Is this how I killed my automatic transmission?

[Thinktank]

I knew I had heard that transmission number before, the F4EAT was used in the 4 cylinder MX-6( which I own, but V6) Mx-6’s were built until '97. I mention the MX-6 because it was the essentially the same car as the 626 and also the sister to the Ford probe, only all had different skins ans accessories, but the core was pretty spot-on. In the 2nd gen of 626’s (88-92) they changed the tranny from a 3 spd to a four speed, which is why I can’t say 100% that JW is wrong about the model number of your transmission. Ford Escort and the Mazda Protege/323 all share a transmission in common as well. I could almost swear you would have a F4EAT in your vehicle ThrillH15, especially if your 626 was a 4 cylinder version…but because it’s a '98 and not a '97 I will stay where I am see if I’m corrected.

I obsess in this area because the I-4 mated F4EAT is a notoriously awful transmission and Ford is fingered as the culprit which I had recalled as owning 40% of Mazda, but can’t swear to either. What can I say?, shoulda got a V6

[Thinktank]

Ah, also left-out Galt’s Q. “Over-wait” was referring to waiting longer than was necessary; I was simply saying I put my car in reverse, stop, and throw it in “D” … not what the OP was describing where they backed-up waited a few second and then shifted down to drive.

[Enola_Straight]

FWIW, I’ve noticed cars built within the past few years have an electronic interlock feature built into the gear selector which forbids the driver from selecting reverse while still moving forward or vice-versa; shifting between drive and reverse is possible only with the brake pedal depressed and motion is at a full stop.

[Gymnopithys]

@Thrillhouse15

I recented destroyed the transmission in a '98 Mazda 626. The mechanic who looked at it told me that some part inside exploded and sprayed shrapnel all over the inside of the transmission. I was trying to figure out what I could do so that that doesn’t happen to my new car’s transmission, and I noticed a habit I had when I drove the Mazda: when I’d back up out of a parking space, I would put the car into drive before it had completely stopped going in reverse. The car would roll a few feet backward after I’d put the car into drive.

With this new car I’ve quit that habit. Now I wait until the car has come to a complete stop before putting it in drive, and I wait a second or two after putting it in drive before I hit the accelorator. Lately I’ve noticed that everyone I know has the same habit I used to have, so it seems pretty common. Hopefully I’ve described it well enough so people know what I’m talking about.

The question is, am I right that this is particularly hard on a transmission? Is that something that could have, over time, contributed to the transmission blowing up (I had the car for three years, and put 65,000 miles on it)? If not, does anyone have any tips on how to treat your transmission better than I treated my old one?

I ruined my automatic transmission once by swinging the car back and forth when stuck in snow. It’s the same as putting in drive when the car rolls back.

[Stranger_On_A_Train]

@galt

I’ve noticed something in my auto transmission lately that has me curious. Every once in a while, and only when it’s cold, when I come to a stop and then immediately try to go again (e.g. for a stop sign), the engine will rev, but there’s no drive. If I back off the accelerator and give it a moment, it goes back to normal, but if I’m not quick enough in backing off, it clunks pretty hard and lurches forward, then everything’s normal. Can anyone comment on what this might be?

Check to make certain your tranny fluid reservoir is full. It could also indicate some wear on the torque converter (failing to transfer torque properly) and it is suggestive that it only occurs when cold and the tranny fluid is most viscous. You might talk to your mechanic about it, but he’ll probably tell you just to take it easy when it’s cold.

Back when I drove an automatic, I used to take the car out of gear (in neutral or park) at every stoplight, but then the light would change, you shift into drive, and you have to wait a second or two for the tranny to engage before giving it gas, else it “jerked” as you describe. I figured that it was probably better to just let the fluid heat up a bit during a 30 second idle rather than subject the tranny to those kinds of shocks on a regular basis. Then again, it was a Chevy Corsica, and the best thing I could probably have done for the thing is rolled it off of a cliff. :eek:

Stranger