windstar tranny.no gears

[canttype]

2003 windstar 3.8l 222000kms. turned off hiway felt brief slipping sensation then no gears.no bang or grind or noise.van is in near perfect shape.TRS? towed it home yesterday.

[12Ounce]

With the engine idling and the tranny in P: carefully check the fluid level. IF the level is high by more than 1/2" or so ... my money is on a broken pump shaft. Been there, done that!

[canttype]

seems normal. could it be the TRS (neutral switch)

[12Ounce]

I cannot say, ... but worth a try I suppose.

[Ed_Strong]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx6gTl16SMI
Check this video out... it basically explains what 12Ounce was telling you with a simple easy test to diagnose the Torque Converter to Pump Shaft failure... hope it helps

[12Ounce]

That is a good video, but I don't know why he pulled to port plug to check flow. If the fluid level remains high as the engine idles ... that is sufficient! Nothing else is needed to prove the pump isn't working.

Also he did not mention that sometimes, its the pump-shaft itself that breaks ... and this is also quite common.

[canttype]

I'm convinced (not happy) headed for wrecking yard. If I get a used transmission can I check torque converter/pump shaft before installing? And if so, how difficult would that be?

[canttype]

origional tranny was smooth shifter,trouble free. could i just swap out pump shaft and tourqe converter? this is going to get expensive.

[Ed_Strong]

Originally Posted by 12Ounce

That is a good video, but I don't know why he pulled to port plug to check flow. If the fluid level remains high as the engine idles ... that is sufficient! Nothing else is needed to prove the pump isn't working.

Also he did not mention that sometimes, its the pump-shaft itself that breaks ... and this is also quite common.

I guess this test rules out an overfilled tranny and/or any other possibilities...! I know if it was me, I would want to make sure it is 100% Pump Shaft or Torque Converter busted before dropping time and money or attempting to fix the Shaft or TC when the problem turned out to be something else! It only takes minutes to do his test.

Originally Posted by canttype

I'm convinced (not happy) headed for wrecking yard. If I get a used transmission can I check torque converter/pump shaft before installing? And if so, how difficult would that be?

origional tranny was smooth shifter,trouble free. could i just swap out pump shaft and tourqe converter? this is going to get expensive.

I would not try to get a replacement from a junkyard that may be on its last leg and leave you stranded again! You also take a chance on the parts being also faulty like your originals. There are updated parts from Ford that address this issue, they're built stronger and with better materials/metal alloys!
But before attempting this, I would want to make sure the original tranny is sound and solid. If theres bits and pieces of metal flowing thru your old tranny you might just be throwing money away reviving your old tranny to no avail.
If youre doing the work yourself it might be a good way to save cash, but like I said its a chance your taking. If you're gonna pay a shop to drop and reinstall your tranny then might aswell get a tranny from for with a good warranty!

[canttype]

thanks
Ed. Iforgot about metal floating around the old tranny.wold a good flush solve this?
I have a good honest mechanic but he knows how to charge.need to think on this, make some calls.

[12Ounce]

My experience: My shaft broke at around 90k miles. Since the shaft broke cleanly, I was not concerned about metal debris ... just replaced the shaft (which you can do in-vehicle, the converter replacement would be more difficult/impossible in-vehicle.) and drained and refilled Mobil1.
.
This repaired tranny lasted until about 216k miles. At that point the tranny needed rebuilding totally ... I just replaced with Ford reman. This has lasted until current ... which is 410k miles ... (KNock on Wood!!) ... seems to be still OK.

[canttype]

I"ve got a 2002 windatar with only 120k. i am going to sacrifice it. It has some body damage and a few other problems.The one i am fixing is near perfect.thank you guys for all your help. Iwill let you know what the switch over costs me.

[Ed_Strong]

Like 12Ounce explained... If the Shaft broke off cleanly there should be nearly no concern about debris floating around!

But like the video explains, the other failure is the splines on the Torque Converter wearing off overtime untill they just shear off. So this failure would leave metal shavings particles and debris over a period of time before the failure occurs.

you'll need to figure out which failure you had happen to your tranny! Hopefully its the Shaft braking off cleanly. Still a tranny fluid flush is in order when repairs are performed!

Another thing to concider is the fact that your old Torque Converter could still give the ghost... especially after installing an updated Shaft which will withstand wear much better than the old one, just an FYI!

[tomj76]

The absolute test is to measure the pressure. There's a port (closed with a pipe fitting plug) on the top of the transmission for testing pressure.

Replace the pump shaft. Don't worry too much about the metal shavings. The worst case scenario is that something gets in the valve body and keeps a valve from moving. You can flush all the exposed channels with a cleaner before reassembly.

The job can be done in a day or two of DIY work.

FYI, be careful when putting the cover back on... the threads in the aluminium housing are easliy stripped by any imperfections and/or misalignment in the bolts. I had to put inserts into the threaded holes for about a dozen of the two pans (side and bottom) when I rebuild my transmission because of damage by bad bolts.

[canttype]

Tom, thanks for the info but this is over my head.The last tranny I did was a 1964
MGB circa 1974. I still fart around with the little stuff but thats it.I am lucky to have a good guy I trust to do the work. A lttle nervous about sticker shock but it has to be
done.