Overdrive "off' light blinking

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Dec 6, 2003 | 12:10 PM

ssr1126

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Overdrive "off' light blinking

I have a 1998 F150 4x4 auto with a 4.6L engine with 160,000 miles on it. It's been running fine, but my 'off' light for my overdrive (located on the shifter arm) started blinking the other day. If I turn the engine off and back on the light goes out and if I accelerate at a steady speed it doesn't come on, but if I push it the light comes on at about 45 - 55 mph. The truck doesn't run any different, the light just blinks. I took it to a mechanic that put it on a computer to pull the codes and they say my solenoids are shot and I'm looking at a $1500 repair bill. The truck has high mileage, but like I said it runs great and I just wanted to check to see if there was any good advice out there of alternatives before plunking down that kind of money. Will it do further damage and raise my bill if I continue to run it? Thanks so much for your help. Sandy

Dec 6, 2003 | 01:28 PM

AjRagno

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From: Mpls

Do you know what the code was? Bad solenoids do not = rebuild. If you were to replace all the solenoids (there are only 4) in the valve body, it would only cost about $100.00 in parts. If that is your mechanic's diagnosis and recommendation, you should get another opinion. See if you can get the codes and post them here.

There is definitely someting wrong too. That's why the light is blinking. Driving with a transmission malfunction may also cause damage so you want to address this asap.

Last edited by AjRagno; Dec 6, 2003 at 01:32 PM.

Dec 6, 2003 | 04:18 PM

ssr1126

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Thanks so much for your reply. I just lined it up to get a second opinion.

Dec 11, 2003 | 12:03 PM

scottskingdom

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having same exact problem- please let us know what it turned out to be.

Dec 12, 2003 | 05:46 PM

ssr1126

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still looking at it, but they say it might just be the solenoids need to be replaced. Mechanic was suprised at how well it runs for the mileage it has. I'll let you know.

Dec 13, 2003 | 11:27 AM

gto78

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i had a similar problem in a 93 diesel. After the light came on it would SLAM into each gear. Had to reset the computer each time to fix it. The final cure was to replace the torque converter, the shift select sensor, and some sensor in the valve body. It never once acted up after that.

Dec 13, 2003 | 09:34 PM

daveee

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I had the same issue on a Ford Probe I have. The problem turned out to be the spedometer cable. This also caused the transmission to not shift properly. Road speed is one of the inputs to electronically controlled transmissions. In my case I needed to replace the lower speedo cable. It was located very close to a heat source and was protected by a heat shield foil that had slipped out of place. Good luck