no 2nd gear or od

[nickolas]

I have a 1998 Windstar with a rebuilt trans with around 30k miles on it. It shifts fine until it gets hot then it doesnt want to shift into 2nd gear, it will go from 1st to 3rd and then the od light starts blinking and it wont go into od after that either. I am going to change fluid and filter but would like to know what would cause this problem so I can fix it while the fluid is out if it is an internal problem. The warranty is up on trans so am trying to fix myself. Thanks in advance for your help.

[nickolas]

All the trans problems everyone has with these things, and nobody has any ideas on how to fix this or what is causing it? I searched the forum and didnt see any problems like mine listed. I need to fix this.

[vindctar]

Nickolas, sorry to hear about your tranny problem. Rebuilt tranny on my 1996 had also failed around 30k miles.

If the tranny oil is of normal color and does not smell burnt, there is no need to change it; just check & maintain the level. If overheating alone is causing the tranny to slip, you may consider installing an auxilliary tranny cooler.

Flashing OD means that the tranny should have thrown a trouble code. Before you do anything, I would recommend you have the codes read to figure out the exact problem. Please, make sure you use a code reader that is able to read tranny codes; not all readers, say at free code reader shops, are able to do this. You may want to have the codes read at a specialty tranny shop.

Some folks on this forum have had a good experience with tranny rebuilds done at AAMCO. So, if you do end up with another rebuild, consider taking your Windstar to AAMCO.

Good luck.

[nickolas]

The fluid was still red and smelled like the new stuff but since it hasnt been changed since the rebuild and was nearing the 30k mile mark I changed it and the filter anyway, but it didnt help the shifting. I am going to test the trs and see if it needs replaced. I hope it doesnt need rebuilt again.

[vindctar]

Have the codes read too!!!