95 Towncar Stalling

EDIT: I'm cleaning the EGR valve right now. The reason why i posted this was to see what the problem was with the vibrating.

I know you guys can help me out with this one. As you have before. My car is stalling and WAS making a weird vibrating feeling.

Heres the story.

I was on the way home from work on Thursday, when I get off the highway I reach a stop light. I start slowing down and while i'm slowing down I hit 25 mph and my car kicks hard while down-shifting. ??I don't know...?? I know that I need a new trans with 431k original miles on it.

After the hard down-shift I hit about 17mph and I feel a vibrating feeling coming from the car. It felt like you were in the left hand lane on the highway and starting swaying off the road and was running over those little indents on the side of the lane to make you aware that you that your leaving the lane. After I came to a complete stop the car stalls. I'm now really like what the f^&% is going on. The rest of the way home whenever i start stopping the car starts chugging like its ready to stall. Then it does stall when I do stop.

I didn't try driving it until today. It drove nice and smoothly until the car warmed up. When it warmed up it started the stalling again, BUT it has not been making that vibrating feeling.

I was going to change the trans but i don't have the extra money to change it if its not the problem.

Any help would be most grateful!

Thanks in advance,
David

Without checking it out, one cannot positively say it's the tranny but all of those symptoms indicate it very well could be. :crying: Often, the "chatter" that you get after the trans. oil gets warmed up is common when the TC is going bad.

Be advised, I'm not a mechanic but I've put over a million miles on all kinds of vehicles, so I'm speaking from experience knowledge, not training knowledge.

I cleaned out the EGR channels and that did not seem to work. The car still stalls but it seems to be a bit better. It fights it but still looses. I only suspected the tranny cause the vibrating was coming from the front of the car and its the original.

So any suggestions on what the stalling and vibrating could be besides the trans.

What it sounds like is the torque converter is going bad or parts inside the trans itself. I would have the trans fluid flush and put a bottle of Lucas into it... Ford torque converters and known to shudder. Especially with the miles you stated. I would start there. New Fluid with Lucas trans additive. Best way to go and cheapest.. BTW. dont tell the shop the problem, b/c they might not want to flush it then b/c of liability.

So don't change it flush it? If that don't solve it try changing the torque converter. I've been wanting to drain the trans and put new fluid in it but i have not been able to afford it until now.
if a shop flushes a trans and it messes it up, they are held responsible? Really...

To an extent. Just remember if they try to help you and you screw them, well, look at it this way, you have to look at yourself in the morning not them.. I would have them flush it, but dont drain the torque converter. They have a machine that will use the trans pump to remove and fill the trans as it runs in idle. Thats the safest way to flush the trans....


Bryan

I was just curious cause i had a trans flush done before and they messed up my trans. I didn't know they could be held responsible. Is a Flush better then just draining the fluid? Also could the PCV valve or Throttle Position Sensor be causing the car to stall? Also the throttle body linkage (that metal wire for the gas peddle) is loose. Isnt it supposed to be tight? Is that a possibility too? and if so how do i tighten it?

I was just curious cause i had a trans flush done before and they messed up my trans. I didn't know they could be held responsible. Is a Flush better then just draining the fluid? Also could the PCV valve or Throttle Position Sensor be causing the car to stall? Also the throttle body linkage (that metal wire for the gas peddle) is loose. Isnt it supposed to be tight? Is that a possibility too? and if so how do i tighten it?.



Doubt it would be the TPS or PCV. Cable should be tight yes, check to make sure the throttle return spring is pulling the linkage back to close...

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Doubt it would be the TPS or PCV. Cable should be tight yes, check to make sure the throttle return spring is pulling the linkage back to close...

I found a vacuum leak. I fixed it today and its still stalling when the car warms up. the throttle spring is pulling it closed. How do i tighten the lines cause they are both loose. I tried looking to see if i could figure it out but i did not succeed in tightening it.:banghead: any pictures would be helpful.

I found a vacuum leak. I fixed it today and its still stalling when the car warms up. the throttle spring is pulling it closed. How do i tighten the lines cause they are both loose. I tried looking to see if i could figure it out but i did not succeed in tightening it.:banghead: any pictures would be helpful.
I dont know if there is a way to tighten up the cable or not. did you find the PCV hose and where it goes?

yes i did and i fixed it. no more vacuum leak. but its still stalling.idk what it is.

Is the engine light on? If there is a Advance Auto Parts, they can scan the computer and tell you whats going on... Have you taken the snorkel off when you cleaned the EGR? The bottom of the snorkel is the half of the top of the intake. U have a little curvature back there with a gasket that separates the too. They get gummed up and if you don t clean them along with the EGR, then the problem will continue.....

B

I cleaned the EGR channels, not the EGR valve itself.
I'm getting the car hooked up to a computer later today and ill post the codes.
My advanced autoparts dont have OBD 1 :(

I got the codes. The codes are

P0122 TPS circuit low imput
P0401 EGR insufficient flow detected
P1401 i dont remember this one but its something to do with the DPFE what shouldi look into first about this.

So don't change it flush it? If that don't solve it try changing the torque converter. I've been wanting to drain the trans and put new fluid in it but i have not been able to afford it until now.
if a shop flushes a trans and it messes it up, they are held responsible? Really...

Whatever else you find wrong.. don't flush a trannie without some forethought.
If you look back at the posts from Stan and I (and some others) you see us saying many times, these cars require a trannie fluid flush every 30/40k miles.

However, if you wait too long (there's no exact number), I'll say 90k miles just for kicks... you flush away varnishes that the trannie learned to need, and it will fail. New trannie required.

Here's what you do when you're unsure... change the fluid in smaller quantities over a longer period of time.. say two quarts in January, another two in July, and so on. Leave old fluid in the torque converter. That may be the only thing you can do.. and even that might cause failure.

For good measure, also add two bottles (20 flOz) of Lubegard Red from Lubegard.com

Nobody will guaranty success on any trannie flush, in fact some places will make you sign a waiver negating them from failure responsibility.

Take care guys !

Wow, I didn't know that about the trans fluid. Listen to Steve, hes a good tech. The other code you got was this Differential Pressure Feedback EGR or DPFE Sensor low or insufficient flow. The TPS code is most likely due to the cars problem with the stalling. I wouldn't worry about that one to much. In a earlier post, I told you to remove the snorkel and clean underneath on the intake and clean the snorkel. That's probably the reason you have those codes, I had this trouble back in February, I replace the EGR, DPFE, and the Vacuum Solenoid. Along with a good scrubbing, that cleared the problem up. To bad you don't live in Vero, or I would do it for you...... There's also the metal pipe that the EGR valve screws onto, along with the hoses from the DPFE, that metal pipe was extremely clogged with carbon on mine. I had to use a pick set and a pipe brush to clean it all out..... Hope this helps....


Bryan

I don't know if these have a locking torque converter or not but this sounds exactly like problems I've had in the past with GM vehicles with high mileage. The car would drive normal until it got warm and then would chug and stall as the vehicle slowed or stopped. On a GM it's called a TCC or torque converter clutch and it locks the torque converter at higher speeds to increase fuel efficiency/gas mileage. I have in the past just unplugged a four prong plug from the front of the tranny to solve this problem. The converter then functions normally without engaging the solenoid that locks the TC. To me the car acted like a manual transmission would if you slowed or stopped without depressing the clutch, thus the chugging and stalling. I don't know if this applies to this vehicle but it may be worth a try. I would get an emission light but was able to reset it and pass emissions with the trans plugged and then I would unplug it for the rest of the year. :banghead:

Thanks alot for all the help you guys are wonderful. My cars running fine again and all i gotta do now is change the trans fluid and oil

I don't know if these have a locking torque converter or not but this sounds exactly like problems I've had in the past with GM vehicles with high mileage. The car would drive normal until it got warm and then would chug and stall as the vehicle slowed or stopped. On a GM it's called a TCC or torque converter clutch and it locks the torque converter at higher speeds to increase fuel efficiency/gas mileage. I have in the past just unplugged a four prong plug from the front of the tranny to solve this problem. The converter then functions normally without engaging the solenoid that locks the TC. To me the car acted like a manual transmission would if you slowed or stopped without depressing the clutch, thus the chugging and stalling. I don't know if this applies to this vehicle but it may be worth a try. I would get an emission light but was able to reset it and pass emissions with the trans plugged and then I would unplug it for the rest of the year. :banghead:

For me it was the IAC Valve and now the idling isnt fluctuating like it was or stalling.