97 Taurus Transmission/Overdrive problems

[Mal Mal]

My fiance owns a 97 Ford Taurus and has been encountering complications with his transmission. It started out as a hard thump when decellerating close to 20 MPH. It is slow taking off and rattles when excellerating. He has had transmission serviced and fixed for close to 2 days but back to its same sittuation. The service engine light comes and goes as well as the problem. His gear shifter read (P, R, N, OD (assuming overdrive) D, 1) He keeps it in OD and i asked him to take it down to D and it began to rattle more so as he began to take off. He put it back in OD and it got a bit more quiet but still runs cruddy. His RPM guage sticks when driving at 40 MPH And won't go up or down. I know there have been recalls for this model on transmissions, but the mechanics said they found only one problem with it, which was a pipe under the transmission that was no connected. After connecting it, it ran fabulous for maybe a week, now back again.... Please anyone, help. What gear should it be in and is it neccessary to change the Transmission filter as well as the transaxle fluid?

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Originally Posted by Mal Mal

the mechanics said they found only one problem with it, which was a pipe under the transmission that was no connected. After connecting it, it ran fabulous for maybe a week, now back again....

Do they have any warranty on their work? Bring it back and tell them to finish what they started. It should last longer than just a week. In the mean time I wouldn't be driving it. You could quickly go from an easy repair to one that cost thousands...

What gear should it be in

OD is fine. It's for saving gas.

is it neccessary to change the Transmission filter as well as the transaxle fluid?

We always do. It's not hard at all, it just very messy There are threads here which explain how to do it. If you plan on keeping the car we highly recommend using Mobil 1 tranny fluid (it cost a little more BUT you'll save gas and there's less wear and tear on the tranny) and make SURE that you're buying the correct grade of fluid to match the car.

[Mal Mal]

Thank you for your imput..We are returning it, but he has been to 3 mechanics that did a "temporary" fix..he hasn't had a tune up in a while, but it doesn't sound like it will make a difference in the transmission other than flushing the fluids.. but the mechanic said it wasn't necessary..is that true or should he get a tune up and have it all flushed out and change filters in the meantime? He has no choice but to drive it..there is no other means of transportation for him to and from work.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Originally Posted by Mal Mal

but the mechanic said it wasn't necessary..is that true

The mecanic said WHAT wasn't necessary? Flushing the tranny? Changing the filter? How many miles on the car?

He has no choice but to drive it

All I can tell you is that if he messes up the tranny more, then he'll learn rather quickly what his other choices are, as the car simply will not run and he'll be looking at a very big repair bill to boot If the tranny is acting up you simply don't play around with it. Find the problem and fix it as soon as possible or it WILL grow.

[Mal Mal]

ok thankyou...and yes the mechanice said it wasn't necessary to change fluids or filters..should we insist on doing it?..i don't know mileage and i will make him use my car...we know it shouldn't be driven. My fiance tells me he hasn't had a tune up or any other service work like so on his car in years other than an oil change.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

First I would find a new mechanic. Secondly yes, it is VERY important to change the fluid and change the filter BUT it all depends on the milage of the car. Check your owners manual, it will tell you when to do it. Judging from the year of the car I'd say it's about due, but the milage will be the best indicator. The car is over 10 years old so that fluid is probably fairly worthless at this point. As far as flushing goes, yes it's important, but not as important as getting in there and changing the fluid/filter. That's a must. If it has high milage then flushing would be much more of an issue. We'll know more when you let us know how many miles are on the car

[Mal Mal]

ok thanks, will update that as soon as possible.

[Mal Mal]

there are 123,000 miles on vehicle..does that help?

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Yes it does I looked around and found this for you. If you don't have the cars owners manual then you can download a copy by clicking here. I also made a maintenance chart for you which goes over all of the basic things. You can see it by clicking here. I would download a copy of it for your records as I may have to remove it from the server in the future. As you can see, the tranny fluid should have been replaced 4 times already by now. If its never been done, then that is why the tranny is acting up now. At this point I would have it flushed. Find yourself another mechanic (not the same one from before) and have them flush out the old fluid. Also replace the filter. Check with the Ford dealer also, as they may very well be competive with the price, plus they'll use the original filter. They won't use Mobil 1 fluid, but it will be much better than the fluid that's in there now.

[Mal Mal]

thankyou so much i will help him with it today and get this going for him...no one so far has made as much sense as you...i will do the reading up on the manual and tell my faince what you said..actually i will print it out i will post back in the future and let you know what happens.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Thanks for the compliment Keep in mind that replacing the fluid/filter may or may not fix the problem that you're having with the tranny, as damage may already have occurred, BUT it will guarantee that you won't do any further damage to the tranny, thus saving you lots of $$$. Let whomever works on it know the complete history of the tranny so they can keep an eye open for any possible damage. If you can't find a good mechanic then check with Sears, AAMCO, and/or a Ford dealership. Some places just 'clean' the old filter but I would insist on a new one. They don't cost that much, and you are assured that it's 100% right

[Mal Mal]

Just to update you i was informed that the vehicle was a 98 instead..i appologize for the incorrect information..the information on the charts you gave me: will they be any different for a 98? Or should i get new info instead?

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Originally Posted by Mal Mal

will they be any different for a 98?

Nope, it doesn't change until around the 2000 model year

[Huney1]

"First I would find a new mechanic." BADDA-BING! You better believe it! IMO, that mechanic leaves a lot to be desired. Ford sez change the tranny fluid and clean or replace the filter every 30K miles, but not many people do, then when they have tranny problems they wonder why. Insist they use Mercon V fluid, not Mercon or Mercon III. Mercon V is part synthetic and does a better job and YES you can use it in your 1998 Taurus. Mobil 1 is the best on the market 100% synthetic but a mite-bit expensive for most of us. I'd have it changed just to see if there is anything bad on the fluid filter and to change it you have to take the bottom pan off the tranny. If you see a lot of metal filings then you know you have BIG problems.

Pull the tranny dip stick and smell it and see if it smells burnt. Wipe it on a white paper towel and it should be nice and pink, not brownish indicating overheating or old worn out fluid badly in need of changing by flushing. Some claim Lucas additive is wonderful stuff and for $10. bucks it is certainly worth a try. After they flush the old fluid out put it in the new fluid. Easy to find at auto parts stores. http://www.lucasoil.com/testimonials/index.sd?catid=15

A 'flush' gets out all 16 QTS of tranny fluid and replaces it with new. A 'change' gets out about 6 qts so you want the flush job. You get a place that tells you a change is as good as a flush, find another place that will flush it. The Ford dealer here charges $100. which is about as cheap as you'll find a flush job. Check with your Ford dealer and INSIST they use Mercon V.

It really chaps by hiney cheeks when mechanics give people the run around like you folks got.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Originally Posted by Huney1

IMO, that mechanic leaves a lot to be desired.

LOL Yep! Mechanics like that give good mechanics a bad name.

Some claim Lucas additive is wonderful stuff

I'm about ready to add a tranny cooler and I might just try some Lucas out. Just hope that it doesn't mess up the Mobil 1