has anybody hear/heard about this being done?
cvt replacement seems to be the largest liability for these vehicles.
Thank you
cvt replacement seems to be the largest liability for these vehicles.
Thank you
convert ford freestyle cvt to at/stick shift?
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I'm sure it can be done, but it will probably cost almost as much as the vehicle is worth. The 3.0 Duratec Escapes/Mariners/Tribbys of that era used the CD4E -- which isn't any better.
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The Five Hundred with automatic trans came with an Aisin 6 speed automatic - like most Aisin transmissions it was pretty reliable.
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Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I'm sure it can be done, but it will probably cost almost as much as the vehicle is worth. The 3.0 Duratec Escapes/Mariners/Tribbys of that era used the CD4E -- which isn't any better.
I agree. Since the car was never offered with a MT it would be a long strange process. Especially with computer calibrations and such.
That being said the CD4E isn't bad - you just have to keep up on transmission flushes every 30k. 138k on the CD4E in the wife's Escape and it still shifts fine.
I'm sure it can be done, but it will probably cost almost as much as the vehicle is worth. The 3.0 Duratec Escapes/Mariners/Tribbys of that era used the CD4E -- which isn't any better.
I agree. Since the car was never offered with a MT it would be a long strange process. Especially with computer calibrations and such.
That being said the CD4E isn't bad - you just have to keep up on transmission flushes every 30k. 138k on the CD4E in the wife's Escape and it still shifts fine.
Originally Posted By: Miller88
The Five Hundred with automatic trans came with an Aisin 6 speed automatic - like most Aisin transmissions it was pretty reliable.
Same one used in the Fusions .
The big issue would be getting the ECM and the like right so the tranny/engine work .
That's what I hate about modern cars , too complicated and too many issues trying to swap things .
OP , I do have the CVT in my 500 which is basically the same vehicle as the Freestyle so perhaps a transplant of the tranny and /ECM from a 500 would work.
The Five Hundred with automatic trans came with an Aisin 6 speed automatic - like most Aisin transmissions it was pretty reliable.
Same one used in the Fusions .
The big issue would be getting the ECM and the like right so the tranny/engine work .
That's what I hate about modern cars , too complicated and too many issues trying to swap things .
OP , I do have the CVT in my 500 which is basically the same vehicle as the Freestyle so perhaps a transplant of the tranny and /ECM from a 500 would work.
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It could be done relatively easily, as long as the car is FWD or you convert AWD to FWD (which is easy enough, but removes the AWD).
The Ford Five Hundred came with the exact same chassis/drivetrain, but with the 6-speed Aisin as an optional transmission. You'd need the following: transmission/drive axles/PCM/top motor mount/one bottom mount/shift assembly (not the entire thing-some parts can be reused), and a new oil cooler. All of those parts are available used for very cheap. Then, you'd have to have the ECU reflashed (that's a workaround for this is you change the smart junction box as well).
I researched this pretty heavily when trying to buy a used FS with a dead tranny for very cheap (1K)-but the deal fell through. One thing to note, however is that parts are now available for the CVT transmission--and the CVT is actually quite durable. The issue is that if anything goes wrong with them, most places won't fix them. I have 150K trouble-free miles on mine and it behaves like new. The most common issue on these is failure of the input shaft (and often times just the input shaft o-ring). If you catch it early (as soon as it starts making a 'helicopter-type noise'), you can often fix the transmission without too much trouble.
So, there are a few different options should you have transmission trouble if you're willing to dig in yourself--but I think the stock CVT is actually pretty reliable as long as you don't dump the wrong fluid in there.
The Ford Five Hundred came with the exact same chassis/drivetrain, but with the 6-speed Aisin as an optional transmission. You'd need the following: transmission/drive axles/PCM/top motor mount/one bottom mount/shift assembly (not the entire thing-some parts can be reused), and a new oil cooler. All of those parts are available used for very cheap. Then, you'd have to have the ECU reflashed (that's a workaround for this is you change the smart junction box as well).
I researched this pretty heavily when trying to buy a used FS with a dead tranny for very cheap (1K)-but the deal fell through. One thing to note, however is that parts are now available for the CVT transmission--and the CVT is actually quite durable. The issue is that if anything goes wrong with them, most places won't fix them. I have 150K trouble-free miles on mine and it behaves like new. The most common issue on these is failure of the input shaft (and often times just the input shaft o-ring). If you catch it early (as soon as it starts making a 'helicopter-type noise'), you can often fix the transmission without too much trouble.
So, there are a few different options should you have transmission trouble if you're willing to dig in yourself--but I think the stock CVT is actually pretty reliable as long as you don't dump the wrong fluid in there.
My parents have an AWD Montego with CVT. They have had 0 issues with it.
Originally Posted By: JOD
So, there are a few different options should you have transmission trouble if you're willing to dig in yourself--but I think the stock CVT is actually pretty reliable as long as you don't dump the wrong fluid in there.
This right there. We have seen a couple units go bad due to the input shaft fault, but the main cause of replacement is quickie lubes putting in a generic ATF. We actually had a Jiffy Lube say it was the customer's fault it went bad when the CVT gave up the ghost 10 feet outside their drive after putting in bulk generic ATF.
So, there are a few different options should you have transmission trouble if you're willing to dig in yourself--but I think the stock CVT is actually pretty reliable as long as you don't dump the wrong fluid in there.
This right there. We have seen a couple units go bad due to the input shaft fault, but the main cause of replacement is quickie lubes putting in a generic ATF. We actually had a Jiffy Lube say it was the customer's fault it went bad when the CVT gave up the ghost 10 feet outside their drive after putting in bulk generic ATF.
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