My 2014 Ford Escape has a low whining sound when driving, and feels like the transmission is slipping (increased rpms with no increase in speed, followed by what feels like loss of connection between engine and trans). Starting the car after letting it rest the slipping goes away but not the sound. No error codes on the code reader. How screwed is the transmission?
Thanks and regards
wes
how much on the odometer please?
219000 miles
If you used a generic OBD2 code reader that won't show transmission codes. For that you need a fancy scan tool like the ones Scotty uses.
When is the last time the fluid was changed? For that matter is the fluid level OK?
Unsure when the fluid was changed or level, no trans dipstick
The engineers who thought of that need to be flogged. Although a PITA it's probably worth crawling under the car to check fluid level and condition or getting a mechanic to do it.
Don’t get me started on the engineers responsible for this car. My brother in law gave me the car, it was given to him from his dad. Brother in law was too frustrated from not being able to work on it himself. Ford engineers need to be drug out in to the street and beaten with a hose.
…anyways, it’s going to a mechanic Monday so fingers crossed it’s nothing too major. I was just interested in anybody’s opinion on what it could be. I appreciate your feedback.
Always start with the simple stuff first. The trouble is that as these "sealed" transmissions age and develop minor leaks it becomes a major problem since you cannot easily check and top up the fluid. Beating with a hose is too good for them.
They saved pennies deleting those dipsticks and their tubes. BMW even nuked the oil dipstick on new models if I recall. I learned recently the 2017 Mustangs actually have a dipstick but you gotta get under the darn car and unscrew something to get to it. This is one of the many reasons I want to keep my old Ranger going as long as possible. Ford made them easy back then. Modern automotive engineers don't have a clue about how to make cars you can work on.
Hate to say it man, but an almost 12 year old escape with 219,000 miles on it I believe has reached the end of its lifespan. I wouldn’t fix it because it’s almost guaranteed it’ll have other major problems down the road. I think it’s time to flog it my friend. They just aren’t very well made to begin with and I think you’ve got the most life out of it as you could!
You are lucky to get that mileage out of the Escape. The best thing to can do is to use some Lucas anti slip additive to the transmission fluid after you drain one quarter of the ATF.
