Questions About ATX 4th Gear

[BlackOnBlackATX]

OK, heres my deal, im not too versed on trannies so i figure maybe one of you guys would be able to help me out here. when im in 4th gear, especially going up inclines, i feel the car shudder a little when i give it more throttle to maintain speed or increase speed a little. now if i give it more gas, it goes to 3rd and all is well. and it doesnt do it all the time, but i guess it safe to assume its slipping right? also sometimes it seems as if it doesnt want to shift into O/D at all, im still trying to figure that one out. im guessing the gear is near to hosed, so no surprises. i plan on having my bands checked soon for maintenance sake. when the funds are sufficient (hopefully late summer) im going for a rebuild so i can beef up the power output. thanks for the help beer

ps- for anyone who is wondering i did have the fluid changed at 85,000 miles.

 

[V6&V8SHO]

Try cleaning the intake and other components, my car used to do that and then I took it in for a 60k and it all cleared up.

 

[Slo-Sho]

Check the EGR nostrils in the intake for blockage. Very common malady on the ATX SHO's.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

well, im due for the 60k/100k in a few weeks so we will see i guess. the egr valve is new and the intake was decarboned about 15,000 miles ago. ill hit it with some B12 cleaner but im going to doubt that it is my direct problem right now. hopefully the 60/100k will clear things up though. thanks guys!

 

[Jr's Sho]

It sounds like you were lugging your engine when you had it in 4th. If I accelerate slowly while in OD, my car will seem to shake a little before downshiftting into 3rd. And when it does go into OD, it takes it about 1 second before shifting, don't know if it's normal or not but I'm not concerned.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

Jr's SHO, mine is pretty much the same way. im not *overly* concerned, but i guess i just want to be sure. my main concern is just that it doesnt seem to want to shift into overdrive sometimes so maybe my solenoid is out of whack or the band is overly worn on the gear, but thanks for the heads up.

<small>[ February 24, 2003, 11:49 PM: Message edited by: BlackOnBlackATX ]</small>

 

[SolidState]

how are your mounts? if the torque converter disengages after light or no throttle application, it might slowly engage again until it fully closes, and if you have bad motor mounts (like mine) you will feel a bit of lurchiness...

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

SolidState, to be honest with you i havent even really inspected the mounts. its just been so damn cold here in NY that im trying to put things off for warmer days (that and the recent 4 feet of snow we had the other week sacked us bad). upon a brief visual inspection, the motor seemed to be moving withing acceptable limits for the motor mounts when it was revved. how would i go about inspecting the tranny mounts? or should i not bother with that?

 

[DJ SHO]

The shakiness is from a comination of two things. 1, possible bad motor mounts, or mounts that are getting bad. 2, (which you can't do anything about and is supposed to be like this) the Torque Convertor provides 100 % torque from the engine to the wheels when locked up. It also can do this in third gear as well if O/D is off. I am assuming that the shakiness is occuring at speeds under 55, right? I used to notice mine would do the "shaking" when in 4th gear and at like 40-45 mph. Low rpm + bad motor mounts + 100 % TC lockup can lead to some vibration. I think the main probelem is the crappy motor mounts in these cars. Even in the ATX, they don't last as long as we'd like. And most of us do get into it once and a while so this doesn't help. But I do remember when my ATX had like 48k on it that it never did the shaky thing, but it started when the mounts were broke (after like 85k or so). I didn't beat the crap out of that car but I did get into it once and a while. So my suggestion is new mounts. Even if the other ones look ok, they might still be weak and on their way out.

<small>[ February 25, 2003, 01:20 PM: Message edited by: DJ SHO ]</small>

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

DJ SHO, unforunately it occurs at any speed, but like i said not all the time. ive had it happen at 45mph, 65mph, etc. but i do intend to check and/or change out the motor mounts as soon as the temps rise, or when i can get access to a heated garage. thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Jayman]

This problem is common to many Ford slushboxes. There have been many service bulletins on this condition and your local dealer can provide input for you. This is more than likely a transmission condition and it occurs usually when the transmission fluid is warm, tranny is in high gear and under load. It may just be the overdrive itself but it should be diagnosed by a professional at a tranny shop or dealer. Be careful they don't say rebuild is in order right away though. I had a 94 Crown Vic that did the shudder and the first order of business was a power flush at the dealer. I have a friend there who performed the diagnosis and job. A true flush means running a cleaner through the tranny under pressure and ALL the lines as the problem can very often be restriction in the lines near the rad. Once completed all new fluid and filter installed and the Crown Vic ran to 250k miles perfectly until I sold her. Not everyone has this type of machine so check around before you have them do it. The dealer should charge around $100 for the job. Well worth it in my expereince.
Good Luck

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

Jayman, thanks for the tip. ill call around and see what i can find.