97 XLT V6 No reverse & slips out of gear when coasting

Are we working on a manual or an automatic? I notice the reference to "drive" but I'm still not absolutely sure. There remains the possibility that this could be a transfer case concern....

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

stop-start & reversing 4x4 (high) work a week ago (paper delivery - not plowing!). Basically, all is well when the engine is under load, but when I take my foot of the gas to coast, about 50% of the time the trans will slip out of gear and I get a whirring noise that rapidly increases in speed (although engine revs stay constant). If I slip into Neutral on the fly, then the sound slows down and stops and I can usually slip back into drive and be OK until I have to coast again.

By putzing around with the shift I can sometimes get it to engage but usually not. It could be my imagination but it seems worse in this 10 degree weather we've been having.

aptitude (I rebuild old bikes) so any help/suggestions would be much appreciated.

It is an automatic with about 90,000 miles on it - I've been wondering about the transfer case too. Something about the sound of the whirring - from the 'brighter' tone it sounds like it is coming from inside something smaller than the main transmission housing, if you know what I mean.

-Ian

OK.... IIRC, your Tcase is the A4WD variety???? I'm heading out to work on the scooter (hey, spring will be here eventually) but I'll dig out the manual later.... If you have the Tcase I think you do, they don't like too much hard use in the rocking department but it shouldn't really affect the

Only other guess I have isn't pretty and involves the planetaries inside the trans..... the tough part will be deciding where to start looking....

about the transfer case too. Something about the sound of the whirring - from the 'brighter' tone it sounds like it is coming from inside something smaller than the main transmission housing, if you know what I mean.

Well, the transfer case is the Auto-4WDHi-4WDLo variety ('Control-Trac'). I can't really tell if it is in 2WD or not when it drops out. With all the ice and snow around here its probably spending a fair bit of time in auto 4WD, but I imagine it would be in 2WD on regular, if wet, blacktop? Wish it was warm enough for me to ride - I'd be able to get around a bit better while I figure out this problem...

-Ian

Ian, hate to tell you this but I had the same thing happen to me this past summer. I had stripped out a planetary gear in the transfer case. It happened in drive when I took my foot off the gas and car started slowing down. Ended up costing me $1300 and 5 days without my car while the parts came in.

I am having trouble again, that is why I am on here. In reverse it is doing the same thing again whenever I start decelerating. Taking it in tomorrow, if it costs another 1300 I am tempted to send it packing. I got a tradein value of $3000 a couple months ago. Barely worth it to fix again, only lasted 25000 miles on the fix.

Yes, I had all the previous work done at the dealership.

Matt

Ugh. Are we talking about EXACTLY the same symptoms? Once again, mine drops out of forward gear when decelerating/coasting with a loud whirring noise that speeds up regardless of engine/wheel speed until I drop into neutral on the fly. Also, of course, no reverse - just the whirring sound.

And this was the transfer case rather than the main trans? I wonder how easy it would be for me to drop the transfer case and take a look (once the temp gets above 10 degrees of course). Thanks for the input - Ian.