Hi all,
I'm new here. I searched as many posts as my eyes would letr me, for about 2 hours. Many people have posted about my same problem but I haven't seen any answers yet.

Here it is. I have a 1990 Aerostar 3.0l automatic

My fluid was low the other day. enough that when I started up a small grade I lost all tranny response. accept in reverse. once I backed down the hill I had nothing even reverse vanished. I figured the fluid must be low. (Not being on a level I couldn't tell)

I found a farmer up the street that had some "universal hydraulic and transmission fluid" I put in about 2 litres

to my suprise, it worked. BUT ...

everything is slipping real bad. if I touch the overdrive gear with the selector it slips in all gears. won't move in OD. won't start in Drive unless you start it in first and rev it up slightly to much and it slips freely. once you pamper the throttle in first and get rolling its like something dries up and 1st 2nd and drive will now work. Untill the next time you stop and put it in park.

every time I want to go any where I need to baby the throttle for a 1/4 mile then 1,2 & 3 work fine (Like NEW!) if I never take it out of drive all day it acts like a new transmission. real tight. the minute I take it out of drive, I have to start all over again.

to remedy this I figured the fluid I used wasn't mercon so I had it flushed and replaced with Canadian Tire dextron III/mercon.

I just did it and when driving home it's still slipping. Anyone have any suggestions???? and yes there is 1 small leak that has been there for 2 years from one of the servo caps.

My wife and I like this van (we have 2 kids)
I'm deciding wether or not to buy the van for $300, while testing it for a week this all happened.

 

what kind fo flush did you get? some places will only drop the pan to replace the filter, which will only evacuate 3-4 quarts or so the tranny holds in the pan...

This will *not* get rid of the rest of the contaminated fluid in the torque conv. and other areas int he tranny.

some places offer something called ttech (transmission tech) flush, they hook up a device to the tranny cooler lines that injects brand new fluid as it sucks out the old.

Even if you did get a full flush I would reflush again and if not done before get a filter change. (make sure shop is reputable and knows how to mount filter *properly*)

mixing the incorrect fluid would indeed cause the problems you described and could potentially/eventually harm the clutches and bands friction materials due to the incorrect friction properties of the fluid. The friction material in the bands and clutches has an affinity to retain fluid, so it may take an extra flush and some very gentle driving until the correct fluid has a chance to counteract the older contaminated one in the friction surface materials in the clutches and bands.

 

They did use a machine, hooked up to the lines. They pumped in the new fluid. I'm gonna try driving it gently for a few days and see if it comes back if not I'll try another flush.