Protégé Transmission Slips in R

[Jonny Z]

Okay, sister’s lemon-mobile is acting up again.

This car has a F4AEL four-speed auto transmission. 6 months and 2000 miles ago it was rebuilt w/ a new torque converter. The issue that brought it in for the rebuilt was that it had a slipping start, in D and R, the motor would rev and nothing would happen and all the sudden it acted like someone dumped the clutch and jumped.

The shop managed to break the mounting hole on the aluminum transmission case by cross threading the bolt, and denied responsibility. I argued with them for weeks and they finally repaired the case by welding some aluminum back on, and put in a new helicoil. When I picked up the car, I was told that the manager that I argued with was no longer employed there, because some “misunderstanding” w/ the owner. I wondered if my case had something to do with it.

Today the car is slipping in R AGAIN. I put it in R and the car does not move. Give it more gas and it jumps. It shifts fine in D. The fluid level is a little over filled.

The rebuild job is still under warranty. However, given my history with this particular shop, I am a little hesitant to take it back. What could be the issue? Do you recommend I bring it back to the same shop?

 

[vizvo]

quote:

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The rebuild job is still under warranty. However, given my history with this particular shop, I am a little hesitant to take it back. What could be the issue? Do you recommend I bring it back to the same shop?

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Darn right you should bring it back! Don't let them intimidate you. You have a warranty. That is part of the deal you all made with them. They have to honor their deal. Don't worry about what they think or what they say. This transmission has problems that must be rectified by the terms of the sales agreement.

By the way, transmission shops deal with "come backs" all the time. Automatic transmissions are finicky beasts. A slipped seal, a binding valve, the wrong spring, etc. etc.--many small things to go wrong which often result in major trouble. You won't be the first "come back" for them, or the last . . .

 

[Jonny Z]

I am not intimidated by them. My concern is, given how much he!! I gave them last time, they might just bandaid the problem until warranty is over. I have very little confidence in their honesty and ability right now. This is my sister's car. She drives it to college in College Station, TX. She has zero mechanical ability and I need it to be safe and reliable.

Anyways, I am going to bring it back tomorrow. It does little good for me to sit and think about it while the warranty ticks away. If I have to raise he!! again I will do it all over again.

 

[vizvo]

I pulled out one of my reference books. I don't have a direct reference for the F4AEL but I do have one on the Ford 4EAT which is essentially the same transmission, and which was used on various models of the Escort, Probe, Tracer, and Capri.

One possibility might be what Ford calls the MLP - Manual Lever Position switch. This controls the reverse/neutral operation of the transmission. It might be out of adjustment--it is an external adjustment so It would appear to be a simple procedure for them. Another possibility is the selector linkage. Otherwise the problem would seem to be in the reverse clutch or its controlling circuits which would entail removing the transmission.

Let me ask you this: after you get it to engage in reverse, does it stay in reverse, or does it drop out by itself when you back off the gas? If it stays in reverse when you back off the gas, it might be that the manual selector switch is misaligned. If it drops out of reverse when you back off the gas, it might be a hydraulic sealing problem--a bad o-ring, leaking gasket, etc.

If you have access to a scan tool, you might be able to pull some transmission codes, and see what they say.

 

[Jonny Z]

The car would have trouble getting back to go in reverse, once I braked and stop it.

Also, take off in D seems a little sudden. It acts like it is low on fluid - but it is in fact a little over filled.

Back to the shop it goes.

 

[Jonny Z]

UPDATE:
Took it in Monday and got it back Tuesday. They were nice about it. The tech said some valve body was sticking and he had to loosen it and clean it. He made some other adjustments, changed the fluid, and re-gasketed the pan. So far it is shifting very well.

 

[vizvo]

Hey JonnyZ, thanks for the update. Glad it worked out great for you. Your sister owes you a steak dinner and some of your favorite beverage to wash it down!