1994 Ford Taurus Hard down shifting

DMWIMETT

MEMBER
1994 FORD TAURUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
236,000 MILES

I bought this car and well there are some things to work on here. First off when I bought the car it drove fine but about a week later it started to slam into either first or second gear when I would be slowing down, so much so that it broke the motor mount on the passenger side of the motor. I replaced the motor mount and serviced the transmission and all other fluids. Now after servicing the transmission it slams very hard all the time on down shifting and broke the same new mount I just put in. My wife like to kill me because I did not tell her about the problem with the transmission and she used the car to run to the store, the violent down shifting scared her so bad she pulled over and called me to come bring her the truck. Needless to say I slept on the couch that night. There are not any codes in the computer. Also the cruise control has never worked but I'm not sure if this has anything to do with this issue. I have noticed a couple of times that the speedometer while increasing speed will suddenly go from 55 to 65 mph very quickly although the car on its best day could not increase the speed that rapidly, this has only happened a couple of times though. The fluid in the transmission when I changed it was a brownish red in color but did not smell burnt. Hmmmm hope I didn't forget anything as my wife is sitting right next to me, I surrender myself to you please help. Our couch is not very comfortable.
Thank you

1 Reply

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi dmwimett,

Thank you for the donation.

Ever thought of getting a more comfortable couch? If not, it is time to consider it as the problem might take some time to resolve and be prepared to spend some time on the couch.

Symptoms indicates a possible fault with the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) which can cause harsh engagement of shifts.

The inaccurate speedometer reading and the inoperative cruise control are indications the VSS could be malfunctioning. When improper speed signals are sent to the Power control Module ( PCM), shifting becomes erratic and /or harsh.

VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR (VSS)
1. Faults in VSS or circuit should set diagnostic trouble code. Disconnect VSS electrical connector if diagnostic trouble code has not been set.

2. Using DVOM, measure resistance between sensor terminals. Replace sensor is resistance is not 190-250 ohms. If sensor is 190-250 ohms, additional circuit testing have to be performed.