harsh transmission shifts

[lking]

only problem (very annoying takes the joy out of driving) I've ever had ( other then a coilpack) and still have is the harsh transmission shifts If i drive fast the shifts are smooth its only when i'm easy on the gas the transmission shifts harsh my Acura Legend coupe did this but only because the transmission mount was broken

I did a Google search and it seems like this is a Lincoln LS trademark...oh well

my moms ford windstar van which has 320 000+kms shifts so smooth the only way you can tell transmission shifts is if you look at the RPM

 

[G-RELL]

check fluid levels... but could be a failing tranny or shift solenoid... when does it shift "harsh"?? all gears?? just forward? reverse? all speeds? year/mileage?

 

[lking]

check fluid levels... but could be a failing tranny or shift solenoid... when does it shift "harsh"?? all gears?? just forward? reverse? all speeds? year/mileage?

2004 LS V6 only 72000kms I did two drain and fills plus dropped the pan a 3rd time changed the filter

it shifts harsh when driving forward mostly when changing to second and third gear

 

[joegr]

2004 LS V6 only 72000kms I did two drain and fills plus dropped the pan a 3rd time changed the filter

A lot of solenoid assemblies have failed on the 04s. Harsh shifts are a symptom of the solenoid valves sticking. The 04s left the factory with bad transmission fluid, and this is possibly the root cause of the problem. Your fluid exchanges were probably too late. Mine was, but replacement of the solenoid assembly fixed it.

 

[lking]

if it is a failing tranny or shift solenoid how can i make myself sure

 

[lking]

A lot of solenoid assemblies have failed on the 04s. Harsh shifts are a symptom of the solenoid valves sticking. The 04s left the factory with bad transmission fluid, and this is possibly the root cause of the problem. Your fluid exchanges were probably too late. Mine was, but replacement of the solenoid assembly fixed it.

yeah no kidding the transmission had never been serviced i did the first service and i think it was overfilled by about 2 liters

 

[lking]

how much do these shift solenoids cost is there a DIY write up for this? where is it located?

thanks

 

[G-RELL]

overfilled?

 

[lking]

overfilled?

yeah....you know like



"o·ver·fill (vr-fl)
v. o·ver·filled, o·ver·fill·ing, o·ver·fills
v.tr.
To fill (something) to overflowing.
v.intr.
To become too full.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb 1. overfill - fill beyond capacity; "overfill the baskets"
fill, fill up, make full - make full, also in a metaphorical sense; "fill a container"; "fill the child with pride""




when i unscrewed the small screw in the middle of the big screw a lot of fluid came out and its only supposed to be a thin stream or drip out so thats why i think it was overfilled at the factory

 

[joegr]

how much do these shift solenoids cost is there a DIY write up for this? where is it located?

thanks

It's a $300/$400 part. The dealer charge to change it is $800 to $1000. There's a very good write up on here about transmission repair, with lots of pictures. Search for it.

 

[lking]

It's a $300/$400 part. The dealer charge to change it is $800 to $1000. There's a very good write up on here about transmission repair, with lots of pictures. Search for it.

your kidding? $300/$400 part? wow...well i want to be sure this is the problem before replacing it is there anyway i can test it?

 

[joegr]

your kidding? $300/$400 part? wow...well i want to be sure this is the problem before replacing it is there anyway i can test it?

Not without some specialized equipment. Most dealers will diagnose for $100.

 

[lking]

sometimes i hear this very harsh tumpe! or doope! like a very harsh down shift coming from the rear end this happens once in a while when i'm braking at low speeds can this be the shift solenoids as well?

 

[joegr]

sometimes i hear this very harsh tumpe! or doope! like a very harsh down shift coming from the rear end this happens once in a while when i'm braking at low speeds can this be the shift solenoids as well?

Center bearing maybe?

 

[lking]

Center bearing maybe?

i was just reading one of your replys to someone on this topic

you said ("One of the classics is harsh engagement of reverse.)" you were talking about symptoms of failing shift solenoids

this is exactly the problem i have very harsh engagement of reverse and drive so harsh most the time i let go of the brake before putting it into drive or reverse this makes it less harsh

seems like this shift solenoid may be the problem i just payed for 13 liters of transmission fluid and filter for $40 thats about $150.00 and now i gotta fix the shift solenoids another $300/$400 I hope this car is not becoming a bottom less money pit like the Legend coupe

 

[lking]

It's a $300/$400 part. The dealer charge to change it is $800 to $1000. There's a very good write up on here about transmission repair, with lots of pictures. Search for it.

I cant find the DIY post..

the more i search the more i learn this shift solenoids is famous with this car...note to self stop buying discontinued cars

 

[nelliott500]

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=80761

That's the thread he's talking about.

If you have a lift, it's actually a fairly easy swap. If you just have jackstands, it will be a little difficult because you have to get the car high enough to get way under it and you need the car level in order to fill it properly.

I tried but I just couldn't get the car high enough for me to comfortably fit under it so I took it to my mechanic. It was about $280 for the drain, install, and refill. The part was $315 from Max but he's retired now. You can get it from FordPartsGiant for $317.41 + shipping. The part number is 7G391 on this list.

You can take a chance and get a reman'd solenoid pack from 800700tran. Some people have had luck, others have received a bad part. They're $159.25. If the part is bad, they'll swap it out likely without question but you're in for a headache because you'd be out labor again. I'd rather spend twice the money on a brand new part and be done with the headache. Don't worry. Something else will probably break soon.

 

[lking]

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=80761

That's the thread he's talking about.

If you have a lift, it's actually a fairly easy swap. If you just have jackstands, it will be a little difficult because you have to get the car high enough to get way under it and you need the car level in order to fill it properly.

I tried but I just couldn't get the car high enough for me to comfortably fit under it so I took it to my mechanic. It was about $280 for the drain, install, and refill. The part was $315 from Max but he's retired now. You can get it from FordPartsGiant for $317.41 + shipping. The part number is 7G391 on this list.

You can take a chance and get a reman'd solenoid pack from 800700tran. Some people have had luck, others have received a bad part. They're $159.25. If the part is bad, they'll swap it out likely without question but you're in for a headache because you'd be out labor again. I'd rather spend twice the money on a brand new part and be done with the headache. Don't worry. Something else will probably break soon.

Thank you very much this information is helpful

ah! now there's a spring involved too..i'm only going after whats broken but i'm not even sure whats broken


once again here's the problem

1. harsh shifting from first to second gear most of the time and sometimes from second to third (for example if you had a broken transmission mount)

2. harsh shift into drive and harsh shift into reverse ( for example the transmission doesn't go into gear smoothly it slams itself into gear )

are these good enough reasons to replace the shift solenoid pack ( could this be the spring problem?)

is there any way i can tell the shift solenoid pack is not working properly by taking it out and looking at it

one more thing i have never had a delay when shifting gears

 

[regiment1]

Thank you very much this information is helpful

ah! now there's a spring involved too..i'm only going after whats broken but i'm not even sure whats broken


once again here's the problem

1. harsh shifting from first to second gear most of the time and sometimes from second to third (for example if you had a broken transmission mount)

2. harsh shift into drive and harsh shift into reverse ( for example the transmission doesn't go into gear smoothly it slams itself into gear )

are these good enough reasons to replace the shift solenoid pack ( could this be the spring problem?)

is there any way i can tell the shift solenoid pack is not working properly by taking it out and looking at it

one more thing i have never had a delay when shifting gears

I don't know about your last question, but the symptoms you describe are classic solenoid problems. There are many, many threads just like this.

 

[nelliott500]

Thank you very much this information is helpful

ah! now there's a spring involved too..i'm only going after whats broken but i'm not even sure whats broken


once again here's the problem

1. harsh shifting from first to second gear most of the time and sometimes from second to third (for example if you had a broken transmission mount)

2. harsh shift into drive and harsh shift into reverse ( for example the transmission doesn't go into gear smoothly it slams itself into gear )

are these good enough reasons to replace the shift solenoid pack ( could this be the spring problem?)

is there any way i can tell the shift solenoid pack is not working properly by taking it out and looking at it

one more thing i have never had a delay when shifting gears

I should have mentioned that the thread I linked is for the 5R55N transmission that comes in the gen 1 cars. The gen 2 cars (like yours and mine) have the 5R55S. The spring issue is only common in the 5R55N so you shouldn't have to worry about it. That's not to say that it can't be a problem you're having but I haven't heard any mention of it on this site for the 5R55S. Stick to the solenoid pack.

I only experienced relatively hard shifting to reverse or drive. It wasn't what I would consider violent but it was harsh. My wife got the common "E" message on the display one evening. Had her restart the car and it was fine. She said it did it once more at some point but I replaced the solenoid pack within a month after the first time.

To answer your question, yes, your symptoms sound like a failing solenoid pack. The harsh shifts from first to second or second to third are from the solenoid sticking. Same with the shift into reverse or drive.

 

[lking]

I should have mentioned that the thread I linked is for the 5R55N transmission that comes in the gen 1 cars. The gen 2 cars (like yours and mine) have the 5R55S. The spring issue is only common in the 5R55N so you shouldn't have to worry about it. That's not to say that it can't be a problem you're having but I haven't heard any mention of it on this site for the 5R55S. Stick to the solenoid pack.

I only experienced relatively hard shifting to reverse or drive. It wasn't what I would consider violent but it was harsh. My wife got the common "E" message on the display one evening. Had her restart the car and it was fine. She said it did it once more at some point but I replaced the solenoid pack within a month after the first time.

To answer your question, yes, your symptoms sound like a failing solenoid pack. The harsh shifts from first to second or second to third are from the solenoid sticking. Same with the shift into reverse or drive.

I don't have to worry about the spring that comes as a relief

what do you mean by the E message i get a message telling me my parking brake needs to be serviced i thought it would go away when i changed the DVVC but its still there the e brake does work when applied not sure why i'm getting this message

 

[joegr]

I don't have to worry about the spring that comes as a relief

what do you mean by the E message i get a message telling me my parking brake needs to be serviced i thought it would go away when i changed the DVVC but its still there the e brake does work when applied not sure why i'm getting this message

No, he's talking about when "E" comes up for the gear display.

Unfortunately, your issue with the electronic parking brake is another specific 04 problem. There was a TSB out at one time recommending that the electronic parking brake module be replaced while under warranty on 04 models.

 

[nelliott500]

I don't have to worry about the spring that comes as a relief

what do you mean by the E message i get a message telling me my parking brake needs to be serviced i thought it would go away when i changed the DVVC but its still there the e brake does work when applied not sure why i'm getting this message

Joe explained the E message so I won't get into that.

For the ebrake, try resetting the battery. Pull the negative cable off for a half hour or so to allow everything to reset. I had an issue where I reset my battery (it was off for about 10 minutes), put it back together, and started getting a "service parking brake" message when trying to use it. I did another reset (40 minutes or so) and the message is gone.

 

[lking]

No, he's talking about when "E" comes up for the gear display.

Unfortunately, your issue with the electronic parking brake is another specific 04 problem. There was a TSB out at one time recommending that the electronic parking brake module be replaced while under warranty on 04 models.

i will try getting the module from a junkyard are these modules interchangeable? between 04 through 06? i wouldnt wanna put another 04 one in wouldnt it just go bad again?

 

[joegr]

i will try getting the module from a junkyard are these modules interchangeable? between 04 through 06? i wouldnt wanna put another 04 one in wouldnt it just go bad again?

Should be.