Escort Shift problem when cold

[Adam604]

Hi Folks,

We have a 2000 Escort Auto trans that has a shift problem.

80k miles Auto trans fluid level checked OK when hot. Normal red color, no burnt smell. Trans fluid is changed at regular intervals.

No check engine light, no codes found.

Problem:
When the car is cold and when driving for the first mile or so it will stutter shift in-out of 1st-2nd gear quickly for moment (2-3 stutters) when pulling away from a stop. After that 1st mile of driving the problem goes away and it shifts as normal. This happens every morning and evening on the drive to and from work. It only does it 1 or 2 times per trip (one or two stops in the first mile or so). This is a new issue.

A ongoing trans issue is that when starting to drive when cold, backing out of the driveway, when shifting to drive from a stop the front tires chirp. It does not seem to shift "hard" just a little chirp as it goes into gear. It does not do this when the car is warmed up after driving a few miles.

Thanks in Advance,
Adam

[GTS 2.4]

It sounds like your transmission just needs to warm up. Is your car stored outside or in a garage? Id get a small heater for your engine block it will keep that from happening.

[danielsatur]

Was the car idle, normal operating temp, and in the parked pos when you checked the ATF?

[AutomediaJoe]

Id second that. It sounds like your transmission is just cold. It sounds like it gets pretty cold where you are so Id recommend not putting on the parking brake when you park. Put the car in park and curb your wheels instead. the calipers and actually freeze to the calipers and the only way to get them apart is to either heat them up to above freezing or to try and move the car to break the bond. Moving the car is dangerous because it can break ther calipers if they are stuck to tightly.

[Adam604]

When I checked the Trans fluid, the engine was warm after driving about 20 miles. The trans was shifted by hand with the engine running shifting into each gear then into park. The fluid level was then measured with the dipstick with the engine running and in park on level ground.

Fluid level Hot OK, color Red, no burnt smell, no froth or water seen or felt.

As to overnight temps, it is not even freezing here in Washington state, overnight temps are in the upper to mid 30's. When we leave from work the temps are in the mid 40's. It's not that cold.

Thanks for your replies,

Adam604

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Adam604

When I checked the Trans fluid, the engine was warm after driving about 20 miles. The trans was shifted by hand with the engine running shifting into each gear then into park. The fluid level was then measured with the dipstick with the engine running and in park on level ground.

Fluid level Hot OK, color Red, no burnt smell, no froth or water seen or felt.

As to overnight temps, it is not even freezing here in Washington state, overnight temps are in the upper to mid 30's. When we leave from work the temps are in the mid 40's. It's not that cold.

Thanks for your replies,

Adam604

when is the last time you changed tranny filter or did i miss that and you did?