QuestionHello i'm hoping you can help me with this strange problem with my 95 Mercury Villager. The truck runs great except that once in awhile, the tranny or maybe just the linkinge or steering column shifter, i don't know, does not engage in reverse.
The truck has 200,000 kms or about 130,000 miles on it.
This is an intermittent problem and the transmission does not slip or jerk or hesitate in any way when driving normally. It just does not engage in reverse, or engage completely sometimes. When it does engage reverse which is probably 60% of the time, it works perfectly. Weather it's 20 above or 20 below does not affect it, it still reacts the same way. I can drive with a full load uphill and accelerating and the tranny does not slip.
Is this the beginning of the end for the tranny?
AnswerI don't see any Villagers at the Ford Dealer, and it doesn't have a "sister vehicle" in the Ford line. Not knowing this vehicle very well, I could only make a couple of guesses. The symptom chart in the factory service manual lists a damaged or worn reverse clutch, a sticking pressure regulator valve, or a damaged low/reverse clutch as possible causes for a "Slow to Engage in REVERSE". A "N-R (NEUTRAL-REVERSE) Soft Shift" lists a N-R accumulator is sticking or damaged. Any of these repairs would require removing the transmission.
I hope this helps,
Dave
