I am in need of that “little logic” again friend.
Got a call last night from a good friend of mine, he is a mechanic so I trust what he is telling me to be fact. He said he was just backing out of the driveway and suddenly no movement, only a whining noise from the transmission. When I asked him what he was driving I almost hung-up. He bought a 99 Ford Taurus that needed a head gasket so got a great deal. As you know this is my nightmare trans.

I went over and looked at what was going on, the whining is coming from the pump area, no other noises, and pressure is 12psi in any gear. It is either the AX4S or AX4N to dark to tell. He knows transmissions are only a hobby to me and he is well aware of my feelings for this %@* thing, but insists I help him with it.
Please tell me it is the EPC solenoid, this would be a quick fix and I can get away from it LOL.
Correct me if I am wrong…
No rattle means the chain is intact. No grinding or clunking means the OD pack and final drive are intact. So my concern would be the EPC, pump/torque converter, and half shaft right?

Anyway, going to take a page from the book of Hanky and look at the simple stuff first, insure the filter did not fall into the pan (not likely if the right one is used) and insure coolant lines are not clogged. Any insight anyone can offer would be a great help. Thanks.

 

Another page from the book of Hanky, There are several things that contribute to the correct functioning if the EPC solenoid.
At this point the next paragraph says,"Get an experts point of view as soon as greasemark signs in".

 

Yea, that was the first page I thought of LOL. Filter did not fall and lines are clear. Electrical connections check out, and no blown fuses (it was a reach anyway)

 

Have you been able to get any codes from the PCM ?

 

No, no codes at all.

 

I know this may sound like a dumb question. Is the torque converter still bolted to the flywheel?

 

Not a dumb question at all, but unfortunately yes it is. I only checked because I was hoping it was bound somehow like it had jumped out one gear set.

 

To Richard7425 or hanky, I have a 96 Taurus. I too, got a "GOOD DEAL" on it. It needed a transmission when i bought it. But it came with a used one. (AX4N) So i installed the used tranny and it ran o. k. for about 2 wks. Then while making a right turn it felt like it went into neutral. I coasted to a stop. I had to pull it home and haven't been able to get it to move since. The fluid level is 6ins. high on the dipstick. Now the previous tranny did the very same thing i was told. My question is could my problem be the computer as well as the torque converter or pump in the transmission. Any thoughts and help would be appreciated. I have found another tranny but I'm afraid to put it in until i find out what's going on. Thanks glassman12379

 

You know, these really were just a crappy tranny that I really had NO love of rebuilding. If you think the computer system has something amiss, disconnect the bulkhead connector. This trans should always have 2nd gear and reverse. These are hydraulically controlled, so if it doesn't move after disconnection, there is an internal trans problem.
I will say this: this was about a 50-60,000 mile trans from the factory. Sure, I've seen them go further then that, but that was with (usually) a lot of love and no power downshifting.
It's interesting that everyone in the outside world other then Ford fixed the biggest problem with these which was the forward clutch piston by about 1989 or so. Ford went on with the cracking aluminum forward clutch piston till about when they went away with them. The cracking forward clutch piston also explains why these would 'neutral out' and sometimes come back and slam into gear when taking off, a condition that wouldn't last long with this tranny.
One old maxum that I've leared the hard way: when I buy a used tranny, I usually rebuild it to prevent problems. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it sure beats the hell out of pulling it again and having to reinstall it again. It always hurts worse the second time.

 

greasemark, Thanks for your reply. I disconnected the bulkhead connector and I have no movement at all. So I'm guessing it's an internal problem as you stated. No reverse and no 2nd gear. Now i have the pan off and there are shavings everywhere. Does this sound like the forward clutch piston is the problem? if so how do i go about repairing it? Can it be fixed while it's in the car. Do i have to rebuild the whole tranny? I have limited funds and need to get it fixed as cheap as possible. Would appreiciate your input on this. Thanks glassman12379