new here and found this through my searching about tranny problems with the freestars.

so here is my problem

my wife was driving the other day and she said it felt like the van was dropping out of gear momentarily and then go back to normal. did this a couple times to her and then she came home and parked it. i drove it and couldnt get it to replicate the problem. however, after reading i checked the pcm per the tsb for water. no evidence of water intrusion. now i have the transmission pan off looking for any damage. the magnet looks normal to me and there are no shards of metal.

so what would you do in this case? would you replace the torque converter as a preventative (since this seems to be the high failure item in almost all transmission problems with these vans)

or would you just put a new filter on it, fill it back up and call it good?

keep in mind that i bought this used (with approx 36k miles on it) and do not know if the fluid has been changed or not.


thanks for the help

 

Since you already have the pan off By all means change the filter. You don't have to change the filter if you decide to replace the torque converter unless you find foreign material in the converter . Usually we try to do the easiest things first , then go to the more involved steps.

 

i understand, but if the converter lets go it will be a complete rebuild due to the debris correct? would you put a converter in there before that happened to try to save the money of the rebuild?

filter will definilty be replaced either way since its apart, i'm just thinking that if i put fresh fluid and filter in it and then the converter goes that there is $100 wasted.

 

I am not all that familiar with Freestar converter problems, however, if you are more comfortable with changing the converter why not just go ahead and change it?

 

just throwing ideas out there to see if anyone else that has experience with the issue has any input for me. also looking for feedback to see if there is something i am overlooking. by the sounds of it i'll probably put a converter in it for peace of mind since i can find no other fail items on these.

 

Just my thought and tid-bit...

You bought it used with about 36K miles on it. How many miles are on it now? Tranny fluid and filter are supposed to be replaced every 30K miles on these units. The reason for this, as I've mentioned in other posts is that the transmission is mated to a RWD engine being used in a FWD configuration. Due to the way the coolant flows in the RWD engine being used in a FWD configuration, the rear cylinders run hotter than normal causing the tranny fluid to be exposed to a higher than normal amount of heat for longer periods of time. This in turn reduces the life of the tranny fluid/additives. If you don't believe this, look at the pre-2008 Taurus/Siblings. The RWD 3.0 OHV Vulcan and Essex engines used in these requires the fluid/filter to be changed every 30K while the 3.0 DOHC Duratec engine (Designed for FWD use) has a 100K fluid/filter requirement.

It's possible you just had a couple of electronic burps with the tranny. Heck, it could have evenbeen and igniotion burp. I personally would change the filter, top the tranny with fluid, then spend the extra $ to have a shop perform a fluid exchange, NOT a FLUSH, an exchange. 100% new fluid in and the old fluid out. No pre-flushing with cleaners. Cleaners tend to kill trannies in short order due to loosing up crud that dislodges later (usually about 1K or so) and plugs the valve body causing oil starvation.

 

i do remember reading that in my searching, so in that case an axillary trans cooler would be highly beneficial correct?

 

about 48k on it now

an update of sort

i can get an upgraded custom converter for $125 and have it installed for $350, plus fluid and filter. worth it?

 

Dirty fluid can cause shift selenoids to "HANG" causing the issue you have described. Have you had any other issues since you first posted this? If not, I would go with a filter/fluid replacement first.

Opening up the tranny could actually cause you future and continuous issues. So, why create and open a can of worms when they may not exist?

In the end, it's your call.

 

it hasnt been drive since she had the issue. i just decided to install a converter to prevent any issues with it. if anyone else wants to install something other than the same stock junk you can get an upgraded converter from here Converters - Ford - AXOD/AX4N/AX4S - DirtyDog Performance (Powered by CubeCart)

hope this helps the next person.