Hairy McScary - Power Shrift attempting 3rd to 1st downshift

[goz007]

I would now also only drive it in sports mode & see how it goes like this & if it's good like this then every change or test u make to diagnose the issue is the key to then switch back & see if the auto mode is sorted, otherwise U will end up chasing your tail forever & if & when U do find the fix U will never know what it was.

[AlCan]

Hi Guys,

Just back from a two minute spin down the road (in Auto mode) to check out the Steering Angle possibility.

B*gga me, if it didn't throw a 3N1 on the way back, just about outside our driveway. But again, No DTC. So it seems more and more that this is a Command / Control problem more than Mechanical, as you say Peter B.

At first glance (not knowing what PIDs might be at issue) just checked Steering Angle and Direction. It all looked plausible. The steering wheel itself is about 3.5° off centre to the left. The SAS angle appears to be about 0.5-1° off dead straight, also to the left.

I doubt either of these slight offsets are enough to do anything, so this is becoming a real head scratcher.

Yes goz, I've been thinking about the battery possibility (or alternator, I suppose?), but at this stage, my feeling is it's too consistent. Those kinds of electrical problems tend to create a bunch of random problems - though I suppose the windscreen wiper could be another one. Could prove me wrong, I guess! I do have the '11 with a good battery, but I'm not there yet . I've got a gammy knee at the moment and am supposed to "Rest" it.

I'm much more thinking like you say that the wrong EGR data could have a lot to do with it, so I'm planning to talk to Peter James, probably tomorrow. I've also had a look at the EGR Data and it seems to be all over the place. The EGR_ERR PID (I think, OTTOMH) goes as high as about 70%. (But at idle, when it's supposed to be open, the error is ZERO!) Various people and posts say it doesn't matter, but maybe, in this case, it does.

The common lack of DTCs for these downshifts points to it being a commanded changedown rather than the second best choice following an "Unable to engage Gear 2" fault, but Why!?

Like you say, maybe time to start driving in TT-mode between tests, as it's getting a bit frustrating.

Another thought along the electrical lines - there's a lot of chatter out there about bad Earth connections. Again, this thing seems too consistent, but what's your take on that possibility? Old wives tales, internet myths or valid science??

[AlCan]

Hi again Goz,

Thanks for your comments about oil temps. Very helpful and reassuring.

Thinking more... on the results of the driving around today, including the one testing the SAS.

I see a strong correlation with braking. Virtually all the testing today was without much braking, mostly natural (hills) or engine braking - and had no jump downs.

Both the two occurrences today were closely associated the light or moderate braking, during or just prior to the jump down.

Interestinger and interestinger ...

[AlCan]

Continuing along the Electrical line...

Looked at battery today. Label might indicate 5yo. Even so Battery Load Tester put it well into Green for 800CCA battery, still in the Green for a 1,000CCA. Spins the engine over very nicely. But could still be dodgy. Will let you know.

Also found four Wiring Harness Earth lugs approximately under the Air Filter box. Undid, cleaned and retightened.

And no difference...

But as you say, if I don't test and it's suddenly fixed, likely never know the cause.

I'm gonna get a vacuum gauge next.

[goz007]

As for the earth question, i.m.o 100% can cause issues & the same as U describe the hotter the wires get the harder to move the current pushing IR through the roof untill the circuit fails....as for the battery, yeah like I said, I've seen it 2many times the most recent was that SZ 760cc testing as a good battery indicator in the battery also solid green(but really that's just a false sense of security as it's only looking@1cell)but CCA was testing around 640 but battery test matching(expensive well known brand)was saying good battery) also struck another one that sticks in my mind on a Mazda 800cc battery, battery testing good & showing 780cca green indicator green 12.8v@rest car would start & drive perfectly, drive for hours without any issues, park it in the sun(was hot & summer@the time) it wouldn't start, park in the shade & it was ok... checking battery when it had the no start issues battery was still checking good, eventually after many attempts to diagnose (left it@anthor mates workshop as he found the situation quite funny & wouldn't believe me-until it did it to him(it was his sparky who said battery is U/S we laughed at him, he laughed back at us-car was in its no start state-had been driven out of the workshop sat in sun all day & then wouldn't start, sparky said I bet U a carton of carona that I'll put a new battery in & it will start.... well he took home a carton of carona.) although both these car are different to your situation(also both these cars were different to each other as well) the point being that with these modern cars that run a high demand on the power supply from a battery can play havoc with there modules.... batteries do strange things & batteries aren't made like they use to be & aren't really made to last any longer than 3yrs.....i.m.o 3yrs smile & be happy as uve done well

[AlCan]

Hi Goz,

Thanks - yes, I'm looking at putting another battery in just to see what happens. Will let you know for sure! Hah, a heat sensitive car battery. Must have had a crack or loose joint inside. Lucky it didn't go BANG! I've seen the result of a truck battery that did that. Ugly, stinky mess! Lucky no one was nearby at the time.

Also, rang PJ yesterday. He sends his best regards. What a thoroughly decent and helpful chap. A Jag man. We had quite a chat. Sounds like he's doing well. Gave me 4 options, all very sensible, will send pricing. He thinks it might be a solenoid problem. Anyway, for now I'm going to drive in in Manual mode, as so far, that's been fine.

But it's all a bit weird. Manual gear changes must use different routines inside the TCM, or why don't they mess up sometimes too? Maybe they will... ;-(

[goz007]

Yeah PJ is ok for a winging/whining X pom(hahaha).....nah he's a top guy, been tuning/remapping for over 25years, has tuned for some of the biggest tuning houses & race teams in Europe....he knows his stuff.

[goz007]

My advice, is remap it & turn the EGR & DPF both off....

[AlCan]

Originally Posted by goz007

My advice, is remap it & turn the EGR & DPF both off....

Thanks goz,

Funny, PJ promised to send pricing... Anyway, I'll wait a bit before I do that - until I've checked out the engine oil pressure and decided on the cam chain - the engine may not be worth the spend, though, despite all her issues, she does run sweetly. Due a new cambelt soonish too.

Oh, and the PCM/TCM updates. Got an appointment with a Ford Dealer next week. Didn't go through this with PJ, but I'm wondering if you do a Remap, then update the firmware, do you lose the remap?

[goz007]

As long as they don't do anything to the ECM it will be fine, but in all reality, I'd be doing any Ford updates before U do anything with P.J.....also P.J is a very busy man & has a lot on his plate spends a bit of time traveling as his remaps are all done mobile,(he may well of temporarily forgot-but I know how he works he would of recorded your details in his diary & just hasn't gotten back to it yet) but if your really in a hurry for it just send him a txt msg & that will get him moving.

[AlCan]

Thanks Goz,

No worries, as above, not in a hurry, and won't bug him until I'm on track to go ahead.

Regarding the Trans, of course, I jinxed it. Had another changedown today, while driving in TipTronic mode. They always take me by surprise, and this one happened in the most dawdling slowdown you could imagine. I wasn't logging and only have FS Demo in my phone, but didn't find any DTCs -that's the norm. I've only seen two.

Is it possible that this is caused by a blocking synchro - if that's what it's called? I've experienced the odd manual gearbox that got stuck in the synchro stage, and wouldn't go into gear until you released the pressure and tried again. Like, it's got the other shaft up to speed, but has stopped in a position from which you can't mesh with the dogs. Does that still happen?

[Crazy Dazz]

Interesting Thread.
Apologies if I missed it, bu how many k's has the tranny done?

I know that apparent shifting issues can appear to be about control faults, but often it's just that something is worn and either slipping or binding when it shouldn't.

I had all sorts of crazy issues with my (completely different) tranny, and it as almost as if the computer was trying to adapt to (or bypass) the slippage, by engaging in funky random down shifts.

I imagine you've checked the fluid level, did you get a sense of the condition? When we took the pan off mine, it was evident that the tranny was basically stuffed.

[AlCan]

Hi Crazy Dazz,

If you've read this whole thread, you deserve a medal!
I know I'm long-winded, but as Mark Twain said, "If I had more time, I'd write less." Brevity ain't my better skill.

134,000k. Sorry, looks like not stated in this thread (but see it's in a DTC report - just found by Search). Too easy to miss.

Also have most of the Service Records going back to new. Original lady owner. Fully serviced in its early life. Then looks like some cowboy owned it for a while. Had straw, sand and dirt in the spare wheel well etc and maybe didn't give it any love.

The guy before me only had it a short distance - obviously that's when he discovered that it already had big problems. I bought it sight unseen, online. Thought I was buying Odd gears only, but turned out much better than that, so can't complain. Apart from the bucking and kicking (learned that from the cowboy?) described two posts around 3rd Jan, this seems to be its worst fault.

So, Yes, I'm coming to the conclusion that you are 100% correct - probably an mechanical issue inside the box. Something has suffered as a result of all those sudden engine "stalls" and restarts. I couldn't bear to drive it like that for more than a few minutes, thinking of what damage it might be doing, but it must have been driven like that for a while before I got it.

I've noticed that it has a different sound from the 2011 I also have. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the tranny. It's an unusual kind of whistling whine. Not too loud but it's there. It sounds a bit like that unusual sound the 5-cylinder Rangers make, but makes me think there's something a little bent in there.

Ha! Funny you should ask, I know it's #1 in the service book, but no, haven't actually checked the fluid level. Planning to drain it and pull the cover off soonish, but the last Fluid & Filter change was done 20,000k's back, by the local Ford Dealer and charged at 6 litres. No obvious leaks. My feeling is it's not that. If I'm wrong, I'll fess up! I'm betting there's a heap of steel on the magnets though.

I appreciate your comments. It's been a real learning curve...