95 jerked foward and now won't go

[kylesmommy]

95, 3.8l, 201,000 miles. Had few problems in the year we have owned it. Yesterday I put it into drive and it jerked and lurched forward and then "slipped" into nuetral. It will only go in "2". Any ideas would be great. Thanks.

[CoachKarl]

Welcome KylesMommy,

We need more details.

Tell us exactly what happens in detail. . . as you go through R N D 2 1.

We can help.

Karl

[kylesmommy]

I put it in drive and it jerked forward about a foot and when I pressed the gas pedal it was like I was in nuetral. I put it in park then reverse, nothing. In drive It would not move. In "2" it will go but it does not shift, the faster you go the higher the rpms go. In "1" it would not move either.

Last night my dad bought a new transaxle range sensor and put that on, disconnected the battery and waited over night. He called this morning and said that did not make a difference. Then he disconnected something else in that area of the TRS and the van would go and shift in drive, "2", "1", but no reverse. We really have no idea.

Any help would be great and thanks for the welcome.

Katie

[joeuser742]

I remember hearing something about some tubes in the transmission coming off. If you drop the trans pan, you will see them. I think that Ford had some updated part for this. I'll look around for it and see if I can find it again. I think there is a TSB on it.

[kylesmommy]

I just talked to the former owner and he stated he replaced the trasmission and head gasket in 2001.

[joeuser742]

It's called a lube tube. If the transmission hasn't had the updated lube tubes, then that could be a place to start. These can be replaced by dropping the trans pan.

[CoachKarl]

Well,

We know you are the Web savy person here, and your Dad is the one with his head under the hood. Any chance your Dad could post? I want to know what "he disconnected something else" is exactly. That would be a great clue.

I've only experienced a problem similar to yours when my transmission was down 4 quarts due to a main seal rupture. Walked out one morning, threw the key, swung the lever from P to 1 with no reaction at all! Then I noticed the red puddle trickling down the driveway from behind my 73 Torino . . .

Karl

Oh yeah, and there was this incident that involved running over a tree stump at high speed too . . .

[kylesmommy]

This part is located near the TRS and has nine wires coming out of it. If we knew what it was, I would tell you! If you know, please let me know.

[comanche64]

Hello: This 2nd Gear mode is take car home .There is a input telling trans.
Limp home;Should you try to gain Hwy speed;you will over rev Eng.and Scorch Transmission.I would change Trans Fluid;look at fluid you remove;which will be about 6 Qts let it Idle and then drive test.
It holds about 11.
The person that you bought van from;If the car was overheated and
you stated Head gasket problem;will cause overtemp.
Then at that time;the Trans Fluid and filter should have been changed
at least twice;because it will overheat; Now you need to commicate with wswind And coach.Their Info is good. One computer (P.C.M.) Locationunder hood just behind top of strut on passenger side;You are in Diagnosis stage #1 stay there until you are sure of Remedy;Then Stage # 2 /Comanche
On 95 3.8 (C.C.R.M.) is also involved (Location Fwd of Battery and down .)

[kylesmommy]

Today I stopped at a shop that does diagnostics. I told him what happened, I asked him what the plug was. He said it tells the transmission what to do, but if we unplug it, it should do nothing. Since he doesnot deal with transmissions,he referred us to a different shop. Called them up, explained what happened and they answered--you need a new transmission. Is it normal to tell someone over the phone you need a new transmission for $1600, and NEVER even seen the vehical? Don't they diagnois the problem first? PLEASE SOMEONE HELP.

[wiswind]

I would try to find a GOOD shop.
That can be tough.
Ask around, from people you trust, who have older, well maintained vehicles.

A transmission diagnostic would be the first step.
The transmission is electronically controlled, and there should be codes stored for what the electronics are reporting.
It takes someone with experience and knowledge to make sense of the codes.

Changing the TRS, which you said you did, would have been my first step.
Giving the wiring harness a good look to see if it has rubbed against something, and become damaged is another thing to try. There are several TSB's (Technical Service Bulletins) out telling mechanics to check for several harness rub points, and I seam to remember seeing something about the transmission harness.
This would also be important in your case, as the transmission has been replaced, which would involve a bit of moving things around.

If you need a replacement tranny, get a quality unit, that has had the updates (improvements) done to it as this is VERY important for the '95 model year.

[LeSabre97mint]

I need to bud in here.....I have a 95 with just about 200,000 on the tranie. I'm the second owner. The first owner did regular fluid exchanges before every summer vac. After this...watch it go out tomorrow!

Regards

Dan

[CoachKarl]

Yes, I agree. At this point, you must find a reliable transmission shop. A new transmission for a 95 would exceed the price of buying another working 95 windstar (like mine). A good shop will realize this dilemma and steer you right. With any luck yours is still fixable.

The Transmission problems posted (and fixed) here involve
1. Replacing trans fluid every 60000 mi, and adding a transmission fluid cooler ($150) when you tow something . . . If you don't do it, you'll wind up stuck in second.
2. Low Fluid Level . . . on a 95, fill to just past full, with warm engine on. This fixes bucking from first to second gear.
3. VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) . . . CEL Code 134(?)) This fixes an engine that doesn't know when to upshift downshift.
4. TRS (Transmission Range Sensor) . . . your dad replaced it. This fixes all disagreement about where the shift lever says you, and where your transmission actually is.
5. Wiring harness issues, as Wiswind described.

Now, in the past, I've "unstuck" a transmission by mashing the accelerator to the floor long and hard (let go before 4500 RPM), but this was in the days before computers. If I found myself about to shell out for a new tranny, I just might try that. (Kind of a hail mary thing to do, but . . . for me . . . it worked once)

Karl

[save_me_jebus]

I have basically the same probelm :@. Except mine is in a 3.8 mustang.... Last night i was driving hom egoing up a hill, all of asudden it seemd as if the trans was slipping (like if a clutch was bad in a manual) and the revs went up and the car slowed to a stop, so i shifted through, p,r,n,d,1,2 nothin really happend i put it back in drive and gave it some gas hoping i could atleast make it somewhere i could pull over, finally it clunked, and i was able to take off so i limped it to a parking lot, got out and started hoofin it home . left my car at 1:30 in the morning..... got home at 4 so i took it to my uncles trans shop today , he told me what i figured, the trans is shot theres metal in the pan ( i have it off) its all sparkly.... My uncle said the about all i can do right now is 1) change tranny/rebuild oor replace the filter to try and bu y a bit more time.. but thats just a bandaid.

[kylesmommy]

Where is the shift modulator located?