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Contour bucks into second gear

M

mott441

New CEG'er
Joined
Jul 6, 2005
Messages
9
This past Firday when I was in heavy traffic, my car kept bucking whenever the car shifted into second gear. My tranny fluid was a bit low, so I added some. My father who's a mechanic(from the old school) seems to think it is the gas that I am using and not the tranny. What do you think? Driving into work this morning the car drove fine, though I haven't changed the gas. Maybe there was gunk in the fuel lines last Friday? What do you think?
 
I find the upshift can be "firm" into 2nd, but mainly just starting out, not hot traffic condition. Did the O/D light flash? Will help to do a full fluid change (Mobil 1 ATF is better for heat) and possibly change the Turbine Speed Sensor (caution: hard to remove if you live in salty wet winter road area) located in the driver side wheel well on the side of the trans. See your Ford dealer or teamfordparts.com.
 
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You might be experiencing the common "1-2 bang shift". Usually, a new TSS will solve that problem provided the internal wear in the tranny is not too much. However, if you're experiencing harsh shifting on any more shifts other than the 1-2 upshift, you have a different issue.

Your dad might not be overly familiar with electronically controlled transmissions. It's pretty unlikely that your shift feel is related to any fuel-related concern.

Steve
 
Gotta assume you have a auto tranny & a V-6. Gotta give us all the info, dude.

The trans will shift HARD if you overheat the fluid. If you were low, that is likely what happened. Perform a couple of drain & fill sessons over the next few weekends to clean up the fluid & add a tranny cooler to prevent future problems. Dad the old school mechanic should be able to help you with this relatively easy task. Get a stacked plate cooler for best cooling. The tube & fin designs are far less efficient, but they are much cheaper and seem to do the job in most cases. The tube & fin is also pretty tough if you encounter dirt/gravel roads from time to time.

The auto trans also has a condition known as a 'bang shift'. It has to do with a combination of the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve not closing properly and possibly a weak signal from the Turbine Speed Sensor (TSS). Usually easy & cheap to resolve. All it took for my Mystique was the Throttle Hang (TH) fix. Costs pennies & relatively easy. If the condition persists after the TH fix, then get a new TSS and replace it. Takes 5 minutes if you can squeeze past the driver wheel, a little longer but easier if you have to take the wheel off. Cost about $20.

Good luck, and welcome back to the boards!
 
problem locating part

problem locating part

I tried several ford auto parts websites and none of them list the "TSS" or the "TH." Could it possibly be under a different name?
 
TSS replaced but problem still persists.

TSS replaced but problem still persists.

OK- I replaced TSS and the problem still persists. My next step is to replace the Throttle Hang "TH." Can you give a little bit more info on this part and what it does?
 
mott441 said:
OK- I replaced TSS and the problem still persists. My next step is to replace the Throttle Hang "TH." Can you give a little bit more info on this part and what it does?
Click to expand...

The throttle hang is not a part, but rather a fix -- designed to elimate throttle hang. Searching for "Throttle hang fix" should turn up several mentions of it.
 
computer scanner

computer scanner

Since the engine light is on, I borrowed a scanner from a friend and this is what it displayed:
Code PO708, High Input Range Sensor Circuit; Code PO420 Cataylst Effieciency Below Theshold.

This is all greek to me. Please Help.
 
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Mission accomplished!

Mission accomplished!

Made the repair to the MLPS this past weekend and now the car runs perfect! Thanks for all of the input.
 
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