2001 Taurus Wagon With Duratec, bogged out

[stepheva]

So, my wife called me at work today. Seems that my 01 Wagon with Duratec acted up for the first time in a long while. This is what she says;
She backed it out of the driveway, and it clunked something when shifting between gears. It felt like it stayed in 2nd when she was at a stop. As she continued to drive, the car felt as though it was losing power. She came to another stop, and then hit the accelerator, but it just puttered through the intersection. She left the car at the corner to get my daughter at school. When she came back, she started it up and it ran fine. There are no code lights, and I couldn't get it to duplicate it for me. Anyone have any idea what this could be? Tranny, electrical, vacuum???

[shorod]

Just because there are no code lights currently does not mean that there isn't a stored or pending code. I'd suggest you run by your local chain auto parts store and ask them if they will read the OBD-II codes at no cost. Most do.

If there are no powertrain codes, you may want to consider having a tranny shop check for drivetrain codes. The consumer scan tools do not have the capability to read the transmission codes.

My first items of suspect would be the vehicle speed sensor (VSS) and transmission range sensor (TRS).

-Rod