2001 ford escape wont go into gear
 

I currently have a 2002 escape with a bad engine we bought a 2001 escape for the engine. My husband and I decided to see if it would be easier to fix the 01 escape instead ( which has transmission problems) So here's my question.

The 2001 escape has 170000 miles on it but the motor has about 120000 I believe. The problem is the guy we bought it from niece was driving it down the road and put it in overdrive and sometime after (not sure when) that it wouldn't go into gear anymore. It acts like it is in neutral in all gears. They took it to a mechanic and they told them it was the torque convertor?? Has anyone had/heard anything about this issue if so what does it sound like and could it be something easier than switching motors?? Thanks in advance

If you have to disassemble the transmission for repair, it is almost the same amount of work as swapping engines. Close, but not exactly so. Some will say pull both engine & transmission as a unit, others think it saves time to pull them individually as needed. But. If the transmission has to come apart, you have to pull the transmission. If the torque converter needs to be replaced, you can choose which to pull as the engine must be separated from the transmission to remove the torque converter.
Check the fluid level and condition in the 2001. If it is low, or had a bad odor, it likely needs internal repair if it won't engage. There are solenoids that can affect operation, and a shop can tell you if one of them has expired. One controls the pressure to the system for engaging the individual drive components. I don't know if its failure can cause total loss of drive.
tom