Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Tranny Problems

Ok, here's another update on the ongoing tranny issue.
They were waiting for the valve body to arrive, and I drove the car in the meantime. Well, the day it arrived, 2 Fridays ago, the tranny went out again, on my way home. The clutches went out again. So, back to the garage to undergo more surgery. They pulled out the tranny and replaced the clutches and valve body and put it back together. He said there is still something wrong. He's beating his brain out to try to figure this out. Earlier I had to ask what exactly is wrong so I could pick someone's brain here.
New problem. I hope I can explain exactly what he told me.
He said, it now pulses, and pressure is there, then it drops.
Any ideas?

Does anyone have any other ideas on this tranny issue?
He can't figure it out and is frustrated.
Next step is to throw away all of his work and to buy a rebuilt tranny for $450.

GEEZ, this one stumps me. Sounds like there's something floating around in the tranny - the friction coating on the clutch packs can flake off like paint if they get hot enough.

My only guesses would be:

1. The filter clogged because of the clutch wear, but I would expect he cleaned the entire thing out after putting in new clutch packs.
2. The seal thing again. Those $&*^#@ things can be tempermental & bind up during re-assembly.
3. The valve body may not be installed in the correct orientation and/or its seal is not in the correct orientation and/or the seating surface is no longer within spec.

I wish I could be there to pick it apart.

Look over to the right of the engine bay, to the left and below the battery.

There should be a small pencil wide tube that goes from the trasmission (bottom of your engine), up to about where the battery is. It's bent near the battery, and is not plugged into anything...supposedly, a mechanic told me it's a "breather" tube, and has to be kept open. I plugged it up one time (cuase it was just haning out in my engine bay, it looked like it belonged somehwere, so i plugged it into a bolt...), and my transmission would not shift...it would rev high and whirrr like you said. Check that...sorry i don't know the techinical term for this tube, but it has to be kept clear and open for the tranny to shift.

He found a shop somewhere in Wisconsin or Minnesota, but I am not sure where. He said they sold rebuilt tranny's for $450.

Holy smokes!! $2660 for a rebuild. That's expensive. I have heard of tranny shops turning down a rebuild since there is so much time involved in the rebuild. Also, who actually knows how many parts need to be replaced as well. That can't tell that without pulling it apart. And also what happens after they put it back in the car.

I paid $1000 for a rebuild and they thought only the rebuild kit and a new torque converter would fix it. It didn't. They also needed to replace the valve body. And we found one more problem. I wasn't going to say until it was completely fixed. But they had brought my car to a shop that could hook it up to a computer, and they found a bad sensor. It is the VSS (vehicle speed sensor). My step-brother called the Ford dealership yesterday and they told him they couldn't get the part until next Wednesday. Yeah right. I just called them and they told me they could have it by noon today. So, cross your fingers for me. I hope that fixes the pulsing problem.

Well, another update on this ongoing problem.
He replaced the VSS and it didn't help very much. Still the pulsing problem there. We are at a loss. I think he said the next step is to put in that $450 tranny. I hope this gets done soon.

$2660 isn't to bad I guess. I paid $1000 for the rebuild and all that it is causing is a big headache. I should have taken the $1000 and put it towards another car (Contour of course). Oh well. Live and learn right?

UPDATE! OK it's been a couple weeks since my last update but this is the deal, right now. SO he figured out that the transmission had a hairline fracture. He ordered the part to fix it, did not realize that he had to remove some other parts to fix the fracture. In the process broke three other pieces. Ordered those pieces, all is good. Shifts to all gears with ease. However, somewhere along the way the water pump went out? Replaced the water pump, then i'll be damned if the air bag light did not start blinking. He said that he had to remove the steering column to fix the tranny, in the process he broke a spring to the air bag. So that will be fixed by Ford (paid for by tranny dude). All in all, i have not a clue what all was done to my car. But the hairline fracture was the solution. Hope this helps...the contour still has to go back for a two week check up, let's cross the fingers that she is ok! IT's so nice having her back though!

thanks for all the suggestions
b