Ford escort transmission problems

[Benl487]

My ford escort is having occasional problems and i cannot decide weather it is because of the transmission or not. Every once in a while it will downshift from 5th to 4th when im cruisin down the road and wont go back up. When i slow down and start to accelerate again it slams into second and third gear. Can anyone tell me if this is electrical or a transmission problem?

[vibert]

Originally Posted by Benl487

My ford escort is having occasional problems and i cannot decide weather it is because of the transmission or not. Every once in a while it will downshift from 5th to 4th when im cruisin down the road and wont go back up. When i slow down and start to accelerate again it slams into second and third gear. Can anyone tell me if this is electrical or a transmission problem?

I have a 97 escort automatic with similar symptoms. I think it may be the temprature sensor in the transmission is sending information back to the computer to say that the fluid is cold. This causes the computer to shift gears more harshly to compensate for cold, thick fluid and to delay engagement of overdrive lockup (5th?). The end result is harsh shifts once the engine and tranny are warmed up. The tranmission fluid temperature sensor is located in the transmission solenoid. I am going to call ford tomorrow for the price of the part.