03 Windstar transmisson issue AX4N

[jsge090]

I've read a lot of information on this site and others regarding how crappy Windstar's transmissions are. I now find myself in the same situation as many of others on here.

My wife's 03 Windstar with 125k miles had the 'check transmission' memo come up in the driver info center. It also had the o/d light flashing. This happened intermittenly for a day or two. I drove it Wed night there were no messages or flashing o/d light. It shifted fine and ran just like normal.

Friday after work she was taking the kids for pizza and got stranded at a stoplight. It was just like being in neutral. If we turned it off for a few minutes and then started it up again it would drive normally for about 2 or 3 minutes. We left it in a parking lot and I went to pick it up with a buddy around 11pm. I got in and it drove normally for about 1 mile. Then the same thing happened. No matter what gear you put it in, there was zero engagement of the transmission.

The fluid does not smell burnt. It is not bright red, but more of a brownish red. I had the fluid and filter changed at 62k.

I pulled the pan and there are no chunks of metal. The magnet in the bottom of the pan has some metal 'dust' on it, but I would expect there to be some do to normal wear and tear.

OK, now the question.
1. Could it be the transmission shift control solenoid or the pressure control solenoid? What would the symptoms be if one of these was bad?
2. Bad torque converter?

If I check the fluid level after the problem occurs it is too high. If you keep checking it immediately you can see it gradually start to go down.
Could it be the pump or torque converter?

I rebuilt a TH350 in college for a hydraulics class project. Does someone know if this one is any more complex?

Thanks for all the help!
Money is an issue so hopefully this can be something simple and cheap. Wishfull thinking probably.
John

[TheBobsHere]

You might want to buy or borrow a code reader/scanner and try to pull any codes stored in the PCM, hopefully that'll help point you in the right direction. Unless you already disconnect the battery that is, in which case you're in the dark now.

[jsge090]

Thanks! I'll try that. Left the battery hooked up thus for so hopefully I can get the codes pulled.

[g weese]

jsge09 we'll i guess your having the same day as me! i have 2005 ford taurus with AX4N tranny. same as you explained i drove 25 miles to work my wife dropped me off and just after leaving the parking lot. the car decided not togo anymore. like you said no matter where the shifter is it's like being in neutral. except mine didn't move since.
this is what i've done so far.
code reader (nothing) it was clear
fluid level (great) a little browner than yours
took off trans cooler line and no fluid (not pumping)
so that's my day so far.
my next step is to find out every thing there is to know about the pump!

[jsge090]

Let me know what you find and I'll do the same.
Thanks!
John

[theoldwizard]

These transmissions have a bad habit of shearing off splines or breaking the input shaft. Your "no engagement" has likely already worn material of of some of the clutches which means it is all downhill from here.

A bit more complicated than a TH350 (it is 4 speeds). Biggest challenge is getting it out. Typically the whole engine transmission cradle is dropped out the bottom.

[jsge090]

Thanks for the reply. I'm comfortable with the removal via dropping it from underneath. I'm a little leary to get started on that though if it's a solonoid issue. If the van sits for 3 or 4 minutes it drives normally and shifts fine with no slipping. That only last for about a mile though. I'm thinking about trying new soloenoids first before tearing into anything. If it ends up not fixing the problem then I'll have new solonoids for after I get done with the overhaul.

[theoldwizard]

Originally Posted by jsge090

I'm a little leary to get started on that though if it's a solonoid issue.

There are some places on the net that sell rebuilt valve bodies with all new solenoids for a couple hundred bucks.

Here is a long thread from a Taurus Forum. Basically the same transmission.

Symptoms: My 96 AX4N transmission would hesitate engaging at a stop sign and eventually completely failed with no forward or reverse gears. There was absolutely no engagement, so the clutch pack was not suspected as a problem.
.
.
.
Final Cause: It wasn't until after I got the car apart that I discovered the real cause of my problem. All of the symptoms pointed to the control valve. However, I discovered that the pump shaft had sheered and the pump was fouled up with metal pieces. There was enough friction between the two halves of the broken shaft to make the pump turn slightly, and this is why I didn't detect it earlier.

[g weese]

dropped tranny out, it was the torque converter, it stripped out for the pump. no sound no warning nothing, just be real careful tranny shop will want or say it needs to be rebuilt. but in fact it is only the torque converter that they replace. and probably around $3000.00 for a $200.00 part! it is common the torque converter strips out. a sunday afternoon project. if you take your tranny out spin your t-coverter and listen you might hear like a clicking noise. if so dump all trans fluid out, get a flashlight and look inside ,look for 3 sets of splines a inner(large), a middle(medium), and outer(smallest) , the smallest one should be your pump spline

[GraybeardAv]

Thanks for reporting back. Did you drop the engine and all?