O/D steady then flashing; did suddenly my transmission jump from warn light to to broken for good?
2002 windstar 6 cyl fwd sport 200,000 mi.
BTW, the OD button in end of lever doesnt seem to do anything. i put a few hund. miles, never concerned about OD. i just keep it in OD if it has one.so when 'OD off' light came on, i merely tried to press button, seemed like it was non op and didnt worry. after only a day or two, light starts flashing. thats when i noticed as i would take foot off gas, approacing a stop but not needing to brake yet,the van would noticeably deaccelerate. as though when you turn off cruise control. but i never used that either.
i was close to home, so i only had about 5 lights to take off from, thats when it started dragging..not engaging in gear or getting enuff gas.. so i babied it til it kicked in. parked it til today to go to auto shop.
so i dont know how it could go to that much damage.. i tried to put in reverse and felt like the gear shift lever was stuck. so i pulled a little harder and the klunk sounded like an anvil dropped off a 10 story bldg. just to make sure it wasnt the steering wheel/brake pedal lock, i tried to go to N. same thing. plus it lurchd what felt like a foot. even with brake on. can i drive it to shop? i cant afford the tow.
incidentally i have one of those crazy instrument clusters which i was GONNA tackle next, til this. the tach is burried maxed into the parking indicators, the rest work 80 % of the time, until "that jam " comes on the radio and they gotta dance like theyre in a mosh pit. been reading about trans. position sensor switches, please tell me that sounds like it. im gonna lose about 800$ if its tranny and cant sell it..i wont even have enough for a gremlin at that point.
most grateful to anybody who takes time to advise.. as a girl, its so important to know the basics of what is wrong, esp. what is NOT wrong, before you pull into a mechanic/repair shop .....looking like little red riding hood
BTW, the OD button in end of lever doesnt seem to do anything. i put a few hund. miles, never concerned about OD. i just keep it in OD if it has one.so when 'OD off' light came on, i merely tried to press button, seemed like it was non op and didnt worry. after only a day or two, light starts flashing. thats when i noticed as i would take foot off gas, approacing a stop but not needing to brake yet,the van would noticeably deaccelerate. as though when you turn off cruise control. but i never used that either.
i was close to home, so i only had about 5 lights to take off from, thats when it started dragging..not engaging in gear or getting enuff gas.. so i babied it til it kicked in. parked it til today to go to auto shop.
so i dont know how it could go to that much damage.. i tried to put in reverse and felt like the gear shift lever was stuck. so i pulled a little harder and the klunk sounded like an anvil dropped off a 10 story bldg. just to make sure it wasnt the steering wheel/brake pedal lock, i tried to go to N. same thing. plus it lurchd what felt like a foot. even with brake on. can i drive it to shop? i cant afford the tow.
incidentally i have one of those crazy instrument clusters which i was GONNA tackle next, til this. the tach is burried maxed into the parking indicators, the rest work 80 % of the time, until "that jam " comes on the radio and they gotta dance like theyre in a mosh pit. been reading about trans. position sensor switches, please tell me that sounds like it. im gonna lose about 800$ if its tranny and cant sell it..i wont even have enough for a gremlin at that point.
most grateful to anybody who takes time to advise.. as a girl, its so important to know the basics of what is wrong, esp. what is NOT wrong, before you pull into a mechanic/repair shop .....looking like little red riding hood
0
Answers
The OD flashes and puts the transmission in default/limp mode.
The dragging and not wanting to shift in different gears is a pretty big concern. It sounds like something internally in the transmission let loose.
If you have an AutoZone or similar auto parts store in your area, you might have them check for codes and see if they come up with anything.
Some might not be able to access the transmission codes, so it's a longshot.
If you have the codes, it will help determine where to start looking.
The problem is, if it's an internal problem, you might only get an OD solenoid code.
I hate to say this, but prepare for the worst and hope for the best.