Just an idea for my ATX... think it may help?

[SHO SPD]

I am getting 646, and 648 codes, which say, 2nd and 4th gear failure. The trans has 34k since it was rebuilt. The fliud is dark,looks brown, and smells VERY burnt, if I change fluid and filter, might that be why its acting funny? If I put the car in reverse, or drive, I need to tap the gas for it to go into gear.. and it wont shift into 3rd or 4th... Any ideas? are these symptems of needing another rebuild?

 

[93nighthawk]

Changing the fluid and filter might help a little. I would also toss a bottle of Slick 50 tranny fluid in (there is some sort of warranty if your tranny fails, hey they might pay some .) It has helped prolong the death of my Mystique's tranny.

But sorry to tell you that a rebuild is in the future, the very near future.

Eric

 

[ziggy]

93 nighthawk may be right, but I would use Lubegard when you change the fluid. the bottle cost about $12 and will work better than anything I would try. It comes in a red bottle and is at any NAPA store. Look them up at lubegard.com. There product is a replacement for ***** whale oil that used to be in transmission fluid prior to 1972. I used it in my 1987 Taurus and it helped alot, but don't expect a miracal. When you do need a new trans add it and your fluid will last a lot longer.

Ziggy
95, stock MTX

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Quoting from an earlier post:

The problem with any rebuilt tranny is that the majority of the old 'hard parts' (planetary gears, sprockets, clutch assemblies, drums, differential, etc.) are reused as long as they are within spec., including some acceptable wear.

While a rebuild includes all new 'soft parts' (gaskets, seals, rings, friction clutches, steels, etc.), those soft parts are likely to wear/fail faster with worn hard parts.

In addition, most shops will only replace known bad shift solenoids, servos, pistons, accumulator springs, etc. Some shops will specify all new on some or all of these parts, but expect to pay a premium. (One of these parts could in fact be causing your no OD problem.)

So, the short answer to your question is yes, you're probably looking at another rebuild. Depending on your budget and how long you plan on keeping the SHO, you might consider a 'premium' rebuild by a top-tier shop such as FPS, Jasper, etc. You'd be looking at around $3000 including labor soup-to-nuts, but you could reasonably expect to get another 7-8 years/100K out of one of their trannys.

Another option would be a Ford remanned tranny at around $2200 with labor. Ford won't give you the option of a TransGo shift kit (unless you had someone other than Ford doing the labor), but you will get a Ford factory warranty and generally Ford's remanned trannys have a better reputation than the factory new ones! Go figure...

It should go without saying that unless you want to get screwed, avoid chain stores like AAMCO. If your budget is tight, you should look around for local tranny shops that do custom high-performance/race trannys, and that have a fair amount of experience with the Ford/Mazda AXOD/AXODE/AX4S/AX4N FWD trannys.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

ziggy - do you work for lubegard? Just curious.

Also, SHO SPD, I forgot to answer your main question: A fluid change may delay complete failure long enough for you to save up for a rebuild. You'll also know as soon as you pull the pan how bad things are. If there's a lot of metal particles on the magnet, don't expect more than a couple thousand miles before you break down in the most inconvenient place!

 

[ziggy]

NO!!! I just do a lot of research on oils in my job as an Engineer. Their additive is very good.

Ziggy

 

[Denny]

Generally, when a tranny starts going sour, flushing/changing the fluid only exacerbates the problem. frown

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Denny:
Generally, when a tranny starts going sour, flushing/changing the fluid only exacerbates the problem.

That's an old wives' tale. A tranny's gonna fail when a tranny's gonna fail. So many people have seen failure soon after an attempt to fix a problem by changing the fluid, that people started to think the two were related.

It's just like people changing the oil when they see the low pressure light -- it's usually not too long after that when a bearing starts making lots of bad noises. It wasn't the oil, it was the bearing.

 

[91 Plus]

SHOooo:

Denny:
Generally, when a tranny starts going sour, flushing/changing the fluid only exacerbates the problem.

That's an old wives' tale. A tranny's gonna fail when a tranny's gonna fail. So many people have seen failure soon after an attempt to fix a problem by changing the fluid, that people started to think the two were related.

It's just like people changing the oil when they see the low pressure light -- it's usually not too long after that when a bearing starts making lots of bad noises. It wasn't the oil, it was the bearing.

I dont know about all that!I decided to change my tranny fluid a couple weeks later the tranny took a complet krap..I asked a mechanic and he said with all the new fluid that pry just messed it up!SO I recommend if you havent did fluid change in long time DONT do it!

 

[Mr Anonymous]

94ShoATX:
I dont know about all that!I decided to change my tranny fluid a couple weeks later the tranny took a complet krap..I asked a mechanic and he said with all the new fluid that pry just messed it up!SO I recommend if you havent did fluid change in long time DONT do it!

What exact mechanical process occurred that resulted in the tranny failing because of new fluid? The 'mechanic' is just perpetuating the myth. ****, this myth is actually cast in writing at places like Jiffy **** and Valvoline. Just because a lot of people believe something false doesn't make it true. A great deal of people believe that putting the highest octane gas they can find in their cars make them run better and last longer -- that's not true either, despite what people may believe.

Chances are, your tranny was acting up and you changed the fluid hoping that it would solve the problem. Unfortunately it didn't and the tranny failed anyway. Even if your transmission seemed otherwise normal, it was no doubt failing before the fluid change.

This topic has been discussed by ATSG (Auto. Trans. Service Group) on countless occasions, and the conclusion is always the same: there is no demonstrable correlation between changing ATF and premature tranny failure (presuming of course that the ATF is changed properly, in accordance with the manufacturer's published procedure).