2002 Continental transmission and other questions

[paclockman]

Hello All,

I'm looking at a 2002 Continental, one owner, 69000 miles, clean Carfax. The car is at a local dealership. I know that older years of this model have had their share of transmission failure (I speak from experience - 1995 Continental - died halfway up Mount Washington!!). I guess my question(s) are....had anything been done to improve the transmissions on the later model years? Can I, if I buy this car, do anything to prolong the life of the transmission or is it just a matter of time? Would an extra cooler help at all? Would a transmission flush be recommended or should it be avoided?

Are there any other "trouble spots" I should look at for? The several times I seen the car it has always been sitting level so I'm guessing the suspension is OK. Are the brakes any beefier than the ones on my 1995, those rotors seemed to warp easily.

Thanks for any help/advice you can supply!!

 

[lincolnelite]

you have to check the condition of the transmission fluid, luckily they still have a dipstick. if it's black and burnt I'd run away.
test drive it and check if there are weird shifting that you could tell especially on uphill and downhill.
Ford never learned to make reliable auto transmissions, it's just luck if you have one that will last 100k or 200k. in my experience with proper maintenance and luck they could last up to 200k. I did my trans flush at 80k and i have 135k on it now with no transmission issues.
also check for leaks underneath, i fixed the hose clamps on mine on the radiator side when I noticed that the connection to the transmission cooler is leaking some fluid.

 

[MooJohn]

Yes - they added a large-ish transmission cooler in 1998 (or was that 1999?). It goes a long way toward transmission reliability.

I'm a believer in regular fluid replacements in Ford transmissions. It can only help. I put new brakes (AutoZone's best) on my car when I got it 3 years ago and the rotors are still fine. If my driving doesn't warp them they probably aren't a weak point

My torque converter was slipping when I got the car. I thought it was just old fluid but wasn't that lucky. I had the trans rebuilt while it was out since the R&R is a large portion of the bill. I just turned 99k miles last week so I should have many more years of service left in the ol' drivetrain.

 

[Svets96]

Correct they did add a trans cooler for 1999 model year. The dimensions are like Length 12in x Width 6in or so. They also beefed up the internals better valve body, better quality clutch packs, although the AX4N was slightly improved to the 4F50N because of this. I'd check on the parking pawl, this was a common problem on these trans. It breaks and the car could start moving on its own. Get this checked. AX4N had 19 bolt trans pans. As stated before make sure everything shifts fine and the fluid is red in color. I would not be afraid to buy this '02 if there is no rust on it. You can take it in the dealer or a qualified shop to have the fluid/filter changed with the B&G trans flush machine. Keep fluid changes every 15,000 miles, you will be fine.

Also if for some reason you do need a new trans Jasper is a very good provider of reman trans as well as Sonnax. They have trans rebuild kits with all of the appropriate upgraded parts. If the torque converter ever goes Sonnax has you covered too (send away for their catalog its free.), also Luk Schaefler is another good source for torque converters which have a higher stall speed for the Continental. The new SCT X4 power programmer will work on these cars. You have to talk with a tuner to make shift point changes more firm. Street Lethal Performance in New Castle PA can do this. This is what I will be doing to mine over the winter. The SCT programmer will be very beneficial to you right now with a car with low mileage like the one you are looking at.

Check out my '99 refurbishment thread. It will give you a good idea of what to do and or expect from Continentals.

Hope this helps. Good Luck with your new purchase. A lot of great people on this forum you can't go wrong.

 

[Svets96]

Oh and one more thing, watch when you do WOT runs that 1st to 2nd gear change can be a B*. All I'm saying is its hard on the trans. Keep this in mind. The SCT will clear this up too.

 

[MooJohn]

The torque converter I went with is a Luk, as recommended by the guy who rebuilt my transmission. A used Superchips 1725 will do all the shift tuning you'd want using simple yes/no and arrow buttons. They're going for $120-150 on ebay right now - glad I got mine for $99 new in box a few years ago!

Had a little WOT fun with a current Subaru STi recently. From 30-80 or so he pulled maybe a car which is far less than I expected him to do. I'll bet he was surprised that the "old man car" was still with him at all!