1998 Mercury Sable transmission

1998 MERCURY SABLE
141,000 MILES • 3.0L • V6 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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DMATHES74
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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
Dec 14, 2013 at 2:36 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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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?
Dec 14, 2013 at 3:18 PM
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DMATHES74
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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.
Dec 14, 2013 at 6:12 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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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?
Dec 15, 2013 at 11:57 AM
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DMATHES74
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Yeah, I filled it up and made sure it was seated correctly. it went through all three steps.
Dec 15, 2013 at 2:58 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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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?
Dec 15, 2013 at 5:00 PM
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DMATHES74
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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?
Dec 15, 2013 at 5:16 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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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.
Dec 16, 2013 at 5:06 AM
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DMATHES74
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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.
Dec 16, 2013 at 6:23 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Anything is possible. It won't hurt to check.
Dec 16, 2013 at 7:24 AM
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DMATHES74
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Never mind I have my answer. even though the axle was seated. correctly it had came apart inside the boot. thanks anyways
Dec 16, 2013 at 7:35 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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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.
Dec 16, 2013 at 8:18 AM