I have a 1993 Mustang 2.3L auto. One night when my son was driving it, it began to stall as soon as he put it in gear. I had it towed home. I put the back wheels off the ground on jack stands and found that if I revved it a bit, I could put it in gear and the wheels would turn, but it would still stall if I did so at idle. I searched the internet, and the consensus was that by far the most likely cause was a stuck TCC solenoid. I pulled the valve body, replaced both the 3-4 shift and the TCC solenoids, put in new valve body and pan gaskets, and a new filter. I also bought a new battery, as it took me a while to do the work and the old one died. As per the A4LD manual, I started with 3 quarts of Dextron III fluid, warmed the engine, added a 4th, then a 5th quart, although it still needs more. At 4 qts, it took about 10 seconds to shift, but it didn't stall. At 5 qts, it shifted in about 3-4 seconds and immediately stalled. I didn't bother to add more fluid since the TCC solenoid obviously wasn't the problem. If I can find an inexpensive 5 speed donor car, I will swap, but I've been searching quite a while and none have shown up. I need to get this car back on the road. Does anyone know what else might cause this?
Help! Car stalls when put in gear.
- Thread starter goofyfoot53
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Sorry for the delay. I had a minor car accident. It's about 1000 rpm when first started. I can't remember what it settles down to when it's warmed up and I didn't notice when I was putting in fluid. However, I am 99% certain this is a trans issue. Since it wasn't the TCC solenoid, I think there's a good chance it's the torque converter. However, I've never experienced a bad torque converter, so can anyone out there comment on whether a bad converter could cause this?
Auto trans are a black art for the most part to many around here, proper diagnostics takes pressure gauges and such, I would consult a trans shop but again it's a black art.
It just occurred to me. I recently installed a receiver hitch and wiring on my SUV so I could rent a motorcycle trailer from U-haul to bring home an old bike that I bought. Maybe I could rent a tow dolly to take it to a trans shop. That is, if I can find one that will diagnose the problem for a reasonable price.
I just talked to U-haul. They have two options for towing vehicles, a tow dolly or a car transport trailer, with only $10 difference between them. However, both call for loading by slowly driving the car onto the trailer, which I cannot do. My only option appears to be pushing the car onto the trailer. That would be easier, and perhaps only possible, with the tow dolly since it is much lower. Unfortunately, U-haul will not rent the tow dolly unless you are towing a front-wheel-drive car, despite their website explaining that you should disconnect the driveshaft when towing a rear-wheel-drive car. The transmission shop is only 1.3 miles from me and will charge $158 to diagnose the car if I can get it there. I wish I'd had my roadside assistance guy tow the car there instead of to my home.
I thought about that after I talked to U-haul. I'd like to avoid that if possible since I've got another car and my 3 bikes on that policy, and this would be the third time they've towed the Mustang. And, of course, I'd still need it towed back, unless I had the shop fix it. They won't even give me a range for an estimate, claiming there are multiple things that could cause this. That's why I'd like to consult a trans expert to find out what different problems could cause a trans to lock up like this. Taking it to the trans shop would cost me a minimum of $213, which wouldn't cover actually fixing it. I have a strong feeling that after their diagnosis, they will tell me I need a new torque converter. Although I hate just throwing parts at the car, hoping something will stick, I can get a new torque converter for $190, and a new transmission jack at Harbor Freight runs $125, which I might be able to get on sale. That makes it tempting to just put in the new converter and hope it works. In addition, the muffler is shot and needs replacement anyway, so I can do that at the same time. Since I didn't know what a crappy trans the A4LD was before this all started, if I could find a donor car, I'd convert this to a 5 speed.
Update. In my search for info, I found some very good explanations of how the torque converter lock up works, along with a Ford A4LD Technical Service Bulletin Update Handbook by the Automatic Transmission Service Group (ATSG). The documents explained that the converter clutch would always be locked up by its clutch spring, just like the pressure plate on a manual. The TCC and 3-4 shift solenoids apply fluid pressure to push the converter clutch back. When the EEC interrupts the circuit to the solenoids, the springs on the valves underneath them push those valves to exhaust the fluid away from the converter clutch, allowing its spring to engage lock up. If those springs, the converter clutch shuttle spring, converter clutch TV modulator spring, and converter clutch shift valve spring, break or weaken, the car will shudder as it slows, or even stall, because the converter lock up will not disengage, much like a manual car if you do not disengage the clutch as you come to a stop. They advise replacing those springs and in the case of the converter clutch shift valve spring, they said it was reduced from 5 lbs to 2 lbs when Ford went from one solenoid to two solenoids. They suggest putting in a stronger spring between 4.5 and 5.5 lbs, or i.e., just put in the original single solenoid 5 lb spring. Unfortunately, those springs are discontinued from Ford and difficult to find. However, TransGo makes a reasonably priced shift kit that includes those springs, along with several others, that are supposed to improve shift feel. Their converter clutch shift valve spring is 3.5 lbs, not as much as advised but much stronger than stock. The kit, along with necessary gaskets, is available at a shop not too far from me. Therefore, Sunday night I will jack up the car and start draining the fluid and pick up the shift kit Monday. That reminds me, I am sick of the mess when draining trans fluid so I'm going to install a drain plug kit while I have the pan off. I'll update once I've installed it and buttoned everything back up.
That would be my luck. But since that would mean the car is fixed and has no more trans problems, I'll take it. However, although my son has dreams of swapping in a Coyote V8/6 sp, I suspect It'll take years to gather the parts. We'll keep it a daily driver with the I4/auto in the meantime, so I expect we'll need to change fluid and filter again. Of course, if I come across a 5 sp donor I'll swap it in a heartbeat.
Success!!! I rode the Dyna to NatPro and picked up the TransGo shift kit. I didn't find any broken springs when I installed it so I didn't hold much hope. Unfortunately, after a final cleaning, as I gathered everything to reinstall the valve body, the tiny spring-clip that goes on the Z-link was gone. I searched for hours but couldn't find it. Apparently, as Murphy's Law for mechanics says, it disappeared from the face of the earth. I went to a Ford dealer and several trans shops but no one had one. After almost a week, I finally went to an LKQ Pick-Your-Part. The only vehicle they had with an A4LD was a 93 Aerostar. Due to all the rain we've had here, it was sitting over a small lake of at least 3" of water running the full length and width. Not wanting to lay in water, I rolled several wheels with tires under it to form a sort of platform, and found a panel and some carpet to lay over the wheels. The staff at the gate told me they drain all fluids. Once underneath, I saw that they do that by punching a hole in the pan, so I won't be looking for any used pans there. It was slightly messy because there's still some fluid, but I got the clip. I installed the valve body yesterday, then looked for a suitable place to put a drain plug, using a suggested inexpensive method posted by a trans shop on YouTube. There isn't much room around the valve body so I chose slightly to the side of the bolt head holding on the filter. Rather than measure twice, cut once, I measured 5x, cut once. I included pics of the result. Today I filled the trans with fluid, and lowered the car off the jack stands. I brought my son out because he wanted to do the test. I fully expected it not to work and envisioned the hassle of replacing the torque converter. I was shocked when it dropped into gear and idled fine without stalling. It moved forward and backward with no problem, and my son drove it to pick up his mom and it drove fine. This is one time I am happy to be wrong.
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HELP!! I installed the TransGo shift kit to the letter, according to the instructions. While it solved the stalling when put in gear problem, now it's very soft and slow going into reverse when cold. Once warm, I can't feel it go into reverse at all, but apparently it does shift since it moves back when I apply throttle, but it slips a bit. Before I had the stalling problem, it shifted into reverse very firmly. A bit too firmly, in fact. I called TransGo tech support, but they had no answer. The tech guy suggested changing the TransGo spring on the reverse servo back to the original spring to see if that would help. Of course, that would require draining all the fluid and dropping the pan again, which I really don't want to do without knowing for sure that is the problem. In addition, the Mustang is my only working car right now because my other vehicle has developed a severe oil leak, to the tune of over a quart of oil when I take my wife to work, a 12-mile round trip. I believe it's the timing cover gasket, which is a lot of work to change. Any ideas?
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