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Windstar Woes

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Banjo

Banjo

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So my wife calls me at work yestreday. Shes about 15 miles from home and the van (98 windstar automatic)is shifting by itsself, or just not shifting at all.
Oh man.
It's 500 mi. shy of 100k, I swear it's infested with Lucas gremlins (maybe from being parked in the vicinity of so many LBCs) and now it sounds like major trans issue.
If only I was done paying for it (another long story).
So I fret about it while she limps it to my work, where she proclaims "it's all yours" with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Later when I get a minute I take it for a drive. It's fine! for about 10 miles, then WHAAAAAAA! 2nd gear and thats where it stays! So I get it back to work and decide to hook up the scanner and look at the data list.
The range sensor (the thing that tells the computer what gear you have the tranny set to) is reading "reverse" when I have it in "park", "nutral" when I have it in "reverse" and so on. AHA! diagnosed! A quick trip to the Ford dealer to see my old friend and I have a new sensor in hand for $40.
Back to work, install it on lunch break today and, good as new.
PHEW! that was close! I was thinking I was gonna spend christmas$ on fixing a smoked tranny.
 
Thanks! If my '05 does that (in another 95,000 miles or so), I'll know what to look for!
 
Ben
We had exactly the same issue with our 99 Dodge Caravan, earlier this year... it would only shift between 1st and 2nd.. couldn't go more than about 20/30 miles an hour!

We were thinking tranny too.... especially given Chryslers reputation in that department!!!

Please, don't be so quick to blame the LBC's!!!!

RG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif
 
Fix Or Repair Daily, or it may be Found On Roadside Dead. SOrry Ben but I couldn't help but have a poke at ya.
 
Had the same problem with the Caddy at around 90,000km(55,000 miles?) It really had me scared for a while.

Zack
 
Had the same problem with my wife's old 95 Explorer after it went over 100K. In our case however the news wasn't so good. It turned out to be the transmission had completly lost second gear. Would rev up to redline and would stay there unless you let off the gas – only then would it up shift out of first into third & overdrive.

Ordered a new transmission on-line and installed it myself. Saved between $1500 and $2000. Turned around and sold it a month later for $5500. Funny how much a fully loaded XLT is worth with a working transmission vs. a bad one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Truth be told in the ten years we owned that vehicle that was the first time we ever had a problem with it.
 
When I had my Volvo 850 I learned that they were notorious for similar eletronic failures in the transmission. They have this thing called a PNP switch, which basically senses what gear the shifter is in and tells the transmission what to do. If that is broken or out of allignment the transmission will go into "limp home mode" and only use 3rd gear. Kinda scary when it happens, it's easy to mistake for something far worse, but it's a surprisingly cheap part and easy fix. Mine never went bad completely, but what happens is that over time the contacts in that switch can get some corrosion on them and short out, causing this same problem. The fix is to rapidly move the shifter throughout it's entire range of travel about 25 times (car off of course), which cleans the contacts. They called this a "ratchet cleaning" at the Volvo shops.
 
a little update.
I decided to pop the old sensor open and have a "looksee"
It diden't look too bad inside apart from the ounce or two of water! I'm not sure what seal on the sensor failed ,but that would definatly be the cause of the problem.
Oh well it's all fixed now.
 
And with your LBC/Lucas experience you could MacGyver it back together and have it as a shelf waster... OOOh! Start makin' "Fly by Wire" gremlins!! For the cynics among us who think computers should ~never~ be in fusion with automobiles...

Nevermind. I'll make my own.
 
No - topped off with fresh smoke.

Sorry wrong make, got confused for a minute...
 
I have something related to share on the topic of Automatic Transmissions.

In addition to an AH 3000 BJ-7, I own a 2002 Volvo S80 T-6 (twin turbo I-6) which is chipped and cam-timed to run ~300+hp. Comfort, safety, and stealthy performance aside, the model has known and documented automatic transmission foibles for the GearTronic unit. Starting from new, my car had various transmission problems which Volvo attempted to remedy with software updates.

Fast forward 3 years and 20,000 miles to present (today), Volvo has exhausted all their software fixes and now suspects the hardware. And since this is a “sealed unit”, Volvo has agreed to replace the transmission with a factory remanufactured unit rather than perform piecemeal repairs at the dealership. They made careful distinctions between “factory remanufactured” and rebuilt transmissions explaining that remanufactured units have new and possibly improved internals. It is also consistent with Volvo’s standard repair policy. Anyway, the repair, costing an estimated $5000, will be covered under factory warrantee.

Perhaps someone on this forum could educate me more on the finer details of remanufactured vs. rebuilt or has had a similar repair done to their Volvo. I would post this on a Volvo related forum; but the participants from the one I frequent, are less patient and understanding.

Care to share? Thanks in advance for your help. GONZO
 
Gonzo- this isn't exactly what you need in info, but I am on the 3rd auto tranny in my 03 V6 Accord...each replacement has been the factory reman unit, and from the whistling noise this one makes I may get #4. No doubt in my mind that the replaced units go back for a rebuild and back out to the next warranty claim.
 
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