Interesting intermittent vehicle problem (random transmission)

Factual Questions
1

Of course, it’s not completley random. But random enough to annoy.

1995 Ford Escort, transmission rebuilt last year for rough shifting and refusal to shift, usually after sitting all night. (South Florida, it doesn’t get cold).

This year, it started doing it again (it had lessened but started worsening). Took it back to the mechanic who sent it back to the tranny guy who adjusted it, then replaced a vacuum pump? (Took it back twice under warranty).

In addition, it would occasionally not shift. You could sit there from a dead stop and have full pressure on the accellerator and the car would creep along, engine racing, at stellar 15mph.

The rough shift would be a late or hard shift (or hiccuping shift) that would buck the car significantly (my father’s van did this and finally ripped the engine from the motor mounts).

I picked up the car a couple of weeks ago, and called back to say it was still doing it, and my mechanic referred me straight to the transmission guy. I never spoke to the tranny guy because his secretary wouldn’t let me through, and I was sick, and the problem was “invisible” for a while.

Now, the last three days, putting the car into reverse first thing in the morning does nothing. The first morning, steady pressure to the accelrator did nothing, so my husband popped it in and out of neutral and crept forward in drive until the reverse “caught” the next time we shifted into it.

Yesterday I drove, and I pumped the accelorator until the car screeched into gear (screeching was tires on pavement, not tranny).

This morning I just let it sit in reverse with no added acceleration until it started rolling backwards, finally.

This is the only time in the last three weeks that the tranny has demonstrably failed with any consistency.

Thoughts?

2

Very politely and very firmly tell your mechanic that you are quite frustrated and do not feel you can trust the car, and that you want it definitely and reliably fixed. Since he’s the one you paid, he’s the one responsible to you for the repair. If he can’t see to it that it is properly fixed, he should refund what you paid for the transmission repair.

I’d give him another chance. I’m sure he’s frustrated too, and the tranny guy probably is also. It can be fixed, even if it means replacing (not repairing) the transmission. But it sounds to me like it’s time for the repair folks to be CERTAIN it’s going to work properly. If they don’t get it right on the next attempt, I think you should get a refund.

3

I agree with Gary T. No doubt you paid an arm and a leg to have your transmission rebuilt. For all practical purposes it should be as good as new.

I have a '93 escort that needed a transmission rebuild in addition to having the flywheel replaced. The rebuild was the least expensive option (outside of junking the car) and it was still hideously expensive.

4

Seems to be a lot of Ford questions along this line but you should see if there was a recall first. It happens with their other models too. Ill never buy a Ford 1990s of any kind of model.