Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting TRANSMISSION HELP

I am having a little trouble with the ATX in my '95 Contour SE. The last time I drove it, it acted fine, until I got back in the car and tried to drive it. When I put it in reverse to back up, nothing doing. Same for all the other gears. I can move the shifter, but the car just does not want to go in gear. I had someone check the fluid and he said it was low, so we added some but still nothing. There is no fluid leaking underneath the car and the car had been driving fine, it hesitated a little when it was cold but nothing that indicated the tranny was going. Does anyone know what might have caused this??

Thanks

Most of this from what I've read here:
Gear selection is totally electronic. The component most often at fault is the Transmission Range sensor. It is mounted on top of the transmission, right under the thermostat.
Unless the transmission fluid is at normal operating temperature, it will read low on the dip stick. The level has to be checked with the engine/transmission hot and idling in Park.

Gear Selection is NOT totally Electronic.

If you put it in 1, and it doesn't shift into 1, you may have had the Transaxle pump blow its gasket.
Shifting into 1 or 2 has a MANUAL counterpart that overrides the electronics.

Are you getting a flashing O/D light or a Check Engine light ?
Put it in gear, and let it sit for a few minutes, and see if the lights come on.

The poorest parts of our transaxle (CD4E) are the Valve Body, and the Pump.
The Valve Body is easily replaceable, because it doesn't contain any check balls.
The Pump requires disassembly of the transaxle.
Both require removal of the transaxle, which is a minimum of $500 labor.

The Valve Body does wear out prematurely, and the early CD4E Transaxles are known for blowing the Pump Gasket.

All of this info can be found at...

TransOnline

I showed this site to my Service Manger, and he can't believe
the amount of information that is here that even he WASN'T aware of.
He even wishes that FORD would post some of this stuff !

Replacing the Transmission Range (TR) Sensor on the transaxle,
will guarantee that you have all of your electronics in working order.
Also check the Harness Connector on top of the Transaxle, to the rear of the TR Sensor,
(You can see it if you remove the Air Filter box.)
and the harness to the Solenoids, which should be on the transaxle, right below your battery.

After you've done all of this, if it still doesn't respond,
depending on your mileage. you might need the solenoids and/or valve body,
or a total rebuild.
If you opt for the total rebuild, then get yourself a shift kit,
so your rebuild lasts that much longer !

thats where i am....wanting the shift kit but was quoted (through a friend asking at the shop he uses) $700 for labor...i dont remember if this included the kit itself...at some point either when i have the money or when my tranny goes out i'll get this done

You can get a new rebuilt trans for $850 that is dyno and pressure tested.

Bob

I had someone check my EEC, and it turns out that it showed a 93. With the symptoms that I described above, and the fact that it showed this code, does anyone know what the problem is?

Thanks

Any suggestions?

Thanks

I have had too much experience with transmission issues on my 96 contour se. At 97K miles the original Xmission started slipping in 1st gear during takeoff, then 3 miles further down the road it quit completely. The Dealer replaced it with a Ford Factory rebuilt for a Mear $3100.00. Then at 141K miles I had a different problem. The OD Light flashing and the car slamming into 2nd gear, followed by no reverse. This time I went to a transmission shop. They replaced the transmission with a Jasper rebuilt for a mere $2850.00. Oddly enough, that did not fix the flashing OD light problem. After replacing that xmission with another rebuilt the transmission shop gave up and sent the car to another shop. They found melted wires in the wiring harness near the starter. When I finally picked the car up (after 3 weeks in the shops), the oil pressure light was on and there was an engine knock. I foolishly drove the car (to get it away from these people) and only made it about 15 miles before the front cam froze up, causing head dammage. The car is still in the shop, but I probably will not be having it fixed. If you need a new transmission, I have one!

I still need to have it looked at by a "trained professional", but what area do you live in Hank in case I do need a new tranny?

Hank,

I hate to tell you this, but there is a recall for the underhood wiring harnesses.
You should have brought your car back to Ford.

Everything probably would have gotten fixed for a lot less, and your engine would have not gotten away with a knock in it.

Probably didn't need the third tranny either.