Variety Of 1998 SlowStar Problems

psychpike · 07-18-2006, 10:21 AM

Hello,

We've bought our POS money-pit Slowstar new in '97 - it's actually a '98 model year with a 3.8L engine. I hate this van. We've put almost $4K into front end and suspension repair work over the last year, and just when we thought we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel our mechanic hits us with more bad news:

1. The fuel gauge is stuck on full. He tells me that the sending unit is integral to the fuel pump & filter assembly, and so we have to drain and remove the fuel tank and replace the pump and filter. Cost is $1100. Is this for real?

2. An intermittent squeak from the front end that is apparently the bearings in the water pump. $460.

3. Now the big one. The transmission won't shift into overdrive on the highway and the overdrive light starts to flash. The failure occured when I passed a vehicle on the road - it kicked down into third when I stepped on the accelerator to pass, and never went back into OD. The only stored code is a PO734 relating to an incorrect gear ratio. Actually, I've driven it for about 1400 km since the failure first occurred, and other than really crappy fuel economy it hasn't been a problem, although my mechanic says it could crater at any time.

Any guidance for any of these concerns is appreciated.

Thanks,
Doug

psychpike · 07-20-2006, 10:06 AM

Here's a follow-up. I've ordered a fuel module from Rock Auto in the States - it's going to save me about $250.00 in parts costs for the identical Carter part. Apparently Carter won't warranty the part unless the fuel tank is completely drained and steam-cleaned, and the fuel filter replaced. Rather than the $1100.00 my engine mechanic wanted, it's going to be closer to $750.00 going this route.

The transmission is a different story. It has been diagnosed as an internal valve failure related to a planetary failure. It's going in for complete repair next Wednesday, so they won't know how tight the complete geartrain is until they get it apart. They've given me a preliminary estimate of $2000 - $2700 depending on the extent of needed repairs.

Sigh.

Flyingjackal456 · 07-26-2006, 02:04 PM

always get a second of third opinion before you let your mechanic do anything your not sure of...and by that i mean take it to another garage

Death to Ford · 07-27-2006, 02:27 PM

My van problems all started when that OD light began flashing

My transmission needed to be changed when it started blinking and the van has been garbage ever since

psychpike · 07-28-2006, 07:36 AM

Hi Everyone,

I got my van back from the transmission shop yesterday. Unfortunately I forgot to bring the work order with me so I don't have a complete breakdown of what was done, but among the highlights were:

The drum was shot. I saw it - the bands had worn almost all the way through in one spot. Obviously the bands needed to be replaced as well.

All the clutch rings were pitted and burnt. Broken wave ring. All the valves were worn to the point of failure. The ECU controller was bad. Let's see, what else...ah, whatever, there was a ton of stuff worn and broken. They replaced the speedometer module as a matter of course. Although my speedo hadn't yet failed, it was in the failure window, and apparently it's expensive to replace if it goes all of a sudden. This is actually kind of important - the speedo module sits at the end of the tranny right next to the HOT cat converter, and they tend to fail after roughly 200K. This module is one of the inputs to the computer that controls the shift points, so if it fails it can affect the way your vehicle performs, not just stop showing speed.

Anyway, I got it back. This rebuild has also fixed the transmission shudder I was having for a few years. Final cost was $2469 including taxes. It actually would have cost more than that, but the guy at the transmission shop wouldn't go over the maximum he had quoted me. I'm not happy with the cost, but I'm happy with the service.

Flyingjackal456 · 07-30-2006, 10:07 AM

My 98 WS had a drive shaft snap, i took it to Aamco to have the thing serviced, They got it working for a little

Then it was shifting really wierd and began to really cluck around, luckily i took aamco's lifetime warantee thing, they attempt to do something to it, then it breaks again, eventually i figure out why it keeps breaking.

It turns out they put a 98 Fort escort transmission program in the computer, so after i yelled at them, they ordered the revised ford 98 WS program and now it's been fine ever since, 271,000 Miles (436,132 Km) and counting