Tranny dying, last ditch efforts?

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Back in March of last year, my 1993 Ford Taurus was having Transmission issues, (including a somewhat gaudy wardrobe). After some extensive counseling, I decided medication was in order.

First things first. A filter change followed by a complete fluid change.

I followed this by adding two bottles of Lucas transmission fix. Nothing happened.

A bottle of Lubegard silver was next. Nothing happened.

A bottle of Lubegard red soon followed. Things actually got worse, (slipping, surging, banging into gear).

A bottle of "Seafoam Transfix" was a last resort. Literally, within two miles of adding the Seafoam, the transmission started working like the day it was born. Shifted well and smooth, no grabbing or pondering between gears, (should I go to 3rd or 4th).

Quickly thereafter, said "Bluesmobile" was back to wearing man pants and jean jackets and chewing a big plug of "Redman." It's been running on this unholy brew ever since with no transmission issues whatsoever.
 
A little more info on my transmission that might help you. The way I flushed the transmission was by using a cheapy plastic hand pump. You snake one tube down the filler pipe and the other into a gallon jug. You can get about three quarts at a time out that way. Pump out, replace fluid, drive, pump out, replace fluid, drive. I went through 15 quarts of fluid that way. I also used the cheapest Dex III fluid I could find. The additives came after that.

A word of warning about the water pump. I did mine myself on my '93 Taurus - took me nine (9) hours.
 
I have two of these. Yes,as mentioned, 30,000 mile fluid/filter changes with Mercon V is proper maintenance.

There are a couple of sensors that can go bad. The vent can get plugged and puke out fluid. I make sure mine is clear every time I change the fluid.

I have seen good used transmissions for sale at around $250.
 
The Taurus with the Duratec engine had the better AX4N transmission, the Vulcan's had the weaker AX4S transmission. Also I think the 03's had bad transmissions also, something about the spline, 04+ was better and also 01-02.
 
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
[/quote]Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm all ears.

What's a guaranteed reliable replacement car in the $4,000 - $$6,000 range?
 
The only other "fix" I can think of is to place, another, transmission cooler in the cooler line.

It already has one, I too own a 2002 Ford Taurus with the Vulcan, 198,000 miles currently.

The extra cooler will keep the transmission cooler, and the fluid slightly thicker.
It is relatively easy, and for $20-$30 could extend the life of your transmission.

I too would do one more Drain and Fill of the Transmission, put in Maxlife and 1-2 bottles of Lubegard Red. It may help, and it may hurt.
You never really know until you try.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
RF Overlord said:
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Quote:

I'm all ears.

What's a guaranteed reliable replacement car in the $4,000 - $$6,000 range?


Don't ask that, your daughter will end up with a Crown Vic.

Can't you get a 4cyl Fusion or Malibu 6~8 years old for 6000?
Click to expand...
 
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My corvette's 700R4 got so bad it wouldn't go into gear. It started out as shudder then slippage then a reluctance to go into gear. When it got to the point where it wouldn't move at all, I dropped the pan and changed the filter and used regular Autozone Dex/Merc but it still didn't want to do much. I went ahead and put Lucas Transmission Fix in as I had nothing to lose. Let it idle for an hour or so to get hot and give it time to circulate and work. It went into gear and drove. It worked itself out over the next few days and went back to normal tire chirping shifts.

That was 6 years ago. I just recently did a couple of suck out and fills to remove the Lucas. We'll see if it continues to behave itself without the Lucas.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm all ears.

What's a guaranteed reliable replacement car in the $4,000 - $$6,000 range? [/quote]

Nothing guaranteed....
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm all ears.

What's a guaranteed reliable replacement car in the $4,000 - $$6,000 range? [/quote]

Toyota Corolla.
 
If your trans if really showing signs of slippage, then Maxlife and LG Red is the worst thing you can do to it. Maxlife's viscosity at 100C is now down to a starting value of 6.1cSt and LG Red is a friction modifier (meaning it will reduce friction).

What you need is a good, thick transmission fluid like Castrol IMV. It's initial 100C viscosity is >8 cSt. And maybe add some of the Lucas Trans Fix to that to thicken it up even more. An even bolder step would be to go 50/50 Castrol IMV and a Type F fluid.

Then trade it in while it's functioning correctly.
 
This is a rare case where I would suggest Lucas transmission additive. It is thick and goopy and basically raises line pressure by being more stubborn to leak through seals and cracks. I'm running it in our minivan and it has stabilized a /nasty/ 4-3 shift that is a known issue from low pressure in these units.

The ultimate last ditch is to add 2 tbsp of brake fluid. It WILL swell the seals and buy you a few months. After that, the seals WILL disintegrate and the trans WILL be completely, 100%, done in.

Let us know if you try either of these. I would not hesitate to try the lucas, in THIS situation. Could get a year out of it...
 
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
I have two of these. Yes,as mentioned, 30,000 mile fluid/filter changes with Mercon V is proper maintenance.

There are a couple of sensors that can go bad. The vent can get plugged and puke out fluid. I make sure mine is clear every time I change the fluid.

I have seen good used transmissions for sale at around $250.



I've done the snorkel TSB fix, it replaces the metal cap on vent that get stuck with a nipple attached to a rubber tubes chimney with a snorkel top (and zip tie that hold it in place). Cost about $17 from the dealer for the nipple and about $3 worth of tubing.
 
A 2002 with 120K is not an old vehicle. I would give one of the cleaners like Transmedic or Seafoam a shot followed by a pan drop and filter using one of the thicker ATF's. Castrol High Mileage ATF is one such fluid (thicker than their IMV).

PS: As far as I know Lubegard Red is NOT a friction modifier. The other colors of LG are but LG Red doesn't change the fluid's frictional characteristics.
 
Thanks for the comments and interesting discussion. To answer a few points:

Besides the mechanics diagnosis in my OP, my daughter told me it does not shift above 1st. gear. The mechanic also test drove it.

-A 12 year old car in Michigan is an old car, considering the pot holes and salt.

- The combined needed repairs approaching $2,000 (used, unknown transmission, new water pump, struts/shocks, AND other stuff) makes it a high risk gamble. Safety and reliability are factors.

- The car was reasonably maintained, but not BITOG level.

-Replacements. Corolla??? There are extremely few on Craigslist in mid MI and most in the $5-$6,000 range are over 150,000 miles, 10 year old cars. The used car market here is astonishing (to me).

- Still deciding if I will waste $100 on a fluid/snakeoil trial. Even with a heated shop, the weather here is so nasty cold again.......

Thanks again for the ideas. Some of the transmission "snakeoil" anecdotes are helpful and are tugging at my "give it the old college try" curiosity. The search is on for another car.

My daughter is a 35 year old RN, fairly self reliant, but with the challenges of being a (tragic) single mom and all that entails.
 
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