Transmission Problem

Black_Sunshine

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Hey guys,

I have a transmission problem with the following symptoms:

1. When I drive in D5, I get an E signal on the dash gear indicator after going 30-40 mph. The check engine light also comes on.

2. I have 2 error codes P0795 - Pressure Control Solenoid C.

3. When I drive the car shifting the gears manually, it shifts smoothly from 2nd to 3rd. When its in 3rd, it seems to shift to a 4th gear on its own, but the display still says 3rd gear.

4. When I manually shift from 3rd gear to 4th gear, the RPMs stay the same, and seems to be in the same gear.

5. When I manually shift to 5th gear, it does seem to go to 5th gear, and I can drive interstate speeds. I do notice my gas mileage is a 16mpg instead of the usual 22mpg.

6. I took it to a local shop, and they said I needed a new transmission. They quoted me $5,700-ish for a Jasper remanufactured transmission, and another $800 for labor. With taxes, it was a $7,100 quote. They told me to grab my ankles and breathe easy.

I only paid $1,400 for this car, and I spent another $2,000 rebuilding the suspension. Is there any low-cost way to fix this?
 
Hey guys,

I have a transmission problem with the following symptoms:

1. When I drive in D5, I get an E signal on the dash gear indicator after going 30-40 mph. The check engine light also comes on.

2. I have 2 error codes P0795 - Pressure Control Solenoid C.

3. When I drive the car shifting the gears manually, it shifts smoothly from 2nd to 3rd. When its in 3rd, it seems to shift to a 4th gear on its own, but the display still says 3rd gear.

4. When I manually shift from 3rd gear to 4th gear, the RPMs stay the same, and seems to be in the same gear.

5. When I manually shift to 5th gear, it does seem to go to 5th gear, and I can drive interstate speeds. I do notice my gas mileage is a 16mpg instead of the usual 22mpg.

6. I took it to a local shop, and they said I needed a new transmission. They quoted me $5,700-ish for a Jasper remanufactured transmission, and another $800 for labor. With taxes, it was a $7,100 quote. They told me to grab my ankles and breathe easy.

I only paid $1,400 for this car, and I spent another $2,000 rebuilding the suspension. Is there any low-cost way to fix this?

Sounds to me like you have a bad shift Solenoid pack which is very easy to change. Which year car do you have? A lot of these transmissions shops are gonna tell you it needs to be rebuilt. I would drop the transmission pan and check to see if any metal in the pan. If you don't see any there is a good chance just replacing the solenoid pack will fix your problem.
 
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Sounds to me like you have a bad shift Solenoid pack which is very easy to change. Which year car do you have? A lot of these transmissions shops are gonna tell you it needs to be rebuilt. I would drop the transmission pan and check to see if any metal in the pan. I would also drop the valve body and look for metal and if you don't see there is a good chance just replacing the solenoid pack will fix your problem.

Mine is a 2000 model, with 152,000 miles on it.

Would you just buy an individual solenoid? Or do you need to buy the entire valve body? See the link below:

2000 LINCOLN LS 3.9L V8 Automatic Transmission Control Unit (TCU) | RockAuto
 
Mine is a 2000 model, with 152,000 miles on it.

Would you just buy an individual solenoid? Or do you need to buy the entire valve body? See the link below:

2000 LINCOLN LS 3.9L V8 Automatic Transmission Control Unit (TCU) | RockAuto
The solenoids comes in a pack and they are made together in a block. I had issues on my 2001 LS, I did not have a solenoid code like you do but I had issues with mine shifting gears. It was delayed and would hard shift. I replaced my valve body and solenoid pack not sure if was really necessary but I did it. I also had no reverse on mine and I was thinking maybe it could have been a bad spring in the valve body so that is why I went ahead and changed both on mine. And that part is the correct one that you linked me to.
 
Dale, how difficult was that to do? Would a small scissor lift work?

Black, we need to hear if this works and if yes, you owe Dale a big steak dinner! Ha!
 
Search the posts on here from those who have done it.
It's a pain to get to the bolt on top of the transmission that goes through the electrical connector and into the solenoid assembly.
You need a pump of some sort to get the transmission fluid in after you are done.

Stay away from the chain transmission shops. Find a good local independent shop if you can't do it yourself.
 
Dale, how difficult was that to do? Would a small scissor lift work?

Black, we need to hear if this works and if yes, you owe Dale a big steak dinner! Ha!
We did mine on jack stands. The main thing is make sure the car is as level as possible when re-filling the transmission fluid. Took a few hours total in the end!
 
I'm going to try and do this myself. I'm a graduate of the YouTube school of mechanics, LOL. :)

It looks like on the 5R55N, you have to buy a special nipple for the pan to pump the fluid into the transmission, and then there is some procedure for it to drip back out at a certain rate. Looks complicated. I am studying up. Heaven forbid you just be able to pour it in from the top.
 
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I'm going to try and do this myself. I'm a graduate of the YouTube school of mechanics, LOL. :)

It looks like on the 5R55N, you have to buy a special nipple for the pan to pump the fluid into the transmission, and then there is some procedure for it to drip back out at a certain rate. Looks even more complicated than the coolant system air bleed. I am studying up. Heaven forbid you just be able to pour it in from the top.
We used a basic hand pump that goes on the quart bottles of Transmission fluid. You could also use a garden sprayer if you cut the sprayer part off the hose.
 
Dale - Did you buy a nipple for the pan and pump it from the bottom into the pan? If so, where did you get the nipple? Or did you use the hand pump and pump it in through the dipstick port?
 
Dale - Did you buy a nipple for the pan and pump it from the bottom into the pan? If so, where did you get the nipple? Or did you use the hand pump and pump it in through the dipstick port?

No I just used a basic bottle hand pump. It does pump in the bottom of the pain though, you just use a t bit if I am not mistaken to open it up. No special tools at all was needed to fill it. Everything that was needed tool wise was in my basic craftsman tool set (Everything except the torque wrench)
 
I see.



This video shows a solenoid pack change on a similar transmission (I think.) The nipple I am talking about is shown at 7.25 into the video. I guess you had something different.
 
I see.



This video shows a solenoid pack change on a similar transmission (I think.) The nipple I am talking about is shown at 7.25 into the video. I guess you had something different.

If you have a 2000 LS all you will need is what I said. It has the 5r55n transmission. These videos will help you though get a good idea of how to change the solenoid pack. I don't think the process is exactly the same cause if I am not mistaken the design is a bit different on the transmission in that video. But it should at least give you a good idea of how to do it. Just use the t bit and open up the fill hole and you hook your tube or hose to fill right up in there. Here is a link to the workshop guide for your car. 2000 Lincoln LS Gen 1 Workshop Manual.pdf
 
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I see.



This video shows a solenoid pack change on a similar transmission (I think.) The nipple I am talking about is shown at 7.25 into the video. I guess you had something different.

I almost hesitate to post this because I don't like to give info if not 100% sure but I think Harbor Freight has a drain and fill pump for cheap that you can hook up to the cooler just like a shop would when doing a drain and fill...my buddy was telling me about it when my last 2001 LS had transmission issues
 
I almost hesitate to post this because I don't like to give info if not 100% sure but I think Harbor Freight has a drain and fill pump for cheap that you can hook up to the cooler just like a shop would when doing a drain and fill...my buddy was telling me about it when my last 2001 LS had transmission issues
I am pretty sure that one works at harbor freight I almost bought that myself actually. But I think in some ways the quickest way is to use a garden sprayer to fill it. The pump in the garden sprayer works fast to fill it back up. Plus you can throw several quarts in there at the same time and just pump it up till its full.
 
If I recall correctly, the "special nipple" is just 1/4 npt, so you should be able to find something to work at most hardware stores.
 
If I recall correctly, the "special nipple" is just 1/4 npt, so you should be able to find something to work at most hardware stores.
Is it really needed though? I know when we did mine I did not use anything special on my 2001 LS and also the shop when I had them change my pan gasket and refilled my transmission they never used anything special either.
 
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Is it really needed though? I know when we did mine I did not use anything special on my 2001 LS and also the shop when I had them change my pan gasket and refilled my transmission they never used anything special either.

No, I think you can get by without it.
 
I have a 2004 and refilled using a fill port on the rear of the trans. Still need a hand pump, and lots of towels, but it is doable.
 
Hey guys,

I have a transmission problem with the following symptoms:

1. When I drive in D5, I get an E signal on the dash gear indicator after going 30-40 mph. The check engine light also comes on.

2. I have 2 error codes P0795 - Pressure Control Solenoid C.

3. When I drive the car shifting the gears manually, it shifts smoothly from 2nd to 3rd. When its in 3rd, it seems to shift to a 4th gear on its own, but the display still says 3rd gear.

4. When I manually shift from 3rd gear to 4th gear, the RPMs stay the same, and seems to be in the same gear.

5. When I manually shift to 5th gear, it does seem to go to 5th gear, and I can drive interstate speeds. I do notice my gas mileage is a 16mpg instead of the usual 22mpg.

6. I took it to a local shop, and they said I needed a new transmission. They quoted me $5,700-ish for a Jasper remanufactured transmission, and another $800 for labor. With taxes, it was a $7,100 quote. They told me to grab my ankles and breathe easy.

I only paid $1,400 for this car, and I spent another $2,000 rebuilding the suspension. Is there any low-cost way to

I have a sort similar problem and I'm going to change my vavle bidy first to see if that fix the issue. They quoted me 2300 for a rebuilt trans but I dont have that type of money. Far as my issues goes my R,D5,D4 doesnt work but I can drove in SST mode only 1,2,4,5 3 just revvs.
 
Hey guys,

I have a transmission problem with the following symptoms:

1. When I drive in D5, I get an E signal on the dash gear indicator after going 30-40 mph. The check engine light also comes on.

2. I have 2 error codes P0795 - Pressure Control Solenoid C.

3. When I drive the car shifting the gears manually, it shifts smoothly from 2nd to 3rd. When its in 3rd, it seems to shift to a 4th gear on its own, but the display still says 3rd gear.

4. When I manually shift from 3rd gear to 4th gear, the RPMs stay the same, and seems to be in the same gear.

5. When I manually shift to 5th gear, it does seem to go to 5th gear, and I can drive interstate speeds. I do notice my gas mileage is a 16mpg instead of the usual 22mpg.

6. I took it to a local shop, and they said I needed a new transmission. They quoted me $5,700-ish for a Jasper remanufactured transmission, and another $800 for labor. With taxes, it was a $7,100 quote. They told me to grab my ankles and breathe easy.

I only paid $1,400 for this car, and I spent another $2,000 rebuilding the suspension. Is there any low-cost way to fix this?
 
I have a sort similar problem and I'm going to change my valve body first to see if that fix the issue. They quoted me 2300 for a rebuilt trans but I dont have that type of money. Far as my issues goes my R,D5,D4 doesnt work but I can drove in SST mode only 1,2,4,5 3 just revvs.
 
I have a sort similar problem and I'm going to change my valve body first to see if that fix the issue. They quoted me 2300 for a rebuilt trans but I dont have that type of money. Far as my issues goes my R,D5,D4 doesnt work but I can drove in SST mode only 1,2,4,5 3 just revvs.

I would go ahead and replace the solenoid as well. There is some reasonably priced rebuilt valve body kits with matched solenoids on eBay with lifetime warranty. That is where I got mine at and it was cheap! I was just suggesting that since you seem to be on a budget like I am. New is always the best! But rebuilt is not bad if they offer a warranty and their feedback and reviews are good. But there is always a risk with rebuilt but it could be a good option for you if you are unsure if this repair will fix the issue. The rebuilt ones at least offer a 30 day return so you know you did not waste your money if it does not fix it.
 
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Same thing happened to mine (2003 V8) several years ago. Took it to a local transmission shop who told me this was a common problem with these transmissions, that they lacked a bushing in the transmission case such that the case would wear and the solenoid would no longer function properly. True? I don't know but it sounded good. I like the car so I ponied up for a rebuilt transmission (not Jasper) with the allegedly missing bushing, but the cost was $3500 installed, soup to nuts. Still going strong 50K miles later. That $7100 number is pretty steep, but i believe the first gen trans was different from the second gen.
 

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