windstar transmission dead ?

[mgill]

My wife was driving home today I was at home and she was coming up the road 3 houses away then the transmission died. There is no reverse and no forward either. Apparently no noise preceeded the problem. There are no codes to be read, the oil is in range or a little on the high side. This transmission has worked fine for 220k km now. Could it be something as simple as a sensor ? Also I noticed that the overdrive light sometimes comes on for no apparent reason.Ths is a 98 windstar 3.8L

Mike

[12Ounce]

When the engine is running and tranny in park ... the level should be normal. If it is unusually high ... the tranny pump may not be priming itself ... maybe a broken pump shaft.

[PBZX3]

Transmission codes can not be read with the OBDII readers used by Auto parts stores. If the OD light has flashed, a code has probably been set. This needs to be read by a dealer or transmission shop.

[mgill]

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping for a quick check for something easy since the whole thing just instantly died, the van is reaching the point where it is not worth sinking a lot of cash into it. It is strange how the entire transmission will instantly shut down . This is not very good where I am - the nearest community from my town is a one hour drive and the nearest large city is a four hour drive , if this thing died on the highway here you are stuck ,there is nothing but forest for miles. Luckily it happened just up the road and I was able to push it home with the GMC.
Mike

[PBZX3]

Has this happeened more than once? Have you been able to drive the vehicle since you origanlly posted about this problem? If it's still dead I would have to agree with 12ounce that it sounds like a pump problem or possibly pressure regulator. Both problems would be internal which would mean taking it to a shop for a rebuild.

[MARZBX157]

Mine did exactly the same thing on 11/5/07 except I was able to drive the thing home in Neutral, had to pay for a rebuild. These vans are horrible and Ford has lost a customer, I don't care what there newer vehicles are like.

[mgill]

You drove home in neutral ? This is the first time this has occured and it is still in that state , I tried it today but no change. I do remember a trip maybe three weeks ago where we were cruising at highway speed for 2 hours or so and when I went to slow down at the end of the trip it didn't seem to want to downshift and as a result the engine nearly stalled. I have just driven it around town since and it has been trouble free until yesterday.
I was on a trip once in a friends 2000 windstar and on the highway the transmission gradually slipped over maybe .5 miles: first overdrive died then a few minutes later all forward gears and reverse were gone . I haven't been able to contact them yet to see the final diagnosis but they were luckily covered under waranty.
I actually like this van . It has been punished mercilessly driving some of the horrible logging roads around here with few complaints. I have had some of he usual windstar quirky problems but nothing too serious. I'm not sure I would get another though.

[PBZX3]

Originally Posted by MARZBX157

Mine did exactly the same thing on 11/5/07 except I was able to drive the thing home in Neutral, had to pay for a rebuild. These vans are horrible and Ford has lost a customer, I don't care what there newer vehicles are like.

I wouldn't call these vans horrible. I had a 94 Dodge and a 97 Dodge before the 2000 Windstar I currently own. This van has been less problematic than the one of the Dodges and the same as the other. The 94 had several electrical issues in it's early life. As the miles racked up, it started to have mechanical problems. The 97 was pretty good but its tranny went out at 104K miles so no different than the Ford. I would call the Windstar a typical US manufactured vehicle. Every manufacturer builds a certain number of inferior vehicles that tend to have more problems than the rest. It's kind of a "luck of the draw" thing. Just my $.02.

[C. Cleve]

Hi, ALL..signs point to a pump shaft stripped or the torque converter is stripped where the pump shaft slides into it...Good Luck, Clay...(retired ford trans tech)

[wiswind]

This is a repair that is best left to a mechanic (unless you are one).
Beyond a few 'simple' repairs like the TRS (Transmission Range Sensor, aka Neutral Safety switch) and fluid / filter changes, doing much more with the transmission is best done in a well equipted shop by a mechanic with the experience in such repairs.
There is no way that it is cost effective for the normal person to purchase the tools and test equiptment to properly service a transmission.

It may (or may not) cost more to resolve your problem, but the best solution is one where the repair is done, and you don't have to revisit the transaxle (aside from fluid changes) for some time into the future.

True, a lot of shops don't want to do much inside a transmission, other then replace the unit.
The reason for this is that, once they go inside and repair the problem, they basically own the unit in the mind of the customer, and if anything else in there fails, the customer expects it to be taken care of for free or very little money.
As the rest of the unit is old and has many miles on it, many shops just don't want to risk having angery customers, so they go for the remanufactured unit, with a waranty from the supplier.
A good remanufacterer has a facility that is set up to do a much more thorough job than can be done in the neighborhood shop, which is better than the average person can do on their back under the vehcle in the driveway.

If you end up replacing the unit, go with a reputable company like FORD or Jasper which have a 3 year / 75K mile waranty.....again, so you have a good unit....and don't have to revisit the issue in the near future.

[mgill]

Thanks Clay, looks like this is a job for the pros.
My Hanes manual only covers routine maintenance of the transaxle.