vulcans 12v?


Okay your probably looking at torque convertor issue and if I my guess is pretty close you are looking at the front piston on the torque converter.....rebuild time.... :(

Here's some more info.

113000 miles
3.0L Vulcan engine
Once i throw in reverse then forward, tranny does not slip, just takes off like normal.

Lets play the guessing game ^_^

78,000 miles? (Actually I want to say 112,000 but 78,000 is what my book says)
AX4N - OHC (32v SHO, 24v Duratec) and a limited amount of the Vulcans 12v?


Okay your probably looking at torque convertor issue and if I my guess is pretty close you are looking at the front piston on the torque converter.....rebuild time.... :( WRONG

Anyways..........I still think it sounds like a failing piston. What you are doing when you turn the over drive off is bypassing the torque converter and when you are place the car into reverse then drive you are jolting the direction in which the torque converter would spin giving a bit of a kit start on the pump but also causing unwanted friction to an already damaged part.

Get it fixed asap or you will burn the transmission right up.Look into a reman transmission from Jasper that is updated with newer parts inside and the price of a rebuild.Jasper puts a 36 month,76,000 warrenty on the transmission and you can take to any Jasper Dealer without any problems.Jasper even pays the labor if one goes bad under warrenty.