tranny chain????

Going back to my earlier post. like i said i parked my car last night it was fine. I go to start it up this morning and put it in drive the car dosn't catch anything. I sorta remember hearing some thing when i did start it this morning it sound like a little rattle but only enough for me to think about it for like 3 seconds. After starting it I went in for like 10 minute while warmed up then I went to put it in drive and there is nothing. RPMs go up engine is running fine(well as it normally does) I have had really no problems with the tranny before maybe just every once in awhile a little hard shift. Also for some reason you can here the engine idle change just slightly when you shift but no like nudge from having your foot on the brake and putting in drive. IS THERE A CHAIN THAT DRIVES THE TRANNY? I was reading and I read some tranny (front wheel drive have some sorta chain? To power the tranny? The link cable still connected and operational. I have plenty of fluid. But other then a slight idle change when shifting there is nothing there. Could it be that chain or maybe something electronic ????? I really need some help..

no, there is no "chain" however there are bands inside the transmission and they could be part of the problem.

A band? It would do the same thing as a chain would do? Like a timing chain but a belt? It is just wierd I had no problems untill now(with tranny) no signs no nothing really hmm......I am going to buy the auto tranny book for ford today hopfully.........

GM FWD models, like the Old's Cutlas Ciera have a wide chain connecting the engine to the transmission but the Taurus does not.

Virtually every automatic transmission has bands. You can't hear them.

any ideas on what could cause the tranny to stop working all of a sudden with out any warning??? would a ban do that??? no warning signs just parked fine one night and then nothing the nest morning...like i said i think I might have heard something very faint when the car started but not enough to think anything of it???

I work in a Trans shop and it kinda sounds like the torque converter might have come apart inside (common problem)the bands probably not your problem check fluid for "The Little Sparklys as I call them ) in the light the metal will show up fluid should be bright red and clean if it is not black or brown with a bad burnt smellthe trans is more than likely ok and you have a valve stuck in the valve body

Chevy guy....Thanks for the response. I check the tranny fluid it is full. I didn't notice any (sparkles in it) maybe i have to get a flash light it is a cloudy day today. The fluid looks okay I never really smelt it before so not 100% on the buning smell but it smells oksy to me and it looks okay like red color. It will hold in park. I bring the rpms up 2-3000 and move shifter theres nothing there. like I said just all of a sudden no warning signs...It was wet out that night my tires spun up a little turning on to my street like 5 minute before I got to my house but it was fine after that corner. I pulled in and then backed into my space it was fine next morning i started it I did here something like a rattle or something but it was faint. Nothing to do with the cars computer do you think? Basiclly I am going to have to pull the tranny right to figure out what is wrong???

I stand by the the first theory of a stuck valve in the valve body,also do you know if the shifter cable is moving the shift lever on top of the trans?I would assume so if you notice rpm change even slight,when the tires spun did they bite hard when you regained traction,that is very hard on geartrain parts internally I hate to have you pull it for nothing,I would try to get an opinion from a local trans shop first we are in rural Idaho so probly doesnt help you let me know if this helps at all.

Chevy guy thanks for the response again. No it was very wet out that night snow/rain mix they didn't bit hard when they grabbed the road again. Shifter cable is operational. RPM's work just as they normally would. Although there is no movment in the car its self you can here the idle go up/down slightly when you try to shift then put it back in park the idle will die down slightly as normal. I just bought the book today it the haynes ford tranny book....havn't done any tranny work but done all my other repairs to all my cars nothing major.(water pumps power steerpumps tune ups alternator brakes and so on. Is the valve body accesible without taken the tranny out? There is no really honest shops around here so it hard I hate to say it but I havn't found no one I trust 100%. I never even looked at a valve body will I know wich one is stuck????

How many mileson car?check the fluid flow by taking a cooler line loose and run it for a moment Warning this is messy if the pump is moving fluid I suspect you might have a pump out,valvebody is complicated you wont be able to see if the valves a sticking unless you tear it apart and this is not recommended for a beginner,let me know if you got fluid moving.....Jason

...IS THERE A CHAIN THAT DRIVES THE TRANNY? ...
I'm not sure what trans you have, but on the AXOD/E (or AX4S), there is a chain located under the case cover that drives the output. However, to get at it requires major disassembly. The chain is item 102 in the diagram.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n113/rdh2/AX4Sbreakdown.jpg

The most probable causes are a stuck valve in the valve body or a bad transmission oil pump. I have seen several Taurus lately with bad pumps and pump shafts. The failures have been the pump shaft bearing in the valve body and worn pump vanes.

As Chevy Guy said, if you can remove a cooler line you can check pump flow. You could also connect a pressure gauge to check transmission line pressure.

FWIW: I had a 92 Taurus 3.8. On my way home one day, I stopped and got gas. When i went to leave the gas station, I put the car in gear and NOTHING happened. The problem was the forward clutch control valve. If the valve is stuck closed, there will be no movement in forward or reverse.

Bob