96 aerostar won't move after tranny swap - Ford Forums

amp_man · 05-12-2008, 22:46

I'm posting this for my dad, he's not exactly net savvy. We've got a 96 aerostar that had the tranny go bad. We bought another aerostar with a bad body but good tranny, and swapped the tranny and torque converter over from that (then crushed it for more then we paid for it :D). We also changed it over to all new tranny fluid, with a new filter. The first time it was started, it moved but acted like the tranny was still not engaging properly. We pulled everything back apart, confirmed that we had the right torque converter in, and all the shafts were seated properly, and put it back together. The next time it started, it went into gear fine, backed out of the garage, and the electronics plug fell off the tranny. I don't know if it stayed in gear or popped out at that point, but it hasn't gone into gear since. The drive shaft doesn't even move, and the flywheel is spinning just like it should. We've tried resetting the computer, no help. Any suggestions?

amp_man · 05-12-2008, 23:51

Oops, forgot to mention, both vans were the 3.0L motor, RWD, and automatic trannys.

doc1590 · 05-20-2008, 10:13

It sounds like a no (or low) line pressure. When you put the replacement tranny in, did you have trouble with a gap of about 1/2 inch or so, between the trans and the block? If you did and used the bolts to pull it up tight, you might have damaged the pump inside the transmission. When you install a convertor, you have to rotate it until the drive tangs on the pump set in the notches in the convertor shaft.
Or you might have solved the problem already. If not, send me an email, doc1590 at yahoo.com. Replacing the pump isn't a big deal.

dave

amp_man · 05-20-2008, 11:59

Wow, yes, I hadn't even thought about that. How can you check the pressure? Is that the pump that's on the bell housing? Where would I find a new pump? I've tried the local parts stores, nobody carries it, none on ebay, and none on rockauto.com. Thanks!