I have a 96 ford taurus. The transmission will not shift out of first gear. Please help. Previously the car had transmission fluid leaking i have tightened up the bolt on the pan and the leaking has stopped. i have filled up the the fluid to the proper level. The car now will not shift. When driving the car takes off fine when it is time to shift into second the rpms will shoot through the roof and not shift. please help.

 

this is bad...

Sounds like you lost your intermediate clutch pack. Drop the pan and look for clutch material in the pan. does the fluid smell nasty? If it smells burnt or fluid does NOT look like strawberry syrup....then you have issues. If there is material in the pan you are looking at an overhaul.

If no material in the pan...than there is hope. Perhaps the shift valve in the valve body may be sticking, allowing only partial application of the intermediate clutch. The second cause could be a bad seal or worn clutches in the intermediate clutch pack. This is allowing the clutch to slip. Both causes will result in the clutch to slip, generating excessive heat and burning the clutch material. You will need to have the transaxle overhauled to fix this problem.

These transmissions are junk. As a former transmission mechanic, I worked on AXODs all the time. Ford screwed the pooch designing these pieces of crap.

Wish I had better news...but I'm just being honest..

good luck.

 

the transmission was rebuilt about 2 yrs ago. i have a few other ideas too. do you think it could maybe be a speed sensor issue, or shift solenoid, or maybe even an electrical problem?

 

check your pm..

these are possible..if unlikely...

scan the vehicle for codes and see what you get...

if you dont have a scanner....buy a USB ODB-II interface for your laptop offa ebay (around 20-30 bucks) and download the free software to get your codes..

good luck