Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Tranny problems?? Something else??

I do not believe all trans shops are crooks. Typically a few bad apples have put a taint on the industry.B&N Transmission in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is owned and operated by one of the nicest families that I can think of and have tech's who are very knowledgeable and very competent.
Is not the CD4E a Mazda design.. made in the USA by Ford?Doesn't matter anyway, there are problems with it, so, I would assume hopefully the engineers have improved its durability.
The Taurus AXOD was, I believe a GM design used/abused by Ford.Piece of crap until the internal plumbing was augmented.

In the whose transmission is it anyways? game, this is what I found:
http://www.dustbury.com/626/trans.html
"1994-2002:
The GF is still being installed in the V6 cars, but the four-cylinder models get a new transmission, sourced from Ford. Designated the LA4A-EL by Mazda and CD4E by Ford — we will call it by its Ford nomenclature hereafter — it first appears on Ford of Europe's Mondeo in 1993, which made its USA debut in 1995 as the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique. The CD4E is also put to work in the front-drive Mercury Cougar, built alongside the 626 at Flat Rock after Probe/MX-6 production ends, and, reworked for 4wd use where needed, in the Mazda Tribute/Ford Escape SUV twins. The CD4E is manufactured in Batavia, Ohio under the auspices of ZF Batavia, a joint venture of Ford and ZF Friedrichshafen AG."

www.transonline.com has a single listing in the tech area for: CD4E / LA4A-EL.

If the information on these other sites are wrong, please straighten me out.

Sometimes this can happen from external sources. A faulty MLPS (manual lever position sensor, in years past known as a neutral switch). The MLPS tells the processor what gear the selector is positioned in. When it acts up it can cause mysterious downshifts (usually from 4 to 3) and more rarely but sometimes a mysterious shift into neutral. I have had it happen to me with the NGS tester installed to monitor it. I was surprised to find what it was.

I have also seen this happen with a wiring problem that interfered with the VSS (vehicle speed sensor).

I don't know what is happening with your car, but these are worth looking into before doing an overhaul. If you have an external problem, an overhaul may not resolve it.

Tom, please see this:


http://www.contour.org/cgi-ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=003417

Trans range sensor as mentioned in this link is the same thing as the MLPS. MLPS is the OBD II standard designated term.

Are you sure about that? The last I heard, the Mercedes M class was built in Alabama.
BMW's are built in South Carolina.

I have a 96 Contour with the CD4E that had exactly
the same symptoms until I replaced the transmision
range sensor ( quick, easy and cheap ) From the sounds of it, I would almost gaurantee that is your trouble. Good luck.

I have a 97 Contour Auto Transmission and I have the exact same problem. After the car was driving for about an hour later, the O/D starts flashing. I am thinking of replacing the sensor myself. Is the Transmission Range Sensor is the same as the selector Lever position sensor listed in the Haynes book?

Thanks,
Tony Wong

I have the same trans problem. Intermittent shift to neutral at hyway speeds. The MLSPS replacement procedure is in the Haynes Manual. The manual shows that it is located near the Mass Air Flow Sensor. How much hell is involved to replace it?

About this CD4E tranny.
I've done MUCHO research on this bugger.
Terry, you know how I've combed the internet for info
on this ATX to attempt to solve my overheating problem.
It IS a MAZDA designed transmission.
And it has a MAZDA DESIGNATION - "LA4A-EL".
It is used in the 626 ATX vehicles.

You can look at it here.
TransOnline Site

This ATX is NOT hard to rebuild.
It can be done by anyone with the right tools.
It only requires patience and attention to detail.

This ATX also suffers from premature Valve Body Bore wear.
A TransGo Kit Jr. Shift kit will supply a NEW Valve Body gasket that
"Repairs" the problem with the Valve Body.

I've also read that because of the miscalculated fluid capacity of the CD4E,
many owners of this ATX are installing ATX Coolers to be on the "SAFE" side.
Another reason why mine was overheating, and why I should install a Cooler with a Temp driven Fan.

The Contour was designed with a lot of "MISCALCULATIONS" it seems...