Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Transmission

Okay fellas, here's an interesting one. Just got a 98 Contour SE. Knew it had trans problem. Symptoms: NO BANG SHIFT--just a long wind up and then when letting foot off gas, seems to skip over 2nd and into 3rd (AT FIRST ). 2nd gear IS in there somewhere because when coasting if I move the selector from "D" to "2" I can feel it catch but if i apply throttle I get just a little jerk and then it seems as if I'm in neutral.
THEN HOWEVER when the OD light starts flashing ??? (in a relatively short period of driving) it seems to shift much more smoothly with much less wind up out of first, and it may even be going into 2nd (its so smooth i'm not sure)

Performed the "big 3". Fluid change 4X (it was so dark i thought i was changing motor oil)(but it didn't smell burned???) TSS - got away lucky with only 2.5-3hrs, and MPLS. No jumping or malfunctioning speedo. So I thought, okay, going to Autozone even though "check engine" is NOT on, gonnna find a litany of codes with things burned out, slipping, and not pumping. NO CODES-----"PASS" NOW WHADDAYA MAKE OF THAT???

If the fluid was that dark brown, maybe there is slippage of clutches or bands inside. Maybe a trans expert will read this today..

I had similar problems earlier in the year but my car would violently jerk around on the highway looking for gears. shop couldnt figure it out so after researching on this forum i picked up the new transmission sensor and it was fine,

bad thing was my steering rack went at the same time probably because I was 2 hours away one time when it started and it jerked alot

wonder if this could be in the solenoid pack?

Did you try some Lucas transmission fix with your fluid change? It is amazing what this stuff does. It is like the Seafom of transmissions.

The dark color of the fluid would indicate lots of clutch and band friction material in the fluid. The inability of the transmission to shift out of 1st gear without "letting up on the throttle" would indicate a 1-2 clutch band issue. I'd try the Lucas stuff before spending more money and time on it. The bottle says use 12oz for smaller cars and two bottles for bigger cars. I use about 20oz in the transmission and 4oz in the power sterring system (which you should also flush out).

Hope this helps.

Welcome DanShell. Drive it for another day or so and then send it to Autozone or Advance to scan the PCM and post the codes.

When I got my car, exact same as yours, I had the same problems when I bought it.

My car runs smooth now. Pretty much one thing led to another, and it had to be fixed.

The trigger: the VSS (vehicle speed sensor). It crapped out, leaving my speedometer at 0. I came here, and I found the prob. Fixed it, replaced the ATF, but I found that it was still shifting bad, and it wouldn't go into OD.

I was told to check the TSS (turbine speed sensor, torque converter, I believe). The sensor was disconnected, so I reconnedted it, and it works flawlessly. The car drives better than it did going off the lot!

BTW, I also did the headlight fix, and it's coming out nicely. I can actually SEE at night.

Now, back to your problem. I would check the ATF. If it's not red, replace it (mine was brown, cooked immaculate). And it might be low when you check it. Fill it to the normal level. It'll help a lot. I assume your speedometer is working, so no need to worry about the VSS (but if it does go, you'll know what it is).

Double check the TSS. You can easily check this by turning the steering wheel all the way to the left, and looking into the driver-side front wheel well. You'll easily make it out. MAKE SURE IT IS CONNECTED. We disconnected it when looking for and replacing the VSS (hey, curiosity killed the Contour).

If none of that helps, then it may be something more. Still check for codes again.

Thanks Tony: Driven it every day. NO CODES. Disconnected the TSS and drove it to see what the difference would be. Car drives the SAME except O/D light didn't flash, check engine light came on: Code was for TSS (because I disconnected it). That was the only code. This is a strange one. I believe the TSS and MPLS were okay all along although they needed changed to be ruled out.
I wonder if I need to adjust and rotate the MPLS, although it looks positioned exactly like the one in a photo how-to here. That 2nd gear IS in there as I previously wrote--when coasting, if I move the selector from "D" to "2", it certainly grabs (and nicely) but upon acceleration just seems to go to neutral (or COMPLETELY slip). DID TRY THE 'LUCAS', USE IT ALL THE TIME. What does it mean when the O/D light flashes?

When the OD light is flashing this is a warning code as well.
The transmission is in "limp home mode" because the PCM is sensing a major malfunction.
Get the other codes checked as well.
Get the trans flushed if there are no codes to worry you.
Use the Lucas oil-great stuff.
Put a trans cooler on it. The CD4E runs hot!

Any ideas Tony?