1999 Ford Windstar Over Drive light

KELLYGONZALEZ

MEMBER
1999 FORD WINDSTAR
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
192,000 MILES

My transmission just got replaced, before my transmission went out, when going up an icline, it would try to shift then the over drive off light would start blinking. After the "blinking o/d light" would come on, my van seemed to run harder and wouldn't shift right. I would always have to stop, turn off my van and re-start to turn off the light. I thought after getting my transmission replaced, the problem would have been resolved, but hasn't. I still have the same issue, should I be concerned about my transmission going out again? Or could it be a sensor or computer chip for the automatic shifting?

1 Reply

KARLAMANATEE

MEMBER
1 POST

Hi,

I had the same problem in my '99 Windstar. Any incline I went up caused the transmission to downshift and the O/D light to come on. I have a 3.8 6cyl. I thought the transmission was going bad, but it ended up being a transmission leak at the transmission cooler line - when the shop had replaced the radiator a year previously, the transmission cooler line that ran through the radiator had to be moved, and they forgot to replace the O-ring gasket, which allowed the fluid to leak out. With low fluid and an overworked transmission, it sent a signal to the computer, which turned on the O/D light.

My first recommendation is to take your van in and have it inspected to make sure everything is where it belongs - including all the gaskets and lines. Secondly, have the computer scanned while the light is flashing to see if the computer can give a code for the technicians to use. If your replacement transmission is a used and/or junkyard transmission, it may have the same problem your first one had. If it's brand-new, it should have come with some sort of limited warranty (usually 12,000 miles). Check it out.

Best of luck!