Today on my normal morning drive, I notice slight hesitation, and it felt like something was wrong with a wheel alignment or tire. Well I had it OUT of overdrive and I got stopped at the light. When I accelerated normal, it wouldn't shift... and woudln't shift.. and here comes Redline... still no shift.. SO i quickly let of the gas, and the overdrive light on the lever starts blinking.

I thought, well maybe If i shut it down, it will be okay. but I turned it back on and the check engine light came on and I had the same problem on the way home. Except, I can get it to shift If I let OFF the gas.

I checked the tranny fluid twice and it is fine, in the "hot" zone. So i don't know wtf is wrong.. Maybe torque converter?? Maybe something is lose that isn't engaging on the 1-2 upshift? Could it be a computer problem????

Please help!!!!!!

Jon

 

PhatNav,

You know I would help you if I could but I am still a Ford Trainee. If no one responds soon, I would recommend directly emailing some of the members like Neal "the Horse Power Freak" Newman or a guy named jefflaws. Neal "hangs out here in computer chips (actually all the sections) and jefflaws hangs out in the engine section. I have replaced transmissions but know nothing about them. Here are some dumb comments by me for you to consider,

1. Have you checked your trans. fluid level?

2. What has happened lately out of the ordinary to you Nav.? Had it serviced?, hit a bump?, accidentally unplug something?

Sorry, thats all I got off the top of my head.

 

Hey thanks ne ways.

I did check the fluid ( and it was fine.)

what new with it? Well I raced it, on a back road agaisn't my friend twice.. 0 - 80... 1/4 mile. I was running it really hard, but I have run it harder then that before, in hotter wether.

I think it is a computer issue for SURE, because when accelerating, it won't engage into 2nd.. if that makes sense. But Manually, it is fine, like the 1 to 2 to D shift... but when I leave it in Drive, that is when I have the prob, which leads me to the idea that it could be computer related.. But why? What?

Damn,

Jon

 

Neal, or Mike, Someone,, Please HELP!!

This sucks!

Could racing the 1/4 mile really hard have messed up something with my transmission, or could my computer just be "acting up" if taht is possible?

thanks again guys for any help!

j

 

Hi Jon,

First, no, running the truck hard up to 80 mph generally isn't going to cause a problem like that, so relax.

And second, this cannot really be diagnosed properly here, right now neither you nor anyone else here knows what codes are being reported by the PCM (the check engine light being on means there is/are error code(s) that must be retrieved).

Is this is a PCM problem (doubtful) or a sensor problem (could well be), or is the transmission giving up the ghost & just failing on you altogether (possible), did the Overdrive band/drum fail, etc.

The only way to find out for sure is to get it in for service right away, don't delay and let this drag on, as you may cause more damage. This needs to be properly diagnosed, and that can't happen here, that can only be done by having a fully qualified service technician look at the vehicle. You may find that it's nothing more than a sensor problem, but whatever it is, you won't know for sure until you get that vehicle in to be looked at.

Make sure to remove any performance chip or shift improving device if you are using any of that before taking it in for service, as with that check engine light on, the service tech will need to scan the PCM for those codes to see what the tranny (or anything else) is reporting, and that cannot be done with anything attached to the PCM.

Good luck!

 

Thanks,

I have it in the shop tonight, and they said they will be able to get it up and take a look underneath. I am hoping they can do a good job, and fix the problem.

I guess I will keep everyone posted and let ya know how this turns out.

-Jon

 

Hi Jon,

OK, glad to hear it's being looked at right away, excellent!

Please do let us know what the problem turns out to be, etc., & we'll keep our fingers crossed hoping it's just something minor like a sensor, etc.

 

Well, it wasn't something Minor!!!!!!!!!

The Entire (...) tranny is being REbuilt.. (... EDITED::: , The jist of it is.. The Navi's tranny apparently took some abuse due to possible overheating trans fluid, or whatever the problem was, and it has to be replaced.. I'm 2000 dollars down right now and this sucks. I guess I will let you know what happens.

Damn!

 

PhatNav,

Sorry to hear that. It is obvious that this topic no longer belongs in the computer chips section, and it is none of my business nor am I the one paying 2000 for a rebuilt transmission nor do I have the right to say this however.........when you cool down a bit, you may wish to re-consider the explicit usage/typing of "HIS" name in vain. After you re-read your last post, you may wish to consider at least editing the post and remove the written portion/record of that particular usage. I have written statements that, after I re-read later, I wish/should/did edit.

As to your specific problem. Have they already started on the rebuild? If you have the E40D transmission I found a cross-referenced 97 Expedition trans in Denver Colo. for $850 bucks.
It is at Boot Hill Used Pick-up Parts (1-800-762-7042). I only did a search for your home state. You can go to www.car-part.com
You can do a nation wide search or state specific search. A search for the 4R100 transmission did not show any results at this time. Good luck.

 

Hi Jon,

Sorry to hear that.

It happens, and it doesn't mean that your 5 year old Navigator is junk, or anything of the sort, it simply means that your transmission has had enough.

Your truck is 5 years old now, and probably has some miles on it. It probably doesn't have a transmission fluid temperature gauge on it (just like Toyota's don't), and there's no telling how many times that tranny fluid has been overheated over it's lifespan without a gauge. And how it's operated has a lot of do with how it holds up. If it has *ever* been subjected to city driving, or lower speed traffic, then the tranny fluid has seen too-high temperatures every time that has happened, perhaps many times, and that takes it's toll.

By the way, having owned Toyota's, & having close freinds who work on them day in and day out, I can tell you that your Navigator's transmission is no less reliable, Toyota's have their transmission problems, too, and plenty of them. Why do you think it took Toyota 35-40 years to even put a V-8 engine in a truck? Because they had no transmission capable of standing up to the torque and the abuse most people put trucks & SUV's thru, as well as the fact that they still don't understand the classic America V-8 desire or need in this country to this day.

Instead of cursing God & FoMoCo, you might want to take a look in the mirror ask yourself why you didn't put an extended warranty on it? I know you're upset, but you have a 3-ton SUV there, and it's *going * to have failures from time to time, just like Toyota's, just like Honda's, just like every other vehicle made, right up to a Rolls Royce. We're all sorry it happened, but it does happen from time to time, that's the price you pay for having a vehicle, they *all* have failures and expenses.

One of our pet peeves with *all* automakers with regard to automatic transmissions is the fact that not one of them we've seen actually manages to keep the automatic transmission fluid temperaure under control anytime the vehicle is driven at speeds under about 40 mph. To do that requries an *active* transmission cooler with a powered fan and automatic thermostatic control, along with a gauge to keep an eye on the actual tranny fluid temps, at a bare minimum. Any vehicle not so equipped can be *guaranteed* to overheat it's transmission fluid, usually many times over it's lifespan, and heat is the #1 enemy of *all* automatic transmissions.

We're sorry to hear you had to replace the transmission, and if you'd like to give us a call, we can go over some things with you to help this next transmission last. Anytime anyone finds themself in a position where they have to replace their automatic transmission in these vehicles and pay for it out-of-pocket, if they will call us we can tell them how to get a much better transmission for performance use and for heavy trucks & SUV's, by having a performance build done to the original transmission.

Make sure that they install an inline filter right after the transmission cooler (both of them if it has an auxiliary unit in addition to the one in the radiator), as even when they flush out those coolers (both the one in the radiator and the auxiliary unit if it had one from the factory), you can get a rapid repeat failure in the new transmission from contamination, and many dealerships refuse to do that very simple job as is required. They need to install an inline transmission fluid filter right in the exit line coming out of each cooler, that is the *only* way to make sure that the new transmission is not contaminated. Also, make sure the torque converter is replaced as well.

Remember one thing, Jon, you have a very nice and expensive (when new) Lincoln Navigator there, so replacing the transmission is not the end of the world. Just make sure the work is done right, and you'll be able to enjoy this next transmission for at least 100K miles, and that vehicle, according to your pictures, is certainly worth keeping.

Best of luck Jon,

 

Thankyou!

I am sorry for the language I used above. I attend church weekly on Sundays, and usually on Wednsday, so as far as using God's name in vain, that was totally out of line. So if I offended anyone, I'm sorry. I am editing the post immediately after this post.

As for the transmission, I talked to the guy today, and he said that he had it lifted up and was taking it apart to start the rebuild. I havn't had a chance to go over all of it with him yet, but I plan on doing that first thing tommorrow. I will mention the

"inline filter right after the transmission cooler (both of them if it has an auxiliary unit in addition to the one in the radiator), as even when they flush out those coolers (both the one in the radiator and the auxiliary unit if it had one from the factory), you can get a rapid repeat failure in the new transmission from contamination" .. to make sure the job is done right.

I am not an idiot when it comes to trucks, but as far as that goes, I had no idea what the filter was and its purpose, SO, thankyou for giving me that information.

I will let you know how it works out. Will this transmision feel the same as the old tranmission? tighter/stiffer? quicker shifts? Just wondering b/c I figure for 2000 I should get some + out of this???? And with the rebuild of 2000, I was just wondering if the Torque Converter might have been included with the price??

I guess I need to go in, after I call him tommorrow, and talk about everything that he found that went wrong when he is done rebuilding it. Would my Converter most likely be ruined and in need of being replaced?

Once again, Thanks for all of the help. I really appreciate you taking time for my post seems how there are MANY others that you also respond to. And, I'm sorry for the earlier language.

Regards,
Jon

 

I'm going to pick up the Navigator today... And pay for it.

Randy (the guy) called me last night and left a message saying it was ready. I was out late so I didn't get a chance to call him yet.

I will let you know how it turns out. I'm hoping everything is okay, and for $2000 i'd say it better be.

-Jon

 

PhAtNaV,

I'm trying to follow your story here but it takes too long to download....any chance you can resize your profile picture to something more reasonable? thanks

 

Hey, yeah I guess you were right. That picture was a bit large, I am on DSL so I didn't realize it takes others longer to load the site if they are only on 56K.. Sorry.

I called Randy today and he was in Windsor... That's about an hour away from where I am and he said he'd drive back into town to open the garage but I said it wasn't necassary. I felt bad making him drive so far to get me my Car back.

I am picking it up on Monday and he is going to go over EVERYTHING with me then. I will post again then.

C ya

Jon

 

Hi Jon (PhatNav),

Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to get back to responding to you in this thread....................

First, thanks for your post, & no big deal, I don't know anyone who hasn't occasionally just gotten fed up, had enough, gotten irritated, etc., especially over something as upsetting as a repair bill for thousands of dollars, that's enough to PO the Pope. It's all part of "the human condition," my friend, as the only perfect being to ever walk this Earth (according to the Bible at least), was Jesus Christ, & look what it got him...crucified!!

I can't tell you how many times I've done that exact same thing, and *still* do from time to time. I think it goes along with the territory in some cases, especially if you're passionate about what you do, or own, or care about, etc.

Overall, the newer transmissions tend to have some better components compared to the earlier units in things like the shift solenoids, this next transmission should be reliable if they installed the required inline filters after each treansmission fluid cooler. Hopefully your dealership is one that puts a significant warranty on the replacement transmission (some dealerships offer Lifetime warrantys on repair/repalcement parts and/or labor), so you should be protected for some time, at least.

To make this next transmission last, to give it the longest possible service life with the occasional short street race, some full-throttle operation etc., all the things we normally do to our vehicles, there are a couple of things you can and should do that will extend it's lifespan...................

The first is to install a Transgo shift kit on Level 1, to supply the bands & clutches with more fluid volume so the clutches fill faster & the bands can grip the drums quicker to reduce slippage, and the second is to install an *active* (meaning thermostatically controlled & fan-powered) transmission cooler to guarantee those tranny fluid temps are kept under control under all conditions. I know that this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, a recommendation to spend even more money on top of this $2K tranny repair bill, but that is what's needed to give your transmission the longest service life, and should be done to virtually *all* vehciles with an automatic transmission. You can do that after your budget recovers a bit, or not at all, that is your call of course.

Hang in there Jon!