97 Taurus Transmission/Overdrive problems

My fiance owns a 97 Ford Taurus and has been encountering complications with his transmission. It started out as a hard thump when decellerating close to 20 MPH. It is slow taking off and rattles when excellerating. He has had transmission serviced and fixed for close to 2 days but back to its same sittuation. The service engine light comes and goes as well as the problem. His gear shifter read (P, R, N, OD (assuming overdrive) D, 1) He keeps it in OD and i asked him to take it down to D and it began to rattle more so as he began to take off. He put it back in OD and it got a bit more quiet but still runs cruddy. His RPM guage sticks when driving at 40 MPH And won't go up or down. I know there have been recalls for this model on transmissions, but the mechanics said they found only one problem with it, which was a pipe under the transmission that was no connected. After connecting it, it ran fabulous for maybe a week, now back again.... Please anyone, help. What gear should it be in and is it neccessary to change the Transmission filter as well as the transaxle fluid?

the mechanics said they found only one problem with it, which was a pipe under the transmission that was no connected. After connecting it, it ran fabulous for maybe a week, now back again....
Do they have any warranty on their work? Bring it back and tell them to finish what they started. It should last longer than just a week. In the mean time I wouldn't be driving it. You could quickly go from an easy repair to one that cost thousands...

What gear should it be in
OD is fine. It's for saving gas.

is it neccessary to change the Transmission filter as well as the transaxle fluid?
We always do. It's not hard at all, it just very messy :p There are threads here which explain how to do it. If you plan on keeping the car we highly recommend using Mobil 1 (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Other_Products/Mobil_1_Synthetic_ATF.aspx) tranny fluid (it cost a little more BUT you'll save gas and there's less wear and tear on the tranny) and make SURE that you're buying the correct grade of fluid to match the car.

Thank you for your imput..We are returning it, but he has been to 3 mechanics that did a "temporary" fix..he hasn't had a tune up in a while, but it doesn't sound like it will make a difference in the transmission other than flushing the fluids.. but the mechanic said it wasn't necessary..is that true or should he get a tune up and have it all flushed out and change filters in the meantime? He has no choice but to drive it..there is no other means of transportation for him to and from work.

but the mechanic said it wasn't necessary..is that true

The mecanic said WHAT wasn't necessary? Flushing the tranny? Changing the filter? How many miles on the car?

He has no choice but to drive it
All I can tell you is that if he messes up the tranny more, then he'll learn rather quickly what his other choices are, as the car simply will not run and he'll be looking at a very big repair bill to boot :wink: If the tranny is acting up you simply don't play around with it. Find the problem and fix it as soon as possible or it WILL grow.

ok thankyou...and yes the mechanice said it wasn't necessary to change fluids or filters..should we insist on doing it?..i don't know mileage and i will make him use my car...we know it shouldn't be driven. My fiance tells me he hasn't had a tune up or any other service work like so on his car in years other than an oil change.

First I would find a new mechanic. Secondly yes, it is VERY important to change the fluid and change the filter BUT it all depends on the milage of the car. Check your owners manual, it will tell you when to do it. Judging from the year of the car I'd say it's about due, but the milage will be the best indicator. The car is over 10 years old so that fluid is probably fairly worthless at this point. As far as flushing goes, yes it's important, but not as important as getting in there and changing the fluid/filter. That's a must. If it has high milage then flushing would be much more of an issue. We'll know more when you let us know how many miles are on the car :)

ok thanks, will update that as soon as possible.

there are 123,000 miles on vehicle..does that help?

Yes it does :wink: I looked around and found this for you. If you don't have the cars owners manual then you can download a copy by clicking here (https://web.msslib.dealerconnection.com/RightSite/getcontent/myfile.pdf?DMW_OBJECTID=09000c5880007e62). I also made a maintenance chart for you which goes over all of the basic things. You can see it by clicking here (http://www.angelars.com/pics/97mchart.jpg). I would download a copy of it for your records as I may have to remove it from the server in the future. As you can see, the tranny fluid should have been replaced 4 times already by now. If its never been done, then that is why the tranny is acting up now. At this point I would have it flushed. Find yourself another mechanic (not the same one from before) and have them flush out the old fluid. Also replace the filter. Check with the Ford dealer also, as they may very well be competive with the price, plus they'll use the original filter. They won't use Mobil 1 fluid, but it will be much better than the fluid that's in there now.

thankyou so much i will help him with it today and get this going for him...no one so far has made as much sense as you...i will do the reading up on the manual and tell my faince what you said..actually i will print it out :) i will post back in the future and let you know what happens.

Thanks for the compliment :) Keep in mind that replacing the fluid/filter may or may not fix the problem that you're having with the tranny, as damage may already have occurred, BUT it will guarantee that you won't do any further damage to the tranny, thus saving you lots of $$$. Let whomever works on it know the complete history of the tranny so they can keep an eye open for any possible damage. If you can't find a good mechanic then check with Sears, AAMCO (http://www.aamco.com/transmissions/fluid_change-maintenance.html), and/or a Ford dealership. Some places just 'clean' the old filter but I would insist on a new one. They don't cost that much, and you are assured that it's 100% right :)

Just to update you i was informed that the vehicle was a 98 instead..i appologize for the incorrect information..the information on the charts you gave me: will they be any different for a 98? Or should i get new info instead?

will they be any different for a 98?
Nope, it doesn't change until around the 2000 model year :wink:

"First I would find a new mechanic." BADDA-BING! You better believe it! IMO, that mechanic leaves a lot to be desired. Ford sez change the tranny fluid and clean or replace the filter every 30K miles, but not many people do, then when they have tranny problems they wonder why. Insist they use Mercon V fluid, not Mercon or Mercon III. Mercon V is part synthetic and does a better job and YES you can use it in your 1998 Taurus. Mobil 1 is the best on the market 100% synthetic but a mite-bit expensive for most of us. I'd have it changed just to see if there is anything bad on the fluid filter and to change it you have to take the bottom pan off the tranny. If you see a lot of metal filings then you know you have BIG problems.

Pull the tranny dip stick and smell it and see if it smells burnt. Wipe it on a white paper towel and it should be nice and pink, not brownish indicating overheating or old worn out fluid badly in need of changing by flushing. Some claim Lucas additive is wonderful stuff and for $10. bucks it is certainly worth a try. After they flush the old fluid out put it in the new fluid. Easy to find at auto parts stores. http://www.lucasoil.com/testimonials/index.sd?catid=15

A 'flush' gets out all 16 QTS of tranny fluid and replaces it with new. A 'change' gets out about 6 qts so you want the flush job. You get a place that tells you a change is as good as a flush, find another place that will flush it. The Ford dealer here charges $100. which is about as cheap as you'll find a flush job. Check with your Ford dealer and INSIST they use Mercon V.

It really chaps by hiney cheeks when mechanics give people the run around like you folks got.

IMO, that mechanic leaves a lot to be desired.
LOL :lol: Yep! Mechanics like that give good mechanics a bad name.

Some claim Lucas additive is wonderful stuff
I'm about ready to add a tranny cooler and I might just try some Lucas out. Just hope that it doesn't mess up the Mobil 1 :wink:

"I'm about ready to add a tranny cooler and I might just try some Lucas out. Just hope that it doesn't mess up the Mobil 1" From what I read that Mobil 1 is such good stuff you can save your $$$ and forget the tranny cooler. If you're pulling a little camper trailer in the mountains you might need it, but for a vehicle with Mobil 1 no additional trailer load, IMO, a cooler would be a waste of money. We keep our trannys fluid changed per the book and I believe we'll easy get 150K or better out of them. Hmmm . .. 53.5K on mine now and I put 10K a year on it, so by the time it gets 150K on it I'll be 75 years old and won't give a hoot nor holler about no new fangled tranny no way. Heck, by then all vehicles will run on CVT's like the MINI COOPER or we will have mastered the anti gravity field thing and vehicles will float along on air. Sounds good, but how long will it take a 18 wheeler running 90 MPH to stop? He starts braking in Savannah and he'll get 'er stopped around Jacksonville.:nono: Naughty, naughty! Smokey Bear is hidin' in the bushes wif' de radar speed trap on I-95.

Thanks you guys.. I appreciate it all. I am taking it in Monday and insist that they flush it and change filters. I can't thank y'all enough. If i encounter more problems after Monday i will be back to talk to you...Thanks a bunch!!

It was my pleasure to help you. Hope everything turns out OK on Monday. I'm sure the car will appreciate the fresh tranny fluid and filter :iceslolan

A quick question:

How is the transmission oil supposed to look after 30k?
Mine's 116k and I'm trying to figure out if the guy (a lousy mechanic, that also buys and sells cars) who sold me the car, had changed the tranny fluid or not (at 109k).
My tranny fluid is pink still, and has a strange chemical smell (not burnt), and the fluid level is another 2-3 crosshatch area lenghts above the cross hatch (this makes me believe he changed the tranny oil, he doesn't read manuals and the likes, he put 20w50 in my poor duratec).

Thanks a bunch!

PS. Mal Mal, sorry for posting in your thread, but I think it's for the greater good that I don't open another thread on the same issue.

My tranny fluid is pink still
It 'sounds' like it's OK, but we'd need to actually see it to be sure.

he put 20w50 in my poor duratec
Oh my God! That's a shame. Of course some car dealers put thicker oil in the engine to hide problems. Hope yours is OK :)

"How is the transmission oil supposed to look after 30k?" It will be somewhat darker than new but still have some pinkness in it. Chemical smell - Yeah, thats a good description, but NO burnt smell.
"and the fluid level is another 2-3 crosshatch area lenghts above the cross hatch" That is no good for the tranny because the fluid gets a lot of tiny-tiny air bubbles in it almost like foam reducing the lubricating properties. There is not much leeway for the fluid level. Check it idling in Park engine & tranny at operating temp the fluid should be in the crosshatch area, not under & not over. Tranny fluid expands so needs to be hot when you check it. If it's at the very bottom out of the dip stick it only needs about 1/2 pint so don't add very much at the time.

Easy way to get it out. Get 6' clear flexible rubber or clear neoprene 1/4" tubing and gently shove it down the dip stick tube when the tranny is cold. Whatever size tubing you get, DO NOT force it down the tube and if the fit is tight then get smaller size tubing. How far do you shove it? Hold the tubing up to the dip stick and use it as a measuring stick, stick it as far as the bottom of the crosshatch area and when you siphon it down it should be at or close to the proper level. (That's and Old Indian trick.) :wink: Seriously, . . otherwise you have to pull the pan to get excess fluid out and that's a lot of work when you can simply siphon it out. Suck on the tube and get a siphon action going and drop the end in a quart container sitting in a 5 gal bucket and that way if it runs over a quart the bucket will catch it. The end of the siphon must be lower than the tranny pan, so that puts the tubing in the bottom of the container on the floor.

DO NOT stick tubing down the hole with the tranny hot 'cause it might melt the tubing and don't get the fluid in your mouth 'cause it tastes real nasty, that's whay I said CLEAR tubing so you can see the fluid in the tube. 'Prolly take an hour or two to siphon it down and it won't look like much is coming out but, be Ye not deceived, a steady drip fills the barrel. If you are impatient they have oil pumps with tubing at WalMart you hook to a drill motor to stick down the engine oil tube to change oil, so it should work OK for tranny fluid. Yeah, get that excess fluid out pronto and if I were you I would hunt another mechanic.

Man, that really chaps my cheeks. He calls himself a mechanic and doesen't have the knowledge, skills or common Horse sense to realize overfilling the tranny or engine is a very bad thing to do. HULLOO! Those oil and fluid markings are there for a reason. DDUUHH? And whoever heard of putting 20W-50 in a Taurus anyway? The oil cap on my 03 clearly says 5W-20 and someone would have to be a real bozo clown to use 20W-50.
Hey! Why did you put thick oil in my Taurus and overfill my tranny? :nutkick: OOIIEE!
That's got'ta hurt! 20W-50 will reduce your gas mileage by about 10% and the Taurus engine is put up 'tight' so it needs the thin oil to get in the tight places at start up so they don't run dry until the thick oil gets to them. Advance Auto sells Mercon V and wallyWorld sells Fords 5W-20 synthetic blend engine oil and it is darn good oil. WalMart SuperTech brand filter runs about $2.50 for the Taurus and they are good filters made by Warren Oil Co.

Long day so I'm laying my tired old body down. :sleep:

http://www.kendallmotoroil.com/NR/rdonlyres/024D939C-17C9-4AD5-AFAA-C6848E99614D/0/K_MerconV_ATF.pdf

Heads up! Mercon V is a better fluid than Mercon & Mercon III and it is approved for Mercon or Mercon III applications. Mercon V is available at Advance Auto for $3.78 and Pep Boys carries it to. It costs more because it contains synthetics. I'm not advocating Kendall oil but that's the first link I found confirming the Mercon V approval.

"I am taking it in Monday and insist that they flush it and change filters."
I'm not saying this is always the case, but some say after they had a flush the tranny started acting up and they took it back and had the "valve body" cleaned and that fixed it. Said not that hard to do when the pan is off so you might ask them to clean it to insure you don't have to take it back. The pistons and valves have close-tight tolerances and it only takes a teeny-tiny piece of trash to foul it up.

Scroll down to Valve Body: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_transmission

Thanks MyTaurus8AChevy and Huney1 !
Maybe I'll post a picture of the oil.
Thanks for the great idea (the clear hose siphon) Huney 1, why didn't I think of that?

"Maybe I'll post a picture of the oil." Take some new fluid in a clear container and put it beside old fluid in a clear container and it will scare the heck out of you. Being dark is not indicitative of trouble in the tranny as long as it doesn't get a burnt smell to it. I siphoned six qts out of my Taurus at 45K mi (I think it was . .) and it was real dark but no burnt smell at all.

Clear siphon hose: Way back when we use to siphon gas I got to much of it in my mouth and it made the inside of my mouth almost raw to say nothing of a very nasty taste turpentine mouth wash wouldn't get out. :( So I thought, I know a way to avoid that, use clear hose and you can see the gas or whatever nasty liquid coming thru the tube. :)

hey mal keep us updated especially with the ses lamp because im not so sure flushing is going to take care of every thing thanks & good luck

Here you go, I found it: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=725266

hey mal keep us updated

Ok well we didn't get much out of the mechanics they just re-did what we paid them to do before, which was connect a hose and check tranny fluid.. Bahh!!! We would have to pay them more they said if we wanted them to try something different. So screw that. We did put in some of that Lucas stuff or whatever you guys talked about, and some tranny no leak/cleaner/ something else.. It was for a whole bunch of other things too, but so far so good..running better atleast for now. But thanks for all the suggestions guys.. Im using them :)

"Maybe I'll post a picture of the oil." Take some new fluid in a clear container and put it beside old fluid in a clear container and it will scare the heck out of you. Being dark is not indicitative of trouble in the tranny as long as it doesn't get a burnt smell to it. I siphoned six qts out of my Taurus at 45K mi (I think it was . .) and it was real dark but no burnt smell at all.

Clear siphon hose: Way back when we use to siphon gas I got to much of it in my mouth and it made the inside of my mouth almost raw to say nothing of a very nasty taste turpentine mouth wash wouldn't get out. :( So I thought, I know a way to avoid that, use clear hose and you can see the gas or whatever nasty liquid coming thru the tube. :)

Finally, I got hold of a slender transparent hose and took a quart of transmission fluid out, but I think there is another quart to take out. Now that I look at it, all together in a coke bottle, it doesn't seem so pink anymore :), more like brownish red... So I'll change it at 120000 miles, in 4000 miles.
About the transmission fluid change, the manual says (or so I understand) it only needs to be changed not flushed. Any thoughts on that?

Huney1, thanks again for the hose idea!

im old school but thats what we do change fluid/filter every 30k never did flushing

I had about 40K on mine and decided to 'refrurbish' the old fluid 'cause it had never been changed. One evening after it cooled off I started the siphon and let it go all night in a clean bucket and got out 6 or 7 qts, the amount the pan holds. Next AM I filled it with Mercon V and went about my business. Drove it a week then did the same thing so the way I figure it has at least 3/4 new fluid. Fluid cost me about $50. bucks and I KNOW Mercon V went in it. 54K on it now running slick as a whistle and I plan to use the same method and siphon it out twice again at about 60K mi. Only thing that will change my strategy is if I feel the tranny doing something unusual I will have the pan dropped and filter changed.
Other than that, as long as it runs like it does now, . . . .
"HOOK 'ER UP AND LET 'ER DIG!" :iagree: BOOGIE DOWN & JAM ON IT!

i have a 1997 ford taurus and when i start it i take off in overdrive when i come to a stop it wont go until i put it in park and back into overdrive but if i take off in drive it seems to stop and go ok idk what this means<????