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I have an issue with a 98' Contour SE Sport with automatic tranmission that began acting strangly over last weekend.
It revs high in 1st gear up to about 4500rpm then shifts to 3rd. 4th still appears to function, but it also revs higher than normal in freeway driving. I took it in to a respected autoshop and they tried a trans flush with no results.
Their conclusion is that the trans is shot and that 2nd gear "porks". The repair would be from $13-$18K total in&out. What is your take on this? It it a known issue that is masking as a bad trans, or are they likely being honest? At 155K miles I doubt the car is worth putting over a grand into it, especially since it also has a power steering leak.
Suggestions?
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This may or may not help but I have a friend with a 1993 Chrysler Imperial and his tranny went out and he bought a rebuilt one and had it put in for $500. Check around I guess.
Champagne 1995 Ford Contour LX R.I.P. - 7/11/06
V6 2.5L 24v DOHC
Oversized System
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"Always do the cheap and easy ones first."
1996 V6 ATX 96K miles
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Save your money for now.
Can you get a manual 2nd gear (shift selector in "2")?
Never heard of a gear getting "porked". Are you sure you didn't misunderstand?
Steve
98 Contour SE Sport 2.5 Duratec ATX The wifey's car
89 Taurus SHO - 246K miles
94 SHO ATX - 190K
1997 F-150 5.4L ATX - The Workhorse 150K.
ANY THREAD WITH "OMG" or "WTF" ETC IN THE TITLE WILL BE IGNORED!
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Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Save your money for now.
Can you get a manual 2nd gear (shift selector in "2")?
Never heard of a gear getting "porked". Are you sure you didn't misunderstand?
Steve
HELLO!? guys, who here has heard of a trannie job costing as much as a brand new car? between 13000 and 18000? Im really hoping he ment 1300-1800. Which if thats the case, then thats not a bad price at all for a newly rebuilt trannie... Get a good warrenty though.
98 Corolla LE 1.8L DOHC 1ZZFE
TEIN H.Tech Springs
Tokico HP series Struts
Short ram air intake
Tsudo Axel Back Exhaust
... if a jelly fish stung me.. would you pee on the wound?
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Originally posted by AliasJerkââ??¢:
Originally posted by projectSHO89:
Save your money for now.
Can you get a manual 2nd gear (shift selector in "2")?
Never heard of a gear getting "porked". Are you sure you didn't misunderstand?
Steve
HELLO!? guys, who here has heard of a trannie job costing as much as a brand new car? between 13000 and 18000? Im really hoping he ment 1300-1800. Which if thats the case, then thats not a bad price at all for a newly rebuilt trannie... Get a good warrenty though.
That typo was noted and ignored. Perhaps you should also..
98 Contour SE Sport 2.5 Duratec ATX The wifey's car
89 Taurus SHO - 246K miles
94 SHO ATX - 190K
1997 F-150 5.4L ATX - The Workhorse 150K.
ANY THREAD WITH "OMG" or "WTF" ETC IN THE TITLE WILL BE IGNORED!
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12
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OP
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Apologizes for the numerous typos in my original post. The responses are very helpful and I have a better understanding of the issue.
Yes, the amount to rebuild the tranny is $1300-$1800 total and is a good price with all labor included. If that were the only expense in repairs it needed I would likely go though with it, but this Contour also has a power steering leak and needs brakes/rotors. Now I�m up to $2500+.
I had a difficult time reading the notes written by the mechanic on the work order and I still can't figure it out. The first comment was: 1) Trans Shot, 2)Borks or Rocks or something...
A message on my voice mail by the shop owner I neglected to listen to said that they tried a fluid flush with a "special cleaner" that did not work in attempt to break up a sticking valve body. The hard shifting feels like it is between gears 1 and 2 especially up steep grades. Placing the shifter in 2 does not seem to shift out of 1. On hills from a complete stop I have to take 1st up to 30mph and 4500rpm to cause a shift into 3rd.
What I have noticed is that the shifting may be slowly returning to something more normal as it�s been driven a few days after the flush. Its shifting from 1st into 2nd or 3rd(hard to tell) around 3800rpm. I also added another bottle of Gunk Transmedic to the fluid. I'm also feeling some hard bangs when upshifting.
The issue started last weekend during high winds when the car was fighting lots of resistance. My first thought was that it might be an environmental issue with air pressure variances changing the readings on a sensor and influenced the computer to shift at higher rpms. The problem is that the behavior did not reverse itself after the winds subsided.
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Have you run a PCM quick test with a scanner to see if any codes are either set or pending? This is the first step that should be taken, even before a road test.
If the harsh shift is only out of 1st into (presumably) 2nd, then the TSS may be a suspect. If you are getting other bang shifts (2-3, 3-4, or on downshifts) then don't bother - your valve body is worn.
Placing the shifter in 2nd from a stop should mechanically force a 2nd gear only condition....
A scan tool (not a code reader) would be your best friend right about now. It would allow yuo to read sensors in real time and get a better feel for what's going on.
Steve
98 Contour SE Sport 2.5 Duratec ATX The wifey's car
89 Taurus SHO - 246K miles
94 SHO ATX - 190K
1997 F-150 5.4L ATX - The Workhorse 150K.
ANY THREAD WITH "OMG" or "WTF" ETC IN THE TITLE WILL BE IGNORED!
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12
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I did a bit more test driving and the trans really is shifting though 1-2-3. 1st shifts to 2nd at 3500rpm@20mph if I lift off the gas a little, then it shifts from 2nd to 3rd at 2250rpm@35mph but only drops about 200rpm after the shift. I never make it into 4th regardless of speed. The temp guage is barely reaching the "N" in normal even after 45mins of drive time and it sure acts a lot like a Contour does on a cold winter morning. Appears to be a thermostat issue. Can an amatuer replace one of these things or should I leave it up to a shop?
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