Transmittion gone out

[gbsb]

Had to put the TBird in the shop. Transmittion was slipping between 1st and 2nd shift. They checked the fluid and it was burnt bad. Pulled the pan and it was full of metal. Now the big question is will the aftermarket warranty I bought when I bought the car cover it or did I get ripped off. Secured Capital Management. Has any one had experience with this company? Still love the Bird, My wife thought I would trade it when trouble started .GBSB

 

[George]

gbsg:
There have been a number of Tranny issues, but mostly 2003-2005's. You didn't indicate your year. There is an owner who went through hell with his for 3 years due to slipping. They changed PCM's and a lot of other things, and he still had slippage. Here's his final message:
"But did that fix it...NOOOOOO...so Ford had me bring the car back in for another black-box run...ran some new testing and Ford then wanted me to bring it in for a tranny tear down...bottom line, they couldn't figure out why the tranny sporadically was slipping b/t 3rd & 4th. The teardown happened this week.
Picked it up yesterday - Ford had them replace torque convertor, servo pistons and overdrive band, clutches and then set to minimal clearance of
.051 at Ford's suggestion."

Not sure if this helps, but its information.......BTW, if you have aftermarket warranty, this is a drive train issue. I don't see how they can deny it as a claim.
Before you take it in, get your policy and read it thoroughly so you can have a better understanding what you have.
Let us know.

 

[gbsb]

Mine is an 2002 TBird. I'm not complaining the car has 104000 miles and this is the first real problem I've had. All around a great ride. The warranty says it covers transmittion case, all internal parts, torque convertor, torque convertor cover. The Ford dealer called them yesterday and they did not get back with the dealer before closing. We will see what happens next week. Will keep posted. Thanks GBSB

 

[gbsb]

The transmittion was in bad shape. Planetary gears went out taking the hub next to it filled every thing with metal shavings. The aftermarket warranty company would only pay $850.00 toward the repair. The total was $4050.00 so I will pay the other $3200.00. They wanted to install used transmiition parts. I opted for factory rebuilt unit. 3 years 75000 mile warranty threw Ford. Hope to get it back by Friday. GBSB

 

[George]

Wow, I bet that was a surprise. However, if you plan to keep it for another 3-4 years , going with a Ford rebuilt, is probably a good decision, with that warranty.
Best of Luck!!

 

[gbsb]

Got the Bird back Fri. Took it for a ride today about 200 miles. It is much smoother than before, no vibration, runs great. Life is Good agin. GBSB

 

[George]

GBSB: I'd be interested in what the service order says that they did specifically, for parts and service

 

[gbsb]

It just says Ford factory rebuildt transmittion. They did not do it in house it was ordered from Ford and it came with new torque converter. all the dealer did was install the unit. per the service manager. He said that they could rebuild in house or order from Ford. I went with the Factory unit the price was with in $50.00 of each other. GBSB

 

[George]

Thanks for the update, and best of luck..

 

[00mustng]

....Just wondering how you can pull the pan on a sealed unit?

 

[z06bigbird]

....Just wondering how you can pull the pan on a sealed unit?

Sealed unit effectively means that there is no dip stick. Pan has its regular 15 to 20 or so bolts.

 

[z06bigbird]

The transmittion was in bad shape. Planetary gears went out taking the hub next to it filled every thing with metal shavings. The aftermarket warranty company would only pay $850.00 toward the repair. The total was $4050.00 so I will pay the other $3200.00. They wanted to install used transmiition parts. I opted for factory rebuilt unit. 3 years 75000 mile warranty threw Ford. Hope to get it back by Friday. GBSB

I am real interested in hearing what/how/why the warranty company refused to cover most/all of the tranny.

I can only surmise that they felt the tranny had prior damage. Or maybe they felt that a used tranny would cost $850 installed. That sucks. I suspect your warr contract talks about used parts. Please inform us.

 

[gbsb]

The contract does reserve the right to use used parts. Fine print you don't see untill they send you the contract. And yes the warranty co said they would send a used transmittion to be installed at that price. I personally will not purchace an aftermarket warranty agin. The Bird runs great now and the millage is up about 4 miles per gallon in mixed driving, to 25 mpg. I was at the dealership today and ask about fluid changes and was told Ford says 100,000 miles .Thanks for the input GBSB