Cat converter question-94 Taurus wagon

JD opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@netnews.comcast.net:

If I understand you right, you are saying that the trans wouldnt shift down .. or out of overdrive with just the accelerator depression.

I certainly WOULD have gone to "D".

Sounds like it's not downshifting when it should. Does this vehicle have a tachometer? That would be an easy way to tell. Try shifting manually to D or even 2nd next time this happens. If it helps, the culprit is in the tranny; hopefully a minor problem. One thing strikes me as odd, though. Why didn't you take it up that 6% grade before the purchase? Or was the price so low that it didn't matter?

A wagon with a 3.0 is NOT a speed or torque demon. (But A reliable crate). You may have to stomp down a little more than you think you should to get it to downshift. Even then, don't expect a rush of speed, just a gradual pick up. Mine also has annoying hesitation around 25/35 MPH at partial throttle. A 3.8 pulls a lot better in a wagon, but i will trade off reliably any day. I have had 4 3.0's with no engine failures. My sisters 95 wagon was on its fifth 3.8 major repair before she dumped it.

If it has not been serviced well, its time to put plugs, wires, dist cap. rotor among other things on it. I would change the TFI module to be safe (or keep a spare in the glove box with the special tool). Check for cracked vacuum hoses and replace any that look bad. The VSS on the transmission could also cause some strange shifting problems and should possibly be replaced. Chances are many of these things have never been done. It won't turn it into a speed demon, but every little bit helps.

BOB

These are all great ideas. The car was well taken care of, comes with a AAA rated mechanic who I'll be meeting with on Wed....

The wagon tranny has been real steady once I stayed in "D"

The gas mileage (just a half tank) is at about 19mpg, of course I was stomping on it while hitting that major hill!

It passed and I/M test on Friday, so stay tuned...

JD opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@netnews.comcast.net:

Milage should be a little higher than that... Do you notice that it has a higher than expected idle? Maybe doesnt shift down as expected when you take foot off gas?

I have a 95 3.0 and I dont have ANY trouble kicking down.. in fact I thnk it does it TOO easily when cruise control is on

I think it needs a KOER test.

The idle is normal, what is a KOER test?