97 escort wagon strange trans issue

[97wagonlx]

ok i just got this car it has only 71k miles on it it is an automatic it shift very odd shifts fine from first to second but kinda lags a little then from second to third it kinda drags feels like it has a slight slip and then shifts and then the third to fourth gear shifts normal i put in a half a bottle of luca's transmission fix and it seemed to have no affect on it so what imput do you have for me??

[Davescort97]

Just normal wear and tear on a tranny with that many miles. The soft shift or slippage from 2 to 3 could be from low ATF fluid, 2 to 3 accumulator piston could be sticking a little bit, clutch pack discs could be worn on 3rd gear clutch, band is worn or in need of adjustment or you have a servo that is wearing out. Another cause could be ATF fluid is extremely dirty or burnt.
However, if the fluid and filter have never been changed it wouldn't be a good idea to start now. All that stuff in your fluid may be the only thing that is making the transmission work at all. Hard shifts are from worn clutch discs. Slippage is from a lot of gunk in your system. If you do change the fluid expect firmer shifts once you get all that foreign material out of the system.

[97wagonlx]

thats the odd thing about it the trans fluid it is not bright red but far from burnt (brown) it is somewhere in the middle , is it characteristic of these tranny's to die with only 71k on them?

[Rickottman]

my trans did at 68 k i have a mazda in it and i have 176k on it now

[denisond3]

If your Escort transmission is the same as the 4EAT that is in our 92 Escort, it does a lot of shifting into 4th at fairly low engine speeds. Our EScort was used originally by a sister-in-law on a 30 highway miles commute, and died at 192,000 miles. I suspect that if she had only a 10 miles commute it might have gone out @ 65,000. I rebuilt the tranny, and everything in it looked good - but the new parts included a longer spring for the tranny fluid pump and a new relief valve plunger. The tranny kit had a note about low oil pressure at low rpms being a known problem, and the new spring and plunger were to fix that.
Now I keep the shift lever in D when driving around town (which keeps the tranny from shifting into 4th), instead of putting it into OD (overdrive) -- the position closest to Neutral. It keeps the keeps the rpms up a little, and eliminates a good bit of extra shifting. I move it up to the OD when I get onto a limited access highway and will be going faster than 50 mph.
If your tranny fluid isnt that nice red, I would still do the regular filter/gasket change, though its a nuisance to do because its hard to reach the many pan bolts. And I would advise buying the new oil pressure relief spring and plunger. The parts come together and cost about $20. They can be installed from the outside of the transmission, at the bottom of the side closest to the drivers side tire. Its behind a large hex plug at the edge of the oil pump casting. At least thats how it is on my 92, with that 4EAT.

P.S. Mine will slip on the 2-3 shift infrequently. Its a very noticable slip - going into neutral seemingly, then into 3rd. I dont know why, nor care much, since it happens seldom. I rebuilt it myself, so cant complain to anyone.

[97wagonlx]

Originally Posted by denisond3

If your Escort transmission is the same as the 4EAT that is in our 92 Escort, it does a lot of shifting into 4th at fairly low engine speeds. Our EScort was used originally by a sister-in-law on a 30 highway miles commute, and died at 192,000 miles. I suspect that if she had only a 10 miles commute it might have gone out @ 65,000. I rebuilt the tranny, and everything in it looked good - but the new parts included a longer spring for the tranny fluid pump and a new relief valve plunger. The tranny kit had a note about low oil pressure at low rpms being a known problem, and the new spring and plunger were to fix that.
Now I keep the shift lever in D when driving around town (which keeps the tranny from shifting into 4th), instead of putting it into OD (overdrive) -- the position closest to Neutral. It keeps the keeps the rpms up a little, and eliminates a good bit of extra shifting. I move it up to the OD when I get onto a limited access highway and will be going faster than 50 mph.
If your tranny fluid isnt that nice red, I would still do the regular filter/gasket change, though its a nuisance to do because its hard to reach the many pan bolts. And I would advise buying the new oil pressure relief spring and plunger. The parts come together and cost about $20. They can be installed from the outside of the transmission, at the bottom of the side closest to the drivers side tire. Its behind a large hex plug at the edge of the oil pump casting. At least thats how it is on my 92, with that 4EAT.

P.S. Mine will slip on the 2-3 shift infrequently. Its a very noticable slip - going into neutral seemingly, then into 3rd. I dont know why, nor care much, since it happens seldom. I rebuilt it myself, so cant complain to anyone.

that is the same thing mine does with the 2nd to 3rd shift but my car does it a little more frequently whice is why i am a little worried about it but other wise it is a great little car runs very well