Hi,

I've had the EF for 8 weeks now, to the day (got it on 17-Mar) - great all round car... but recently I was driving along and all of a sudden the engine revs up as if it just put itself into neutral

This started happening more and more... until eventually today it happened several times, so much so that i started slowing down traffic!

After being "put" into this situation this often, I had worked out its not infact neutral, but 1st gear as when i rev it to 4,500rpm the car immediately lurches forward as if to say "yes, this is where 1st gear would be at 60km/hr so let's go..." and starts pulling away... but the engine is screaming.

The only way to get it back to 3rd or 4th is to let go of the accel completely and wait for the revs to die down close to idle..... then the auto decides to switch gears from 1st to 4th and i'm right.

The closest thing I could find on here is this thread:
http://www.fordmods.com/forums/viewtopi ... ansmission

Still a bit lost for answers. I hope it's not too expensive... any suggestions or if u know whats going on ... all appreciated. thanks.

could be a loss of trans fluid haev u checked the fluid level?

Gear selection is controlled by solenoids opening up oil passages within the auto that then cause the bands to grab or let go of cogs inside the box and a gear is selected. These solenoids are controlled by the ECU.

If the gears changes are not occuring as and when they should, it can be internal to the box (stuffed solendois, warn bands, oil passage blockages, incorrect fluid level or quality) or expernal to the box (wiring issues between the ecu and auto, ecu faults).

Probably the first thing to do is check around the auto for signs of fluid leaks, then check that your fluid level is correct (if no dipstick, you have to get underneath), then check the wiring around the auto and make sure it is OK. If all seems OK, i would go for a short drive then drop the auto pan and look at how much sediment is contained within. If this all looks OK, fill the box with auto fluid to the correct level, your best bet is then to take it to a gearbox specialist as they can do a stall/pressure tests of the box and should then be able to tell you exactlly what is wrong.

Other than changing about 4 litres out of the 10 or so, the non mechanic can't really do much more to fix them.

Cheers.

Mine did this once, turned out to be inhibitor switch.

Inhibitor switch? I have no idea what that is ---- edit: just googled it, well I'm not sure it could be as the car was definitely in 1st gear and not neutral as I first suspected.

ItchiOne I think I shall be taking your advice... I dont know much about auto-trans stuff. I just hope it doesn't cost big.

Let us know what is was..

Cheers

I took it this morning to Jim David Automatic Transmissions in Pendle Hill Sydney and he had a diagnostics guy there with this gismo-electronic-brick-laptop-thing. He had it in a Mitsubishi Lancer... then after that car was done he plugged it into the Ford. All he asked was what year and what model and what engine... after that it spat out 2 error codes:

1 was inhibitor switch (bowsaw you were right on the money!)
1 was cam angle sensor

They replaced the inhibitor switch and rerun the scan, it said:

cam angle sensor.

They took it for a spin... I was in the back. Drove the car quite briskly up and down a few hills. Turned if off. Turned it on. Looks like the problem was fixed.

Total cost $50.

I was amazed.


They have ordered in the cam angle sensor which they said would get rid of the lump at idle and also improve the fuel economy and power. Total cost was $208 from one dealer... but then Jim rang around and found one for $90. He's a good man. I recommend him to anyone around Sydney. He had a few ford customers. A lady with an EL was next in line... I think he has a pretty good reputation for good customer service.

Sounds like a top workshop.

Cool sounding diagnostics gizmo he had there as well.

On all my previous cars, an inhibitor switch was a lock that only lets you start the car in P or N

According to the gregories manula for an EF, the inhibitor switch incorporates the reverse lamp switch and selector range switch (potentiometer). So it seems ford combined a number of functions into one unit Must have been the selector range function that was stuffed in your case.

Learn something every day

Hi!

Haven't logged on in a few days.....

for those who are interested re the cam angle sensor and the lumpy idle, it was replaced on friday and the car lost the "intermittent" lump at idle. Other mechanics were saying it was a fouled spark plug or lead (which makes sense to me), but the onboard computer said cam angle sensor. It was replaced, and it idles as sooth as a new engine would.

Total cost was $305 including GST for the cam angle sensor, new inhibitor switch and labor charges.

far out nice 1 dude: ) sounds liek a top place to go

sounds like a decent workshop that actually knows what there doing..good stuff..

Don't suppose you could post up the contact details for the workshop?

My EF has the exact same problem, but it goes away after the car warms up.

Nearly killed me one night, came around a corner and gave it a bit, it missed the gear and the revs hit 5000rpm then it found the gear, bastard went completely sideways and I ended up in a drive way narrowly missing a power pole by one foot on one side and a parked truck by inches on the other.

Someone upstairs must like me

good work ... and will always be here for people to search on if it happens (when) in the future!!

Sure, the details of the workshop are (typing it from my invoice):

Jim David Automatic Transmission P/L
614 Great Western Hwy
Pendle Hill NSW 2145

Ph 9631-7254


Cheers.