Ford Contour V6 discombobulation

[pletby]

Watching Gashole as I write this, cooling down from wrenching on my car. Stupid car.

All started with a water pump failure. On replacing it some coolant was slopped on top of the automatic transmission, including a little sensor that determines what gear the tranny is in. I forget what it's called, but it's a real pain to get to on this car.

Anyway, bottom line is once the car warms up, it starts dropping out of overdrive then back, over and over. It even seemed to be in neutral for a bit. What a pain. argh.

Could blowing compressed air on that sensor dry it out enough to work again? Hoping to not have to pull it all apart again. I'm tired and hot, so I'm likely leaving something out. Ask away.

[Frank Lee]

Blast it with the garden hose and let it dry out. See if that helps.

[pletby]

That's what I did yesterday, made double sure it was lined up properly. So far still no OD, and rough shifts. Did I mention I hate autos? I think I'll be looking around for a used Honda with a MANUAL transmission. I can fix almost anything but auto trannies.

I think another solution would be to start my own business based on a proven formula and make lots of money so that I no longer made decisions based on money but on my principles and what's best for my family. Just sayin'.

[pletby]

Thanks Frank! That's exactly what was needed. Today the car started shifting into OD and began shifting much smoother. Mpg has gone back up to normal again too. If it keeps up performing well for a few days I'll say it's fixed.