Auto Problem?

[Cybertrucker]

I have an X reg 2-litre Mondeo Ghia auto, with 58,000 on the clock, which I've owned for just under a fortnight and which I've so far done less than 150 miles in. It's a lovely motor and seems happy enough around town, but I had it on the A38 this evening and I think there's a problem at speed.

At around 70 it either can't make up its mind what gear it wants to be in or it keeps losing the drive. It cruises along okay at about 2,500 rpm, but will then either drop into 3rd gear or lose the drive completely (I'm not sure which), because the rev counter goes up, then a second or so later drops back to 2,500 as the box goes back into 4th gear, often with quite a violent kick. There are no warning lights or any other indication that the car knows there's something wrong.

Is it possible for the box to drop out of gear completely? If so what could be causing it - lack of gearbox oil, electrical fault, or what?

Any suggestions would be very welcome! :)

[adambell]

I would be tempted to check the oil level in the gearbox first, the level is critical for the operation of these boxes.

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[Cybertrucker]

I would be tempted to check the oil level in the gearbox first, the level is critical for the operation of these boxes.

Thanks! That's a job for Saturday at my mate's garage. Hopefully that will fix it - if it doesn't it could be expensive... :(

[adambell]

Usually with stuff like this it's the simple stuff, oil level, speed sensor that sort of thing.

I am by no means a mechanic and certainly no ford expert but I've working in engineering for the last 14 years so have picked up a few things along the way

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[Cybertrucker]

Update: We checked the oil level, which was about on the Minimum, and put about 1/4 of a litre of oil in. The oil on the stick looked like oil, not like !Removed!, and there was no obvious burnt smell to it, so it doesn't seem like anything's burnt out in the box. I thought that had fixed it, the gearchanges feel smoother now, but on the way back down the A38 at 70 it was okay at first then started to play up again. Perhaps it was when the oil got hot?

Any further suggestions would be much appreciated!

[martyntdci]

well what about the autobox filter? has this been changed?

[adambell]

I would suggest a full oil, seal and filter change.

Get everything in tip top condition first then it becomes easier to determine the next course of action if required.

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[Cybertrucker]

well what about the autobox filter? has this been changed?

Thanks for that. Filter? Haynes doesn't say anything about a filter? Did the Mk2 Mondeo auto not have a filter, or does Haynes just not think it's a job for a home mechanic? If it has got a filter it's definitely worth changing it - can anyone give me some information on how to do it? I've searched this site and I can't find anything about changing an auto box filter.

It definitely seems to be oil-related, as it's fine to start with but starts to play up after a few miles of high-speed running. If it was a problem with the Transmission Control Unit, or an electrical connection, I'd expect it to be playing up all the time. Is it possible to get the TCU fault codes without paying huge amounts of money to Uncle Henry for him to plug a laptop in? There are no warning lights on the dash, but I suppose it could have some faults stored without putting dashboard lights on.

[The Admiral]

I've had a couple mk2's 2.0 & 2.5 Ghia X auto's and Martin & Adam are right always change the oil & filter shouldn't be that expensive, 58K is nothing and there great cars.

[Cybertrucker]

Well, it seems to be fixed! I decided I needed professional help, so contacted an automatic gearbox specialist. He diagnosed it over the phone as being a switch on top of the box. He got a new switch in, I went over there last week, he plugged his code reader in (on one occasion the "O/D OFF" light had flashed for a couple of minutes, indicating that the car recognised that there was a fault) and found a code saying that connection to this switch was intermittent. He replaced the switch, cleared the code and road tested the car, since when it hasn't misbehaved once. It only took a mile or two of running above 60mph to cause problems before, but since then I've thrashed it up and down the A38 a few times at 70+ and been all the way to Telford and back at about 75mph on the M54 without any problems.

The switch is a rotary one which sits on top of the box with a square shaft coming out of the box which turns the switch when you move the gear selector lever. This tells the Transmission Control Unit what position the gear lever is in so it can do things like inhibit the starter if you're not in P and restrict the range of gears it can use if you've selected 1 or 2. I think the problem in my case was temperature-related because something was failing in the switch and when the box got hot the switch got hot, and something expanded and started to lose connection. He told me that the multi-pin plugs to these switches have a tendency to go manky though, mainly because they sit close to the battery.

If you're tempted to change this switch yourself be aware that it has to be aligned, which I think just means that the body of the switch has to be rotated so that it's properly engaging the contacts when the gear lever is in the various positions. (I wasn't close enough to see exactly what he was doing.) Earlier versions of the switch apparently had to be aligned in P, this one had to be aligned in D, which he commented on to his colleague - there's something cast into the top of the plastic case which indicates whether it should be aligned in P or D.

Based on my experience with this I'm quite happy to recommend Neil Smith Automatic Transmission Specialists, Brookfield Drive, Cannock WS11 0JR, 01543 505 599. He was friendly and helpful, seems to know what he's doing, did the job quickly and efficiently, and I don't think he was too heavy on the price.

The attached photo shows the switch with the gear selector in D and the white marks on the top aligned.

[jeebowhite]

good result, what was the total price for all the efforts?

[Cybertrucker]

good result, what was the total price for all the efforts?

New switch + fitting, codes read, and road test - £80. Worth every penny to be able to take it above 60mph at last! :)

[jeebowhite]

that is cheap!

[adambell]

Glad it's sorted mate

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[The Admiral]

Get the roof open and enjoy mate, I loved my mk2 Auto's and would have another tomorrow.

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