Dane
FRF Addict
So, another trip to the sand dunes and another problem. That's 2 out of 3 trips this year foiled by Raptor issues. I'm starting to feel pretty jaded about the phrase "Ford Tough". The first go round was a broken axle. That has been repaired under warranty, here's the next one - and it's hard to explain so please bear with me.
First, a couple things about the problem I'm about to explain:
So, the symptom. It feels like the transmission (or T-case) slips out of gear. You lose power and the throttle becomes unresponsive. You can floor it and nothing, though the engine "idles" in the 3,000 rpm range. The engine isn't roaring or anything, it just sounds like a high idle. As long as I take my foot off of the throttle it will pop back into gear - sometimes smoothly, sometimes roughly, and not always in the last gear I was in. When this problem happens, the dash gear indicator display says I'm in first gear, even if I am on the freeway in 6th. I am NOT in 1st gear - I'm in no gear. It isn't consistent, but it frequently thwarts any attempt at a hill climb. It also made towing my Jeep home quite difficult since I start losing power and am unable to maintain speed. Sometimes it happens 5-6 times a minute, sometimes I can drive 30 miles just fine. I was able to limp home and get the truck to the dealership. They were able to reproduce the problem and have identified it as a Transmission Range Sensor, which they will be replacing tomorrow. They said it is also possible this sensor could be causing my very occasional problem with remote start not working (which has been discussed in other threads).
I figured I'd throw this out there to see if others have had similar problems and in case others run into it. It's extremely frustrating and robbed a day from my camping trip. It's seeming like I must always take my Rubicon with me as a backup vehicle if I want to have a full offroad trip.
First, a couple things about the problem I'm about to explain:
- The engine does not shut off
- This happens in any combination of 2wd, 4wd, hi/low, off-road mode, tow/haul
- It's more common in 4wd
- It happens mostly under load (towing) or off-road with moderate to heavy throttle
So, the symptom. It feels like the transmission (or T-case) slips out of gear. You lose power and the throttle becomes unresponsive. You can floor it and nothing, though the engine "idles" in the 3,000 rpm range. The engine isn't roaring or anything, it just sounds like a high idle. As long as I take my foot off of the throttle it will pop back into gear - sometimes smoothly, sometimes roughly, and not always in the last gear I was in. When this problem happens, the dash gear indicator display says I'm in first gear, even if I am on the freeway in 6th. I am NOT in 1st gear - I'm in no gear. It isn't consistent, but it frequently thwarts any attempt at a hill climb. It also made towing my Jeep home quite difficult since I start losing power and am unable to maintain speed. Sometimes it happens 5-6 times a minute, sometimes I can drive 30 miles just fine. I was able to limp home and get the truck to the dealership. They were able to reproduce the problem and have identified it as a Transmission Range Sensor, which they will be replacing tomorrow. They said it is also possible this sensor could be causing my very occasional problem with remote start not working (which has been discussed in other threads).
I figured I'd throw this out there to see if others have had similar problems and in case others run into it. It's extremely frustrating and robbed a day from my camping trip. It's seeming like I must always take my Rubicon with me as a backup vehicle if I want to have a full offroad trip.