08 STA shifting issue UPDATE

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Carey Frennier

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My techs took a look at it and they pulled two codes



One codes that basically means my vehicle is experiencing a drive train malfunction between 3rd and 4th gear and cannot shift out of 3rd.



They also pulled a code that said my passenger side cylinder bank is running lean. wtf?



I'm wondering if the K&N intake is plastering my MAF causing the lean cylinder problem?



This vehicle is rapidly become less cool very day. I actually wish I had done more research on the vehicle. I was so happy with my 2003 ST. I was so focused on price that I didn't really get into the trouble areas of the STA. Can't believe I traded a paid off 05 F150 FX4 with only 20k on it for this pos.



Any thoughts?





 
It will be a year before the issues with my truck is fixed. Just as soon as they are released, I am ordering a loaded up Poncho G8-ST. 6 liters, 365 horsepower stock and all kinds of aftermarket goodies for them is too hard to pass up. I have driven 2 G8 sedans and they are sweet.



I LOVE Fords, have owned almost nothing else since the 60's but for any company to continue to sell transmissions that repeatedly have the same issues like this 6 speed, has driven me away from the brand. It is unreal that it will be in F150's and many more vehicles in the next few years. Ford is headed for a financial and PR disaster with it.
 
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FYI - Back in '02 I was told by a Ford electrical technician not to use an oiled air filter because of the bleed though on to the MAFS. I switch from a K&N drop in to a AirAid drop in because it uses less oil; and later to the AirAid CAI. There are now 2 companies that make dry filters: AEM and AFE. With that said, there is a MAFS cleaner on the market by CRC; and you can pick up a spray can for about $10.
 
I LOVE Fords, have owned almost nothing else since the 60's but for any company to continue to sell transmissions that repeatedly have the same issues like this 6 speed, has driven me away from the brand. It is unreal that it will be in F150's and many more vehicles in the next few years. Ford is headed for a financial and PR disaster with it.
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I agree with this almost 100%. As a matter of fact, I think I made the same statement about the six-speed auto nearly a year ago. Ford needs to man up on this one and find a solution before their marque F150 goes into production with this transmission. However, I don't think this will chase me away just yet. I have owned too many good Fords to let this one issue change my preference. I personally think the real issue is with the vendor they are buying this "sealed" unit from. Unfortunately, it is Ford who is getting the black eye and rightfully so. They chose the vendor and they should have done adequate durability testing before they let this get into production vehicles. They also should have worked with the vendor to find a solution a long time ago. This is totally unacceptable. :angry:
 
I did not get the V8 due to all the issues I read about with the tranny as well as opinions from the local service techs. Now I have a V6 with brake problems that has been in the shop more times in the few months I have owned her than all my past cars combined.

I like the Trac. People praise it all the time and tell me that is perfect for them as well and they think they may buy one, but then Squuueeeellll goes the brakes and scares them away. Ford need to fix quality issues and this Trac could have alot stronger market share.
 
No excuses for Ford, but Toyota has a big problem with the Tundra 6 speed auto. They also have the same issue with the Camery and Lexis with the 6 speed auto.
 
Never liked the Tundra's either. The imports do a better job of keeping quality issues on the down low and quietly fixing them, IMO.
 
I'm wondering if the K&N intake is plastering my MAF causing the lean cylinder problem?
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K&N Air Filter.





psycareyo- Im sorry to hear about the issues your facing. first ,there is a TSB ( I don't if you were aware of it ) about the transmission weather its the bumping coming to a stop or what you described in your post ,have your techs look into it. if you already did ,then disreguard this statement.





They also pulled a code that said my passenger side cylinder bank is running lean. wtf?
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That for a fact is your K&N Air Filter. Several months ago ,I had the same issue and re-installed the factory oem intake and box with no returning codes. what I did then was modify the air box and cleared the opening behind the grill and let me tell you it works great as well as one would expect with the K&N system. with the plastic cleared from the front of the opening to the air box ,the opening performs like a ram air intake as you punch the accelarator.





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I hope your transmission issues can be resolved...
 
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I went back into the service area to see if any progress had been made on my STA. They started working on it at 7am this morning and it currently looks like a hospital patient on life support.



I'm hoping they get this sorted out so that I can at least drive the damn thing. I'll probably have them clean the MAF and leave the K&N on for now. I have not had as many issues as others have with this K&N coating the MAF with fibers and oil.
 
Adrian Drenalin,



I've had the TSB done twice. It doesn't fix the bumping issue - well, it does for a little while that all the problems come right back.



 
the problem is that all this bs is being caused by the adaptive learning system. They suspect that it has caused mechanical damage to the transmission. So I think that it's just going to go from tranny to tranny until ford fixes the problem.
 
I agree with Lil Red. It's only got 2,100 gentle miles on it.



However, I did take it out lastnight after another Dingo fix and it shifted fine. I beat the hell out of it. Wide open from light to light, full throttle around any large radius curves and I raised a little hell with Mall security lol!



I don't know if it will help but it was pretty damn fun :)
 
I have had my '07 Sport Trac for almost 2 years now and NO issues at all. Way better than my '04 F150 which spent the first year in the shop. The 4.6 V8 and 6 speed tranny are great, pulls my trailer no problems at all and it's easy to park etc etc. I do not use K&N filters as well due to the oiling problems, stock Ford paper filters are great and besides I don't think it make that much of a difference anyways. :D
 
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However, I did take it out lastnight after another Dingo fix and it shifted fine. I beat the hell out of it. Wide open from light to light, full throttle around any large radius curves and I raised a little hell with Mall security lol!
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The question is this though: Are you doing this for a day or so and then going back to your old ways of driving, or are you running it hard for 2-3 tanks of gas like Master Dingo specified. The adaptive tranny takes about 500-1000 miles to fully learn its strategy from what I've gathered, so this is an important process of the relearn.



I fully agree that we SHOULDN"T HAVE TO DO THIS, but sometimes you've got to play the hand you're dealt and make the best of it. My wife's Mazda 6 has a similar tranny, but I don't drive the car enough to keep it in the "aggressive" mode, so I just deal with the weak shifting. She doesn't notice it anyway.....
 

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