Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle ATX lockup failure and possible fix

My '95 2.0 GL has broke 62K miles, it was stored for a few years past. It was always driven and started while stored, mostly kept inside. Anyway its been driving fine for a year and I took a trip of about an hour in 80F temps, and after about 15 minutes the lockup stopped working. I was familiar with it because my Taurus did the same thing and had a bad pump...at 63K miles. After it slips the ECU gives up on using it for a while and thus you get no lockup. It was fine when cool, all gears work and shift fine, and no other problems were obvious as even the fluid looked/smelled fine.

So I take it to the local dealer and do some reading on here about faulty pumps that leak on early CD4Es. Sure enough the dealer tells me the pump is bad and it needs a new plate and gaskets, needs to come out of the car at an estimated $1500 charge. I say the car is nice but still not worth a whole lot...I take it home to think on it. I think it makes sense as the trans would lose pressure as the fluid got hot and thinner right? I call a transmission shop and they tell me that for under $1500 they should be able to do a whole soft-part rebuild, bring it in! I then call one transmission guy I actually trust as they have been great in the past. He says he does not even want to work on one of those! Tells me I should go and get a new Ford transmission just because it has a warranty on it and I will need it. Says they have problems with rebuilds. I tell him more about it and he says its getting hot, get a cooler on it! Recommends I put on the cooler and drive it until it drops, then figure out what I want to do with the car. He thinks the dealer might not even be correct about whats wrong with it.

So, I buy a 12x5.5 inch trans cooler. I install it on top of the power steering line that is in front, about the only place in the direct air flow. I put padding under it for no contact. I cut the return line near the driver side under the radiator, and ran the engine to make sure I had good fluid flow through radiator (that was new at 30K due to damage) cooler and fluid shoots out of there hard. I used the diagram in the ATX FAQ here. The trans guy recommended I not use the radiator cooler at all, but I drive it in winter and with the miles, newer radiator, and testing it I am sure its not plugged like he thought it might be. I had to cut larger hose for protectors as the bottom cover is against the new cooler lines under there. This cooler I mounted with both hoses on driver side of car, cooler is across the bumper air hole infact about centered in it.

After I got done I put a bottle of Slick50 ATX treatment in, then filled with fluid (about pint as I didn't drain it). That slick50 stuff is like jelly. If it works, I'll change all the fluid later. To help more I put water wetter in the coolant tank as well, since the factory radiator trans cooler is still in use....plus it runs hot all the time (normal, but hot as newer cars like to do).

So I take it again on the same trip that is mostly two lane and it is over 90F now and I am running the A/C and was not the last time. It works fine the whole time! I even pushed it in 3rd an 4th when it was locked to try to slip it, did some full throttle blasts too....no problem. That was $55 for the cooler and two additives. I did use two extra clamps to double clamp it on the line I cut, but cooler came with the rest. Also had to cut some pads out of some packing foam to space the cooler off the steering tubing, and used plenty of zipties to mount and only a few of the cooler ties. I needed to burrow a very small tubing cutter to get around the tube under there, and it has torx bolts in the lower cover. Otherwise it was not hard to do.

I have no idea how long it will hold out this way, but I'll likely find out. Its pretty good on the gas and at today's prices I will be running it more than the other cars I have. I'll try to post an update later.

I should add I read all about the tans coolers on here after I had this problem. It never ran hot, the only time the temp gauge went up was standing still and then the fan came on and it went right back down. It never went out of normal or far from where it always runs about at the 'A' in normal. Now it goes close to the 'M' but still in 'A' most of the time. Who would think a little 4cyl car would have a cooling problem in the trans? Well, I should be getting an idea with the second one to blow...

I did drive the taurus a year in protest with the blown pump after the first dealer told me 2500 to put a new trans in at 63K!!! A second dealer put the pump in a year later for about 1K and said good thing I got it in or it could have been damaged running that way...ha ha, it has over 90K on it and still goes today. Still makes me wonder who is sleeping at the wheel in Ford's transmission department.

Welcome . Yes, please post an update later as I am sure others (like me) will benefit from your experience.

Ford is not sleeping at the wheel. They build cheap transmissions to make money period......

I'd put in a transgo shift correction kit. You do not have to pull the trans to do this and it is highlyh recommeended.

Bob

Unless someone measure internal hydraulic pressures with a guage and confirmed low pressure readings, I'd be inclined to suspect valve body problems before suspecting pump problems.

I just had to replace the VB and solenoid block in my CD4E last month for similar issues. I had already measured my line pressure and confirmed it was adequate.


Steve