Hi, new to the forum and any help would be greatly appreciated. I own a 2002 LSE V8 and have had the car for 8 years. Yesterday, I started the car in the morning and upon putting it in reverse I noticed there was no idle and it wasn't going into gear and just rolled backwards out of my driveway. It also will not go into drive. Could it be low or out of transmission fluid? Should I just tow it the shop and pay the $150 diagnosis fee which does not include pulling the pan. Thanks in advance for any help.
2002 Lincoln LSE DOES NOT GO INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE AND JUST ROLLS DOWN MY DRIVEWAY
- Thread starter ErnieG22
- Start date
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Your terms are unclear.
What do you mean by " there was no idle?" Does the engine stall if you take you foot off the gas? Or, do you mean that the idle speed is way high? What RPM does the tachometer indicate when there is "no idle?"
What do you mean by "it wasn't going into gear?" Do you mean that you physically can't move the lever to reverse or drive? Do you mean that you move the lever, but the PCM doesn't react to it (the gear indicator on the instrument cluster still says "P"). Or, do you really mean that it goes into reverse or drive but does not function (move)?
These are all different problems with different troubleshooting and solutions. It's important to correctly describe the problem to get accurate help.
If you really just mean that the car won't move under its own power (transmission is going into each gear) and the engine is running correctly, then yes low fluid level is one possibility. Do note that if the fluid is low, it can only be because you have a leak, and that leak must be corrected. If you don't do repairs on your own car, then your only reasonable choice now is to tow it somewhere for diagnosis and repair. Note that it must be towed with the rear wheels off the ground (and not turning). Otherwise, it will be certain that you need a new transmission when it gets there!
What do you mean by " there was no idle?" Does the engine stall if you take you foot off the gas? Or, do you mean that the idle speed is way high? What RPM does the tachometer indicate when there is "no idle?"
What do you mean by "it wasn't going into gear?" Do you mean that you physically can't move the lever to reverse or drive? Do you mean that you move the lever, but the PCM doesn't react to it (the gear indicator on the instrument cluster still says "P"). Or, do you really mean that it goes into reverse or drive but does not function (move)?
These are all different problems with different troubleshooting and solutions. It's important to correctly describe the problem to get accurate help.
If you really just mean that the car won't move under its own power (transmission is going into each gear) and the engine is running correctly, then yes low fluid level is one possibility. Do note that if the fluid is low, it can only be because you have a leak, and that leak must be corrected. If you don't do repairs on your own car, then your only reasonable choice now is to tow it somewhere for diagnosis and repair. Note that it must be towed with the rear wheels off the ground (and not turning). Otherwise, it will be certain that you need a new transmission when it gets there!
grizzlyls
Dedicated LVC Member
oh an btw, I would walk away from a shop wanting to charge that money without pulling the pan. The guy I ended up with didnt charge anything to rough diagnose, but said pulling the pan was the only certain way and then he would charge. On the other hand, PCM diagnoses could be done if its in that area, but thats still kind of excessive for hooking up a meter which should end up being less than 1 hour.
If Burbank is convenient for you, I have a guy that will solve tranny problems with reasonable cost and solid work.
If Burbank is convenient for you, I have a guy that will solve tranny problems with reasonable cost and solid work.
My apologies, let me try he clarify. I'm sitting in the car as I type....when I shift the PCM the gear cluster is changing to the gear it's shifted into on the lever. Yes, it goes into reverse and drive, but does not move. There is an idle @ 700 rpm, sorry about the misinformation stated prior. What I meant to state was that when I shift into a gear, there is no movement or no engagement that I feel. No, the engine does not stall. I do have a misfire in cylinder 6 as read by my obd2 scanner. It should also be noted that I have not seen any fluid leaks on the ground where I park, so not sure if I have a leak or not. I know by reading posts on this forum that there's no dipstick to check fluid level. I hope I've cleared up my previous description. Thanks again for your insight.
Thanks for your reply grizzlyls, unfortunately I reside in Fresno. Thanks again for the insight...very much appreciated!
Thank you for your time and insight Joegr....it's greatly appreciated. Also, 1) can I access the full hole and pump fluid into the transmission? My father in law has a lift.; 2) what type of transmission fluid do you recommend? Mercon SP by Motocraft?
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Wait, NO!
If you add any, please use the correct fluid for this transmission, Mercon V. Don't just pump fluid in though, use the correct procedure to check the level first. Also note that the misfire on #6 if ignored long enough may have caused PCM damage that could be a factor in your transmission not working.
Ok, thank you for informing me of the correct fluid type. Oreillys listed that as my fluid when I entered my vehicle info. Can it be added fairly easily from the bottom of the car? How do you test a PCM? Thanks again for your time.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
PCM tests are too involved for a forum post.
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6x71025.htm~gen~ref.htm
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6x71025.htm~gen~ref.htm
Thank you for the link.
Hi, just called a couple transmission shops and one shop stated they would check the fluid for $45 and "scan" the car for $85 to see if anything electrical was the culprit; the 2nd transmission shop stated that it has to be a bad transmission and since the car isn't drivable, the only way to diagnose the issue would be a complete tear down at a cost of $1100...he was adamant that it was a failed transmission. Should I tow to a regular shop or transmission shop? Thank you!
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Both are somewhat wrong, but the 2nd one more so.
A "scan" won't pick up failed FETs in the PCM that sometimes happen. It is likely that most shops don't know about this failure mode.
The tear down guy has already decided that you are getting a used transmission installed. (He will probably claim to have rebuilt yours, but put in an unknown quality used one instead). The national chain transmission shops are almost always rip-offs. What you need is to find a good local hole-in-the-wall transmission shop that has so many customers that it will take a week to get to you. One that doesn't advertise, just has word of mouth. One that works on Rangers and Explorers.
A "scan" won't pick up failed FETs in the PCM that sometimes happen. It is likely that most shops don't know about this failure mode.
The tear down guy has already decided that you are getting a used transmission installed. (He will probably claim to have rebuilt yours, but put in an unknown quality used one instead). The national chain transmission shops are almost always rip-offs. What you need is to find a good local hole-in-the-wall transmission shop that has so many customers that it will take a week to get to you. One that doesn't advertise, just has word of mouth. One that works on Rangers and Explorers.
grizzlyls
Dedicated LVC Member
Well, on a chance I called my guy, and he doesnt know anyone in Fresno. You can search through and look at some of my posts about my scare that I got the same thing from AAMCO saying my tranny was a death trap. Funny how a reputable guy did a minor rebuild on the shift pack and confirmed the interior is likely in great shape and I am back on the road.
I did a look for you on google, and at face Pauls Transmission shop looks like mine did - family owned father to son etc. The way I knew I was in good hands is going and talking to him. Its just a sense I guess you get that when a mech really cares about the customer, it will show.
Also do a little searching here, some have just taken a shot at PCM repair and there are several posts with the link to a great company that charges just a little (100 ish bucks). If you car has been outside alot, it may be worth it to pull the PCM in your driveway get it 'fixed' and put it back. Easy way to rule that out without a tow IMO. I think I would have done that if I didnt know grandpa had kept the car in garage its whole life.
I did a look for you on google, and at face Pauls Transmission shop looks like mine did - family owned father to son etc. The way I knew I was in good hands is going and talking to him. Its just a sense I guess you get that when a mech really cares about the customer, it will show.
Also do a little searching here, some have just taken a shot at PCM repair and there are several posts with the link to a great company that charges just a little (100 ish bucks). If you car has been outside alot, it may be worth it to pull the PCM in your driveway get it 'fixed' and put it back. Easy way to rule that out without a tow IMO. I think I would have done that if I didnt know grandpa had kept the car in garage its whole life.
Yes, Pauls is the shop who will do the fluid check for $45...I felt good about our conversation. I did find a used tranny at a local yard here in Fresno for $650 and another shop quoted $500 labor plus fluid. Thanks for the awesome info and thank you for doing research and helping me out. Greatly appreciated!
Ok, perfect! I think I may try sending in the PCM first and then try out Pauls Transmission shop here in Fresno. How do I pull the PCM?
Is there a link on how to pull the PCM?
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Here's the link for the 2nd generation. Yours should be very similar, but probably not exactly the same.
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6x3e006.htm~gen~ref.htm
Hey Joegr, sorry for the back to back questions...I'm just trying to get as much help on this issue as I can. I researched that I can "reset" the PCM by disconnecting the Negative battery cable and applying a "jumper" wire to the negative and positive terminal for 5-10 minutes. Any truth to this? Could it possible help? I did try disconnecting my negative cable yesterday for 5 hours...that did not work. Thanks.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
People love the reset PCM thing (one guy way more than anyone else), but it hardly ever accomplishes anything at all. Certainly, for your problem it won't help. Your PCM fully reset within seconds of you disconnecting the one battery cable.
Ok. Thanks joegr!
Is testing a PCM difficult for a shop to perform? Is the only way to have mine tested/fixed is to send it out to the company mentioned in this forum?
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Some shops can (and will) test it, but you would still have to send it out for repair. Your problem is not typical of a bad PCM, so while I point out that it could be this, I don't think it is very likely.
Your question for the shop is something like this: "Will you test to see if the PCM is driving the transmission solenoids with the exactly current that it is supposed to be driving with?" With the right scan tool it is possible to command the PCM to apply a specific current to each solenoid coil. As an example, they could command it to apply one amp to the "A" coil. They would then measure the current flowing to that coil to see if it was one amp, not more and not less. Unfortunately, that often means they will have to cut your harness to insert the meter in-line. There are adapter cables, but probably only the bigger Ford/Lincoln dealers will have those.
Great info. What do you advise me to instruct the transmission shop to do regarding diag of my tranny? Check fluid level and/or pull pan? Anything else?
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
If they don't know what to do, then you telling them is not likely to help...
True..