2003 Check Transmission!

I have a 2003 V-8 sport Package with 38k and recently i was testing the car and went up to 130mph. Nothing appeared to be wrong and it drove smoothly. A couple of days later i stopped for the red light and when it was time to go i pressed the gas as usual but the car barely moved. The RPM rised to nearly max. I kept on pressing the gas till it finally kicked in and roughly pushed forward when it started moving. Its having a rough time changing gears and when i press on the gas the RPM is stuck at 3 and sometimes goes well above 5 and the car barely moves. The check transmission appears everytime i drive the car. Even in a less than 7 minutes drive. Just today, the engine light came on and i'm taking it to the dealership on Monday. Is my tranny the cause of this? I drove it on the freeway, and with cruise control i reached 90mph and drove for 45 minutes without the engine warming up. The check transmission appeared every 10-15 minutes. This is my 2nd lincoln, i had a 2000 V-8 that beeped check transmission about twice a month but was still driving well till I sold it.

Sounds like the bands, or something of that nature. Check the fluid and smell it for a burnt smell. If it is turning a darkish brown, then get it in for a fluid flush. You should have this done around 30,000 miles anyway so you are most likey either low of fluid or the fluid has lost it's anti-glazing minerals, and needs some fresh fluid. This will most likely cause problems when the car is cold because the fluid has not expanded yet.

Thank you very much for your reply. You could be very right. I live in northern Minnesota and the temperature changed drastically by dropping nearly 30 degrees in less than 48 hours and it got very cold starting this week. The problem started 3-4 days ago. According to the dealer the car is from one of the south states and never experienced the cold weather before. It's currently 6 degrees outside and it feels well below 0 degrees. My garage is not heated. I have remote started the car to warm it up twice already for my 15 minutes morning drive. I'll take it to the dealership on monday and hope it is something that can be easily fixed. Thanks!

Is your LS still under bumper to bumper warranty? my 05 is 4yr or 50K miles, if yours is the same , then its still under warranty. Unless car was purchased late months of 2002. plus check list of TSB there is several listed trans problems, my 05 already had trans control module replaced twice and reprogrammed, suppose to have bad orings in module, yours maybe same. http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/recalltsb.do?step=tsb&year=2003&make=Lincoln&model=LS&style=Sport+4dr+Sedan+%283.9L+8cyl+5A%29&zip=73110&synpartner=edmunds

Thanks for the reply. Yes it still has the warranty and they have so far replaced the rotors, brakes and all four rims and have also fixed the steering wheel noise and vibration. The factory remote start has been also replaced. I'll let them figure it out at the dealership tomorow and keep you updated. Thanks!

I was informed by the dealership that the problem is the tranny solenoid pack and they will replace it once it is received in 2-3 days. But from reading other tranny issues for the LS, the valve body is usually involved and also replaced with the solenoid pack. But I'll have to wait to find out if a new solenoid pack will cure the problem. They are letting me drive the car locally since i drive less than 25 miles a day. Something also striked me today when i drove the car, there was burning smell after 10-15 minutes of driving. I'm thinking it's not the heat. There was never a smell to the heat even though lately it has been blowing very hot air. I'm forced to leave it on 78 degrees and turn it off and on. It never had a burning smell before. The engine temperature is normal. The temperature outside is less than 10 degrees and wind below 0. Something is cooking in that engine of mine and it's not oil. I'm bound to find out one way or another. If it continues to gives me all this problems, i'm selling it and I can't help it but to buy another one.

The solenoid pack has been replaced and the problem got a little better, the acceleration is a bit slow when i press on the gas. They informed me that they also need to replace the valve body and ordered it. So next week the valve body will be replaced. I hope the whole problem will be solve when its replaced.