1998 Escort - Shifting Hard...Help!!

[welderguy]

I have a 1998 Escort with 25000 miles on it. 2 days ago, it started shifting hard from 1 - 2. (It's an automatic). It is less hard on the other gears but still more than before. I immediatly took it in and had the tranny flushed and filter changed, it was somewhat discolored but not bad. It didn't really help at all. It came up very suddenly. It still goes through the gears and there is no other problem with the shifting other than it feels like i have a shift kit installed. The other thing is it seems to idle about 100 rpm low at redlights....just to the point is wants to vibrate mildly. Any ideas???!??!?!?! Help!

Mitch

[b18lsvtec]

Try getting a cleaner gasoline and pop your hood. Rev your car up and down a little in neutral or park and play with your tach for awhile. Get the revs up and down. Just toy around for awhile. GL!

[ZX2000]

Originally Posted by b18lsvtec

Try getting a cleaner gasoline and pop your hood. Rev your car up and down a little in neutral or park and play with your tach for awhile. Get the revs up and down. Just toy around for awhile. GL!

are you a dumbfuck or what........ GO DRIVE YOUR FUCKING HONDA AND LEAVE US SMARTER PEOPLE ALONE..... jesus......

sorry, had to put that queer in his place..... have you put it on a diagnostic at the dealership? what did they say? sounds electronic to me......

and whats your tranny code? finding that out would be good and then do a google search for the tranny code and see if there were any recalls or if anyone else has had the same problem..... let me know what happens.

[hairbandmanx]

My wife has a 1997 Mercury Tracer (same car as an Escort) and I can't figure out why the tranny shifts so hard from 1-2. I know that transmission shifts a bit faster than some but it is so jerky compared to what it used to be. I was recommended to either take it in to a garage and have them start looking for things or to use a Trans-X transmission fluid additive. Anyone have any ideas on this? Could it also be electronic? A little help here, I'm getting annoyed. Thanx all.

[zx2srdotnet]

i believe the atx Zx2 and escort ar teh same tranny if so you might be that you forward clutch need replacing mine did on my old atx zx2 and it only had 20k on it

[cogsncogs]

@ welderguy

Does your Escort have a sun or moon roof? If not check the fuse that's marked for that. It goes to the CCOD (computer controlled over-drive), at least it does on my 98 Escort! One day a few years back I was installing a CD changer and since I needed two different voltage sources, one always on for mem backup, one for main power acc. sw. and forgot to reinstall that fuse (I thought I don't have a sun roof or whatever!) and I had basically the same symptoms. Hard shifting and IIRC no OD or it was late, and slow/rough idle.
Hope this helps you out!

Cheers
Wayne

BTW a 98 Escort with only 25,000 on it? 66,000 on mine. I bet it was driven by some little old lady only on Sunday's

[cogsncogs]

Maybe a little OT but still relevant.

You can't always trust those fuse box diagrams! On my father's brand new 97 Nissan 4WD pick'em up a couple of weeks after he bought it, the air conditioner quit. So I took the keys and went out to the new truck and fired it up, no AC. So since I smoke (bad habit) went to use the lighter, nothing! Checked the lighter fuse; blown! Replaced fuse. Now got AC! Plugged in lighter, pop! NO AC, NO lighter! And I don't mean the blower fan, the compressor would not turn on! Replaced fuse again and all was well again. Instructed my Dad not to use the lighter while the AC was on. Boy was he peeeoooed!

Greets
Wayne

[yotatechie04]

It does sound like an electronic problem to me...I recommend getting it checked out, either by a dealer or a certified repair shop. I don't really think it's a mechanical problem since it's been stated that the fluid and filter had been changed and still made no difference.