2005 2 Days Old Died? (Ontario Canada) - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

demonseed · 03-06-2011, 11:58

Hello
My wife and I saved for months to buy a new used van. It had 76000k on it.. 2005 Ford frestar.. drove great. I picked it up Friday drove it 2 hrs home no issues. Today we go to leave our home, it started, tried to shift and it chugged and stalled. No wont start. I believe its the dreaded transmission problem however unconfirmed. I had it towed to my shop. I am in Ontario Canada and noticed there is NO warranty on used cars.. so somehow I have to come up with the money to fix this. If it is a tranny how can it go at 76,000? WTF?

thanks
Jim

**360ci** · 03-12-2011, 09:46

Mileage is a mixed bag, along with buying any used vehicle.

The van could have been a local taxi for all you know. 76K can easily be accumulated around town, and will be 'hard miles' rather than lightly loaded freeway. Miles are still miles no matter how you look at it. If you bought it through a person, instead of a dealer then it's buyer beware. If you bought it from a dealer then you can take it back and discuss the problem. Most dealers will settle. New car dealers are the most compromising, as used sales and service, affects new vehicle sales!

To begin, have you checked all the fluid levels? Engine oil, transmission oil, power steering and even the brake fluid? If any are low, top up as necessary. Now the transmission might require you to put it in neutral with the parking brake engaged in order to get an accurate trans fluid level reading.

To be safe, with any vehicle (used) that I buy, I get all the fluids changed. Yes - all fluids. It might cost a couple hundred bucks up front, but it can save thousands down the road. Especially when you don't know the maintenance history of the vehicle (if any).

Also check air filter. If you have the mechanical ability, pull a spark plug (or two) and check for proper gap and if there is any fouling. A tune up might be required. Get the battery tested. If you have another vehicle with a similar size or smaller battery - change it for the one in the van and see if that helps. In some vehicles a bad transmission is commonly misdiagnosed as a faulty throttle position sensor, and or idle air controller.

demonseed · 03-12-2011, 10:54

Hey
Well we took it to our mechanic and it was not the transmission but was the computer under the passenger side dash that got wet. Once it was dried out it worked again.... we had the mechanic seal the box, build a small shelter over it and seal the cowl.. seems ok for now... appears this is a common problem. I also noticed that my van does not have the rubber seal that connects to the windshield... that kinda sucks... cant find one either....

**360ci** · 03-12-2011, 10:59

At least it was resolved without needing any major work!