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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3 |
Hello everyone,
I have this overdrive flashing light question for you:
My 97 Contour has 70K miles. My wife drove it for the last 3 years and to my shame no much maintenance was done. Anyhow, the car stalled in the middle of highway. They changed the battery, mass flow sensor, cleaned the carbon deposits in the idle valve and serpentine belt.
Everything seemed to work after that until this overdrive light started to blink when driving on highway. When it does it, the automatic transmission shifts unevenly into 2nd and 3rd speed. I took the car to jiffy Lube and changed the long overdue transmission fluid and it still does it. I realized that it does it only when the engine is driven at high speeds, so I changed the coolant (long overdue too). I was hoping that it was just a bad transmission-cooling problem. It still does it. After driving 10 miles on highway over 60s, the O/D starts flashing. If I stop for 3-5 minutes with the engine turned off and start again, the O/D doesnâ??t flash anymore but the transmission shifts unevenly. If I drive the car at speeds under 45 miles/hour with frequent stops, it doesnâ??t do it.
Any idea why is doing this?
Best regarsd,
SxV
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 134
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 134 |
OH NOOOOOOOO! Dude its has begun. Your tranny is prob on its way out! That happened to me and I got like 2 months after the first time the light came on until it died on me. I had the exact same probs and symtoms that you are having now. Mine is actually in the tranny shop as I type this and it sucks because you have to get it rebuilt and its going to run me about $1800-$2000.  Mine is also a 97 with 93,000 miles on it. Why can't Ford get an automatic tranny that catually works and will last more than 100,000 miles  . My last car had 202,000 miles on it not one prob with the tranny. It seems everyone with a ford I know has had some prob with their tranny. My friend just bought a Brand new Exploder and after 300 miles the tranny went  Well man sorry for the bad news but that my experiance with the blinking green light. goodluck Jerry
97 Contour Sport V6. T-Red, KKM tru rev induction, Ford racing wires, Cooper Cobras GTH, A pillar gauge pods with ford racing gauges, Clifford Matrix alarm, painted red calipers, full bra, premium audio installed,LED's, Ford Racing seat belt pads. It's my baby!!! I love to pull up to a honda or a VW and blow their fast and furious doors off. Imports can suck my american exhaust!!!
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3 |
Thank you for condolences. On a positive view, anybody has a suggestion on how to avoid rebuilding the transmission?
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653
I have no life
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I have no life
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653 |
ford will be getting an ATX that will hold up, because GM is designing it (a 6-speed ATX  ), and to avoid rebuilding your tranny, you have to sell the car and buy a car with MTX.
98.5 SVT
91 Escort GT (almost sold)
96 ATX Zetec (i brake to watch you swerve)
FS: SVT rear sway bar
WTB: Very cheap beater
CEG Dragon Run - October 13-15
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,459
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,459 |
Depending on how lucky you feel, and how long you want to keep the car, and how good a mechanic you are, a possibility would be to find a used (wrecked or otherwise) ATX and put it in the car. I'd be skeptical about this though, given the record that our atx's seem to have.
95 Contour Zetec, ATX (wrecked, sitting in the barn)
95 Mystique Zetec, MTX
2000 Taurus SEL 3.0L Duratec
1994 Crown Victoria LX 4.6 V8
1993 Chevy Silverado 4.3 V6
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 195
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 195 |
Don't worry just yet. Exact thing happened to me (over a year ago)and I got it fixed for under a hundred bucks. Get it scanned for code. When my od light was flashing code read, VSS Speed Sensor out of range. But that wasn't the problem. Eventually we found it was the cheap plug wires that was affecting the speed sensor. But get it scanned first. Good luck, John
1998 ContourLX V6 ATX
Cats Gutted+MIL Eliminators
Grandma gave me the finger
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,944
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,944 |
Yes! By all means get it scanned first and come back here with the code and we'll go from there. The sensors and the CD4E are very prone to going out and causing such problems If you would like to get a hold of some information on the CD4E (our ATX) check out my web page. I have compiled a decent amount of links to technical articles that will help you educate yourself on this most misunderstood animal. I just added some parts lists with names a few days ago. P.S. nevermind if some of the pics at the top do not load... I am going to work on it tonight!
Phillip Jackson
`98 Mystique LS
262K+ and counting...
ATX rebuilt @ 151K
"This storm has broken me, my only friend!" RIP Dime
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,061
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,061 |
Originally posted by jmatzick:
Don't worry just yet. Exact thing happened to me (over a year ago)and I got it fixed for under a hundred bucks. Get it scanned for code. When my od light was flashing code read, VSS Speed Sensor out of range. But that wasn't the problem. Eventually we found it was the cheap plug wires that was affecting the speed sensor. But get it scanned first. Good luck, John
i'd follow this...when my atx went dead last yr the o/d didn't do any flashing at all...this problem occurs quite often around here and i've read more than once it was a fix such as this...crap or worn wires somehow interfere with the electronics of the atx...something like that...go to autozone or somewhere like that that will scan for codes for free or at less than what the dealer will likely charge to do it
99 expedition eddie bauer, 5.4 v8, k&n drop-in, 3" magnaflow catback and gas mileage that makes the contour look like a hybrid
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2 |
You might want to check your "transmission position sensor" (sometimes refer to as neutral safty switch), if you still have the original one. This thing uses resistence to identity your ATX lever position to the computer and once the engine heats up, it gives a incorrect resistence value(when it is bad.) This is frequent topic in the group.
Good luck.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 98
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 98 |
I had the same problem, but I asked for advice on here got some of the best. I fixed the problem for around $120.00, I replaced both the transmission range sensor (easy swap, sits right on top of the tranny), and the VSS - speed sensor, behind the instrument panel. They work together with the tranny, if one is out or bad it throws the whole system out of whack. Hope this helps.
Beaz
'97 Contour
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