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1998 Mercury Sable transmission

Tiny
DMATHES74
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 MERCURY SABLE
  • 3.0L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 141,000 MILES
Its a 98 mercury sable and it starts right up but won't change gears. I can change it at the column and the cable is fine but it won't engage at all. It just makes a grinding noise towards the side of the transaxle. I just put in a new torque converter and new fluid and filter. I put new seals in it. The fluid didn't smell burnt or have any metal shavings in it. What could this be? Please help me
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Saturday, December 14th, 2013 AT 2:36 PM

11 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,724 POSTS
Does it make the grinding sound regardless of what gear it is in? Did this just happen since you did the work on the transmission? If you disconnect the linkage at the transmission and shift it manually, will it go into gear?
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Saturday, December 14th, 2013 AT 3:18 PM
Tiny
DMATHES74
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
After it's started and change gears the grinding starts and then it doesn't matter which gear you put it in. It still grinds. You cant manually change the gears either. This just started after all the work was done to it. The initial problem was the torque converter.
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Saturday, December 14th, 2013 AT 6:12 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,724 POSTS
This is a tough one. Since the problem started since the work, it leads me to believe it has to be related to the work that was done. Did the converter fit properly into the front pump?
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Sunday, December 15th, 2013 AT 11:57 AM
Tiny
DMATHES74
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Yeah, I filled it up and made sure it was seated correctly. It went through all three steps.
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Sunday, December 15th, 2013 AT 2:58 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,724 POSTS
I hate to say it, but the only thing I can think of doing at this point is to remove the transmission and check for issues. It's possible that you even got a bad converter.

I just thought of something. Are the axles seated properly?
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Sunday, December 15th, 2013 AT 5:00 PM
Tiny
DMATHES74
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Yes. I have the axles seated correctly. I was starting to think it might be electrical. My next step was going to be check all the synchronizers and check all the connections with a voltage meter. Am I wasting my time or could any of those be my problem?
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Sunday, December 15th, 2013 AT 5:16 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,724 POSTS
I would say it isn't a waste of time, but the part that makes me question it the most is the fact that it makes the noise in park and neutral.
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Monday, December 16th, 2013 AT 5:06 AM
Tiny
DMATHES74
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
I did do a lot of the work outside and it rained a couple of days. I was thinking I might have got a s
hort or fried a sensor.
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Monday, December 16th, 2013 AT 6:23 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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Anything is possible. It won't hurt to check.
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Monday, December 16th, 2013 AT 7:24 AM
Tiny
DMATHES74
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Never mind I have my answer. Even though the axle was seated. Correctly it had came apart inside the boot. Thanks anyways
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Monday, December 16th, 2013 AT 7:35 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,724 POSTS
I had a feeling it had something to do with the axle. That's why I mentioned it earlier. I'm glad you got it fixed.
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Monday, December 16th, 2013 AT 8:18 AM

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