Hello all

I am wondering what could cause this - I have a auto tranny... its a U on the certificate on the truck (i have a 97).
I can go about 30 mph - thats the fastest i can go or the engine would rev like its in neutral. I turn the over drive off and its fine (only running in 1st and 2nd gears) Im wondering where is the 3rd gear? Its not even trying upshifting from 2nd to 3rd.

I checked the fluid - full and a pinkish color. I though if I turned the overdrive off it disables 4th gear from engaging. But in my case it stays in first and seccond.

Thanks

 

uhh...thats in my auto book...let me check...(automotive excellence)...I hope this helps you out some...

Pink or Milky Fluid...Coolant or moisture contamination in fluid that is not oxidized makes the fluid appear milky or pink. Water entering through the transmission vent or dipstick tube can cause moisture contamination. Check the cowl or hood seal area to be certain water is not getting past the seal and dripping onto the dipstick tube.
Check the windshield washer nozzles to be sure they are not dripping onto the dipstick tube. Also, check the washer bottle vent. When the engine compartment temperature rises, the washer fluid expands. If the bottle vent is missing or plugged, washer fluid will drip from the washer nozzles. From there it can drip onto the dipstick tube.
Moisture may get into the transmission if the vehicle is operated in adverse weather conditions. Moisture may also enter through an improperly located vent.
The drive chain used on most front-wheel-drive transaxles is very sensitive to moisture contamination. Moisture casues rust to form internally on the chain's drive links. This causes wear.
Generally, a light water contamintion will not damage a transmission. The water will boil off as the transmission temperature rises. If the contamination is severe, all of the water vaporamy not escape from the transmission vent. When its cool, the water vapor condenses on the inside of the transmission or transaxle. This results in repeat contamination.

 

Is your O/D light flashing? If there is a problem with your transmission, a sensor should pick up on it and turn on the TCIL.

You have a 4R70W transmisson. The O/D switch simply keeps the transmission from shifting into 4th gear, so pressing that button will not have any bearing on whether it goes into 3rd or not.

I'm thinking of 2 possibilities here

#1:

If I recall correctly, the 4R70Ws 1-2 & 2-3 shifts are controlled by shift pistons and a shift solenoid. The solenoid is electronic and the pistons are mechanical. We're not talking about bands here, so you should be able to fix this without having to rebuilt.

#2:

Your transmission gear selector is off and instead of putting the transmission in drive as indicated, you are actually moving too far and selecting 2nd gear. This has been known to happen.

Is the O/D light flashing? If the light is flashing, you have a malfunction. If the light is not flashing, you have most likely shifted the transmission into 2nd gear instead of drive.

 

I really appreciate the info !

1987_f150 - Thanks for the help - I tried looking for a contamination through the dip stick and found nothing....
(I have a 97 F150 2wd)

AjRagno, I wish it was that easy (as far as possibility of #2) Its in drive when this happens.
I have no flash on the overdrive light. Before I "lost" the third gear, It down shifted to first and I was going about 35- 40 mph... It did this when it was raining exceptionaly hard I don't know what could have caused this. Its not shifting out of seccond to third. I thought since the O/D light isnt blinking... its placed itself into a limp mode?
Thanks again!

 

If this is a sensor or mechanical problem, the O/D light should be flashing. That is why I suggested you make sure the gear indicator is accurate.

Since this began in the rain, that may be a clue. I had water in my wiring harness last winter after going through the car wash. That caused slipping while shifting from 2nd-3rd gear.

If you crawl under your truck, the bulk head connector (main transmission wiring harness) is on the passenger side of the transmission. You can disconnect it and look at the terminals with a flashlight to see if they're corroded or have water on them that is causing a short. The connection is mounted vertically, so if water gets in there it has no place to go. If there is corrosion on the terminals, Brakeleen is a very good cleaner for this.

Your TCIL really should be flashing. That's why I'm still wondering about your gear indicator. If you can't get this straightened out, go to a transmission shop and ask them to scan for codes.

You can also try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes to see if the computer resets.

 

Thanks!

I'll look when it stops' raining here. I did take it to a tranny shop in the begining of October. They told me its gonna need a rebuild. The gave me a code of PO740 .... I looked at www.alldatadiy.com for a explanation of the code and the closest code it had was a po743 .
I tried resetting the computer and no luck....
If anyone needs anything for a 97 F 150 2wd..... as far as diagrams and such... I can get it

Thanks AjRagno

 

P0740=Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Malfunction

Transmission Fluid level, Torque Converter Clutch, Torque Converter Clutch solenoid, Transmission Fault, Engine Control Module or Transmission Control Module

P0743 is also an electrical problem with the TCC solenoid. P0740 indicates that your torque converter clutch isn't engaging.

Before you rebuild, do take a good look at the wiring harness. P0740 may be a electrical malfunction related to the torque converter clutch solenoid. If this is a mechanical problem, it should be evident when you drop the pan and see that it's filled with metal shavings, so you may want to drop the pan. It may be a good idea to drop the pan anyway if there is no obvious problem with the wiring on the outside. It could be that the TCC solenoid connection is loose inside the transmission. Your alldatdiy account will show you exactly where the TCC solenoid is. You'll see it as soon as you remove the pan.

 

Another place for water contamination in the transmission cooler in the radiator.

 

Thanks alot!


I will be checking that in the morning. I could not find that code anywhere.!! I will post results later.
Any tips for when I drop the pan?


Thanks again

 

Just to add another confusing thought in an already confusing matter, as a Ford trans tech myself I have seen a couple things that could cause this. Taking the info I have from you one key clue that popped out to me is the water intrusion possibilty but not internal but in the TR sensor or as some call it neutral safety switch. In the mid 90's (97 included) we had a problem with water getting in and shorting the circuitry and it would not set a code because all that was happening was it was making the pcm think you were in man2 so it never would command third or fourth. Another thing to keep in mind in testing the trans id when you are driving pay attention after it shifts in to 2nd does it ever attemp to shift into third or not? What I am thinking is direct clutch failure. If this is the case with o/d turned off the 2-3 shift will never occur and with o/d turned on the pcm will attempted the 2-3 and when it does not occur it will then command 4th, then you will experience the neutral out feeling because the direct clutch is the driving member in 4th gear so it will not pull.
Hope this helps instead of further confuse

 

fourty03,

When you drop the pan, it's going to be messy. About 5 qts of fluid need to come out. Loosen all of the bolts and allow fluid to seep out. When it stops running out, you remove bolts at the back of the pan and allow it to hang so more fluid comes out. Expect a mess. The gasket is also reusable.


Trufordguy,

Am I right in thinking that if this is a mechanical problem such a the torque converter or direct clutch faiulure, that there will be metal shavings in the pan?

Mechanical failure=Pan full of metal?
Electrical=No metal chunks at the botton of the pan?

 

mechanical failures will leave contamination in the pan but not always metal in may just be clutch material, but on occassion I have had them leave no signs at all. But you are correct on the electrical failure.