Hi,

My wife's 2004 Escape V6 sort of jerks forward every now and then when she starts accelerating at a stop light. Two, three jerks and then everything is okay. I'm assuming there's something with the transmission, right? Can that be fixed with a service or do we need a new tranny?

Thanks,

Ed

 

so long as its still shifting into each gear and over drive still works, the tranny still has a chance. Continued driving without addressing the problem will definitely trash it though. The problem sounds like the infamous "line pressure spike" common with the CD4E. Normal line pressure is around 50psi. When pressure spikes, it can be upward of 500psi which cracks the snap ring land on the forward or direct drive drum. Once this happens there is no other solution but to rebuild or replace the transmission ($$$).

Mine ruined itself this way in a very short time (within a day or two of this behavior). Now when put in drive it'll start in 1st, shift to 2nd fine, but when going to shift into 3rd it shifts out of 2nd and just free revs - as if I had manually shifted into neutral. I had no check engine light or flashing O/D light before OR after it went out, either.


If I were you, I'd do an advanced search for the phrase "line pressure spike" so you're informed about the problem - that way when you take it to a shop they can't get away with feeding you a line of BS and charging you an arm and leg. If you DO wind up having it rebuilt, make sure you ask them to keep the faulty parts so that you can see for yourself that they've actually done the work they're charging you and not just reflashing the computer to correct the line pressure spike issue.

 

Well,

I did an advanced search and the only thread that I found was my own one above.

There is one additional piece of information: My wife hasn't used the O/D button in years. However, when she engaged the button, the driving smoothed out and everything seemed to be normal, even when switching back into overdrive.

She went to a shop to get the transmission flushed but they recommended NOT to do a flush because the tranny would be full with all kinds of crap and a flush would likely kill it.

What now?

 

Does the vehicle have a check engine light or as the O/D light ever blinked on/off? The crappy thing about pulling transmission related codes is that they're not stored in the computer like other codes... If a code is set, it can only be read if the vehicle is not turned off. If the O/D light has flashed, have someone read the code(s) check it out BEFORE you shut the engine off. Once turned off, the code will not be able to be read until the condition occurs again.


I would definitely NOT have the transmission flushed. If its been over 10k miles or you're not sure when it was last performed, it couldn't hurt to change out the fluid.

Here's one method: Its relatively easy since we don't have to even jack the vehicle up to perform: Unscrew the drain plug. It will drain approx. 4 quarts of fluid. Refill with 3.5 quarts of fluid, start engine and manually shift from park to 1st. With the vehicle stationary, run it through the gears slowly until back in the Park position. With the engine still running, check the fluid level and top off as needed. Doing this 3 times is generally the accepted way of replacing the old fluid with new. Keep in mind, transmission fluid level should always be checked with the vehicle at operating temperatures and in the PARK position.

Here's a link to another good way to change the fluid. In my opinion, its better than the drain/fill method, but it's a bit more involved:
CD4E Transmission Fluid Change - Ford Forums Online - Ford Discussion & Enthusiast Forum



I don't know why the search didn't find more, I found several pages of posts with similar issues as yours. I forget what search terms I used though.. Here's a page with lots of useful info regarding our automatic transmissions:

CD4E FAQ


There is a huge wealth of information about these transmissions since they've been in operation since 1994 - first on the 2.0L 4cly Ford Probe/Mazda 626 & MX6, then later on the 2.5L Durotec Contour/Cougar). Several upgrades/updates have been made over the years but for the most part, internally they're the same and the above information is relevant. About the only thing that doesn't apply is that we already have a descent 'external' oil cooler in our Escape/Tributes. We also have the 'new style' oil pump... the old style had gasket issues. They did beef up the CD4E trans. when they introduced the Escape/Tribute line, but its still an auto trans that was first intended for use on a sub 3000lb 4cyl powered vehicle...


Anyway, I hope this helps out, if even a little.

 

As it happens, the check engine light came on and a bad oxygen sensor was diagnosed (WITH the engine running), no transmission code, though.

I'm pretty ignorant about transmissions (among other things). If I read your post correctly, there's a difference between a flush and changing the fluid, right? A flush is not recommended but a change of the fluid is, right?

There's another thing: the expression "jerks forward" in my original post was probably a bit drastic. Now that I have driven the car myself it appears more like some small hesitations when accelerating from a stop light. Sorry about that confusion.

 

good, that doesn't sound like a tranny problem. I haven't seen a single o2 sensor failure cause stumbling or jerks, but I suppose it could. A flush done at a shop usually means the transmission is hooked up to machine and under pressure, fluid is pushed through the transmission. This can be bad, especially if you're having trans problems because it could force metal shavings into oil passages/valves etc. Just changing the fluid wouldn't do this. I wouldn't even fool with the transmission fluid unless its been 10k miles since the last change OR it is brown or burnt smelling. Fluid should be red and almost transparent.

 

The fluid hasn't been changed in ages, way over 10 k miles.

 

I had an '04 that had the hesitation/surge thing and all it turned out to be was a sticky throttle cable. Normal presure on the accelerator pedal from a stop (especially when cold) would cause nothing to happen until you would push harder on the pedal and then off you went. It was kind of dangerous and felt like it was something major.

Wasn't there a recall on the '04's for this issue? Just a thought - wouldn't hurt to look into it.

 

Dang, no one has mentioned the MAF as a possible cause of surge? They are noted for their contribution to driveability problems. Get a speck of shmutz [stuff of unknown origin] on the wires, and it goes bonkers. Another source of jerky operation is the EGR system when the valve sticks or is recalcitrant. [like that word? means irascible ..oh wait, actually, hesitant to obey..]
tom

 

Guys,

Here's an update: I drove the vehicle for some miles and found out that this thing happens only when O/D is on. It's sort of a rapid (two to three times) disengaging/engaging clutch when I start driving on a stop light. It's kind of hard to describe. The feeling is very similar to the ABS rattling if you know what I mean.