My Lightning had been parked for the last 10 days, due to a rather heavy snowfall, and I took it out tonight and found that it didn't want to shift out of 1st gear. I ran the RPMs up to 3500 and let off and it did shift into second, and continued to have 1st and second after stopping. But it would not shift into 3rd gear, even at 4000.

I had no issues prior to parking the truck. No chips or other trans mods. I have no codes on this one, trans was serviced about 7500 miles ago, fluid level is good. The only issue I can see is that the truck sat outside with a foot of snow on it, until it melted. Now it is raining and moisture might be an issue.

Any ideas? I had a Gen 1 Lightning and had a similar problem which turned out to be the throttle positioning switch on the throttle body.

 

In my 1998 there is some trans feature that will not allow it to upshift until the trans reaches a certin temp. In the mornings it will always take a little bit longer to shift. Never a problem when it's warm out though.

 

any overdrive light blinking?

 

I don't think the overdrive was blinking, but it was raining like a beee-atch last night. I'm going to go out and check for codes and do a quick visual on the truck. Anything else that might cause the non- shifting? I didn't try shifting it manually, just shifted out of drive a couple of times with no change.

 

I checked codes, did have my on-going 430 and a 1260, seems like my wife accidently hit the truck with a "small" shovel load of snow when she was cleaning around her Acura. How much of a hit does it take for the computer to add an anti-theft shutdown, which didn't work anyway.

Took the truck out and warmed it up, things got better, but the 1-2 shift is delayed until about 3400 RPM under light throttle, 2-3 shift is also around 3 grand, unless I let off the throttle, and it shifts easily. 3-4 shift seems OK, as well as OD, although it seems like it is coming in a little later than usual.

It snowed again, but the temp was about 40 degrees while I was testing. Fluid level is good, engine is responding well, idle is good.

So, what am I missing on this shifting issue? I have disconnected the battery to try clearing any other issues and will retest shortly.

Again, how big of a scope of snow does it take to make my truck think it was being stolen. My wife said it was just a small scope, but I am wondering. Do you guys think she would lie to me?

 

After re-connecting the battery, I have the same delayed shifting as before. This is something unusual for my truck, which has 48,000 miles on it. Does anyone know of any other sites that deal with Ford transmission mysteries?

 

im wondering if there is a mechanical issue internally.....keep driving it ansd see if it sets a code....i mean if you had one gearshift delay i could tell you where to start.....but multiple shift issues is funny....

 

I have had this issue for several months without getting any type of a code. What exactly controls the 1-2 shift? With everything else working correctly, what tells the transmission when to shift. Since this problem got worse after the truck sat for several days, I would think that it would be some type of sensor, especially after it got better after a good warm-up.

The 2-3 shift is not as severe as the 1-2 shift, so I think I need to address the 1-2 shift first. I hvae some background in electrical systems, but I don't have any idea how this system works. I do know the truck is dangerous to drive on slick pavement because of the delayed shift. Again, this was not an issue last winter, so I know that something is definitely wrong. I don't think it is an internal issue, as the truck is not subject to severe treatment.

It just seems that the computer is getting a bad signal from something in the system. Why does the trans shift when I let off? What controls that shift? I realize I am asking a lot, but you do seem to know quite a bit about these transmissions.

I do get a kick out of the guys that answer every transmission problem by saying that the transmission has blown up, its ready to fall out, it self-destructed, etc. There is more to this system than just the transmission and people need to realize the complexity of it, as you do. Thanks, Punisher for your help. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of this.

 

the 1/2 is completed by the intermediate clutch applying (a very common failed clutch in the lightning trans) and the intermediate sprag locking. this will give you 2nd gear combined with the forward clutch which is applied in all forward gears.

the direct clutch applies in 3rd.

there are only 2 sensers (turbine shaft, output shaft) on the trans combined with the solenoid body. any of which usually give a code when failed. the solenoid body is the only one that maybe could cause this. if i were you id pull the pan down to see if there is any debris laying in the bottom.

 

The 1-2 shift point is determined by the governor pressure inside the transmission, the PCM regulates governor pressure based on engine temperature, transmission fluid temp, and throttle position.
If the PCM detects that there is a problem with an input signal used for controlling the transmission the governor pressure will go high which will cause symptoms such as delayed shifts that are harsh and the transmission may not go into overdrive.
As a start you should check the PCM for any codes.

 

there is no governor pressure in these trannies. (in the true sense of governor pressure). everything is pcm and solenoid controlled. you have line pressure regulated by the epc solenoid.

i think what youre speaking of is fmem mode. failure managment effects mode. it doesnt sound that to me.

 

Sorry for the confusion line pressure is correct.

 

OK, so the computer is doing most of the work with this transmission. Why does the transmission shift up when I let off the acceleretor? I can understand it holding in gear if I was under acceleration, but what causes it to hold in gear in only moderate, (around the subdivision) pedal. It didn't do this before and after I disconnected the battery, it seemed OK until I shut it off and restarted.

I know it sounds like I am beating a dead horse here, but I am just trying to get a handle on how the trans works. Maybe I need a copy of "F150 Trannies for Dumbies"? I am a little less than thrilled with the local shops, including the dealer. I was there the other day getting my recall work done and the techs were all excited because my truck had a "clunk" in the front end, drivers side. I had already checked it and confirmed it needed the anti-clunk washers for the lower control arm and they new it was a ball joint. I had replaced those when I lowered the truck 7000 miles ago.

They also said I needed rear shocks. My truck has a custom 3-link with QA1 coil overs, no rear leaf springs, something they missed when they did their inspection. So, not much faith in them.

Again, thanks for the help. Keep it coming.

 

pull the pan. itll take you 30min and itll possibly tell the story....

 

It's because it's very cold outside... wait until it warms up, I guarantee it will not happen. Most automatic transmissions with computer controls will do this soft of behavior. It's to protect the unit when the fluid is not yet fully warm. There is nothing wrong with it, it won't blow up, or drop out from under the truck.


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