01 Windstar Trans Problem - Need Help !!!!

stuartnh · #1 02-01-2006, 10:03 PM

My wife just told me that she has no reverse or forward drive gears.
The car worked perfectly until it stopped working.
I then checked the fluid level and color, it seems nice and red and right on the mark. Does anyone have any idea what this could be???
If anyone has an answer or idea I would certainly appreciate it.

CoachKarl · #2 02-01-2006, 11:22 PM

Hello Stuartnh, we need more details. We need either you get in the car and find out how the shift lever behaves in detail, or have your wife post. We can help, but the question is too vague.

CoachKarl

stuartnh · #3 02-02-2006, 10:20 AM

No codes and no lights at all...

stuartnh · #4 02-02-2006, 10:24 AM

The shift lever feels the same. It does come out of park but that is it.
We have a driveway on a slight hill, in park the car will not move and in any gear the car will coast down the drive because of the hill.

dougand3 · #5 02-02-2006, 12:45 PM

Possibly the Transmission Range Sensor has fault. It sits on the top of the tranny and senses where you put the gear selector and tells the tranny. If you park on a hill alot and it is hard to move the gear selector - then the selector could be damaged and not sending the signal to the TRS.

LeSabre97mint · #6 02-02-2006, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuartnh

My wife just told me that she has no reverse or forward drive gears.
The car worked perfectly until it stopped working.
I then checked the fluid level and color, it seems nice and red and right on the mark. Does anyone have any idea what this could be???
If anyone has an answer or idea I would certainly appreciate it.

Hello

The Transmission Range Sensor located on top of the trannie may be bad. It tells the trannie where the shift lever is put. I bet Westwin will chime in with this.

Here is part of one of Wiswin posts:
"One not so expensive common failure is the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS).....which sits on top of the transmission. The cable from the shifter connects to it.....and it senses what position that the gear selector is in. There are a lot of contacts inside the TRS....and any one of them can become worn. They do not have to tear apart the transmission to replace it."

Regards

Dan

stuartnh · #7 02-02-2006, 02:37 PM

Now it's making some whinning noise when the motor is running.

wiswind · #8 02-02-2006, 05:48 PM

There are other, more expensive things that can be bad.
The TRS can be gotten someplace around $30 (US) and changed right where it sits, without opening the transmission.
As it is often the cause of the problem.....cheap and easy.....that is a great place to start.

If it is inside the transmission, more cost is involved (including a tow bill).
Once you start paying for work inside the transmission, you have to look at the cost for the repair, and normally, the shop will cover the repair that they did....but not if something else fails the next day or week.
I had a possible repair bill on my old transmission of $900, and decided to go with a rebuilt unit from FORD for about $2800.
These are choices that we have to make for ourselves.....looking at the age, mileage, and how long we plan to keep the vehicle.
I would steer away from a cheap transmission replacement. When mine went bad....I did some searching on the internet and found lots of complaints posted by people who had spent $1600 for a cheaper unit....and were back with a failed unit and very unhappy.
As I was planning to keep the car.....I bit the bullet and paid for what seemed like a good unit.

road_rascal · #9 02-02-2006, 06:37 PM

I have yet to have problems with the tranny in my '01 Windstar (knock on wood, only 64,000 miles, but I do yearly fluid exchanges). So here's a question for those who have put rebuilt units in there Windstars: besides Ford, who's a reputable company to go with for a transmission rebuild or exchanges? The last time I had to have a trans rebuilt was in a 1990 Dodge with the troublesome A604 and had Kennedy Transmission and Brake do it (a well know name in Minnesota, N and S Dakota). I think they did a good job but I got rid of the car three years later (it was still shifting great).

wiswind · #10 02-02-2006, 06:47 PM

I have not dealt with these folks....but they are a national company.
They have a link that will list installers in your area.
They are not cheap...but have a 3 year 75K mile warranty.
http://www.jasperengines.com/

CoachKarl · #11 02-02-2006, 10:56 PM

Woah, fellas. Replace the TSR. Stuartnh, how did the last ride [i]to the driveway[i]go? What where the symptoms that day?

Karl

12Ounce · #12 02-03-2006, 08:44 PM

stuartnh,

You may want to try the following test:
1. With engine off, check the tranny fluid level.
2. With engine running, tranny in P, check the tranny fluid level.

The level should drop (in 2) by an inch or more. If not, the pump may not be working ... perhaps a broken shaft.

stuartnh · #13 02-03-2006, 09:41 PM

I had this towed to a shop yesterday and the mechanic removed the oil pan and found a normal amount of metal (very little) in the pan. He then put his gauge on to check the pump. The pressure was point 1 and I was told it should be 65 pounds cold 45 pounds warm and I only have 1 tenth of one pound. He said that the trans I have is not the normal one in this year and that I have the model (I can’t remember) that is worst trans they used in this van. He is pulling the valve body out Monday and is going to check to see if the pump shaft is busted. He said if that is what is needed it could be a $100 part plus labor. Does this all sound correct? He found a used trans with 65K mikes and will use it as a backup if the trans is a real mess when he gets into it and that one would cost $1900 installed if we have to go that route. Do this all sound correct?

wiswind · #14 02-04-2006, 10:58 AM

The pump shaft sounds reasonable.....he is correct that they can break from what I have read.
Still worth the fix.

Cannot comment on the used tranny....like a used car.....could be in good shape....or not.
I am sure that the fluid will be changed with the repair...

If you drop a used transmission in, I would also make sure that the fluid gets changed, which they most likely would do anyhow, but worth asking to be sure.

I updated my ealier post with the link to Jasper to answer the question about a source other than FORD for transmissions.

stuartnh · #15 02-05-2006, 10:13 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I am waiting to see how it goes at the shop now.

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