I just bought a 2001 Sable LS, with the Duratec engine. It only had 40,889 miles on it when I bought it. I have had it for four days now. The transmission seems to have these weird hiccups when I'm just cruising. It almost feels like it wants to shift, but doesn't. If I get on it, it will go through the gears just fine. It doesn't slip or stutter at all. My 2004 Taurus with the Duratec acted similar, but usually when it was shifting. It now has 174,000 miles on it and no transmission work. I am going to have the transmission flushed this weekend. Any ideas on what it might be. Thanks
Tran needs fluid exchange every 30K miles. If you are much late, may need to do it repeated. Filter at 150K if you have exchanged the pan fluid every 30K, if not done filter is important before 150K. No shop worth it's salt will flush a tranny. My Lin Cont manual has a warning about flushing.
For me, I use a 2Q glass jar with hoses and suck the fluid out the dip stick and replace the fluid. Takes me ~20 minutes. Takes ~6Q to do it. Saves a lot to remove the vent cap and clean it, leave it off while adding fluid. Remember to put it back, only on the firse bulge and it should be wobbly loose on the nipple. Need a tran fluid funel. Only Mercon V.
Yep, what he said. Drop the pan, replace the filter and fluid and u should see an improvement. With barely 41,000 miles, I wouldn't be surprised if the previous owner never did it.
mileage is so low he might get away just change out the old fluid?
ATF must be 15years old on this guy.
if uphill and accelerate properly it might not be something big.
Well, there is no drain plug in the transmission pan, so I could not do it myself. I took it to Tires Plus (Firestone) to have the pan dropped, filter replaced, transmission flushed, and new fluid put back in. They use a fluid called Versa, and they said it is compatible with the Mercon V. All I know is, the transmission is working great now. Thanks for the replies.
My '03 Wagon someone has overtightened two of the screws and rounded the hex off. I will likely have to use my Rotozip with thin wheel and make a screw cut in them. Sometimes, maybe too often used car has been botched by Pepboys or others.
They make rubber plugs you drill a hole and put a plug in it. I have seen couple at the JY.
But I prefer sucking it out the dip stick tube. I just raise the hood and go after it, no need to use my ramps or jack. Pull the vent tube cap and remember to put it back.
The 2001 Sable that I have sat for long periods. I just bought it a couple of months ago. I believe they had the wrong transmission fluid in there, or it was just bad. It was still nice and red. After I had all of the fluid flushed and changed, the transmission was good. I did suspect a small misfire. I drove for a couple of days with my code reader hooked up to the car, and it never threw a code. A week and a half ago, it finally threw a code. Cylinder 3 was misfiring. This past weekend I replaced the plugs, plug wires, coil pack, and the fuel injectors. I also suspected something wrong with the injectors because the car sat. After the tune up I just gave it, it's running like a totally different car. I am very happy., However, my transmission has an occasional slightly rough shift. But it sure is running good.
Edit, the car only had 40,000 miles on it when I bought it. It was hardly ever driven.
Might be way, have sometimes heard of cars sitting for long periods of time and having various rubber/plastic seals/parts start to deteriorate and break down from not being used often or hear cycled.
Thing to remember, is these autoboxes operate on hydraulic pressure, so if the ATF hasn't been changed in a loooooong time, it's likely that the filter is all gunked up and fluid flow is restricted, leading to low pressures....which can contribute to shifting issues and slipping because there isn't quite enough pressure to properly engage and hold the clutches.
When I had my transmission flushed, I had the filter replaced also. I stood right there and watched them do it. The tune-up I just did has been better than I expected. When I first bought the car, I was getting less than 20 mpg. After a few weeks of driving it, it got up to almost 22mpg. I am now getting just under 24 mpg. I don't know what to think about the transmission. If I get on it, it will go right through the gears without a problem. It's when I'm just driving normal that it will sometimes shift funny. What does everyone think it could be?
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum
1.2M posts
85.9K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to the Ford Taurus and SHO models, Mercury Sable and Lincoln MKS. Join the discussions on EcoBoost, aftermarket performance, and more!