2007 CD4E Transmission issue
CD4E transmission upon initial start will go into all gears and work for a few
minutes then quit. Checking line pressure and stall speeds, everything is
spot on when working. Issue is that at time of loss of all gears, line pressure
goes to zero.
Do notice a pump whine just before and during loss of pressure. Have pulled
pump and the pump is in good shape as is the shaft driving the pump. No
signs of wear or slippage on either end of the pump shaft.
Have already done several fluid changes via the drain and fill method as the
original fluid was very burnt. Have seen no difference in issue.
I thought I had a SS2 issue, so from a doner transmission, I swapped the
valve bodies and started testing again. After the swap, the transmission
worked perfect for 20+ minutes and the fluid came up to operating
temperature. After that 20+ minutes, the issue returned and has now been
acting just as before.
One thing I have noticed is that each time I drop the fluid, there is a lot of
"sludge" in the drain pan if I let the fluid sit. I know of no other way to
describe it. Checking between my fingers, there doesn't feel like there are
any metal particles in the fluid.
Is there a chance with what I am seeing in the fluid that something is getting
clogged with the sludge and causing the resultant loss of pressure? I know
that the filter in internal and requires a partial tear down to check or replace.
Just trying to figure out first what the problem is given the symptoms.
Attached photo shows what the fluid looked like coming out of the original
valve body. This was taken when I was starting to do a partial tear down of
the valve body to clean it out. Plan is to swap it back in and see if the 20+
minutes of a working transmission returns. which I think would indicate a clog
somewhere forming.
I should also have put in that when using FORscan and monitoring Line Pressure Control Desired (LINEDSD), Line Pressure Control (LPC), and Pressure Control Solenoid A (PCA), the LINEDSD is always higher than LPC and PCA. However, when working, LPC and PCA follow each others pressure but when not working, the LINEDSD is still showing a desired pressure but LPC and PCA go to zero as does a pressure gauge hooked into the pressure tap next to the pump on the transmission. And attached is a pic of the fluid I drained out during the last drain and fill.
The inner filter is similar to many other makes in the industry. It is a simple pan drop and replace.
Guru9FSV8, For the CD4E, it is unfortunately internal and the transmission must be dropped and partially disassembled to get to the filter.
I have the 2.3L 4 cylinder and not the V6. The CD4E is the same on both.
My friend I am going through the same exact problems that you were having I have a Mazda Tribute the transmission is an cd4e which is the same in an escape. I am having all gears for a few minutes but I lose them all after that I also did several fluid flushes through the coolant hoses drain plug. After my first two flushes I had gears for a couple hours then lost them all at no avail. I have did several other flushes but my pressure problem is still the same was thinking about changing the pressure solenoid.
Same thing here, no out put pressure
Easy fix guys. The internal filter on the cd4e tranny is a scavenge type filter. is an akward shaped plastic housing that has an oil pickup tube/ scavenge pick up that sucks up fluid from the bottom of the transmission. The transmission fluid passes through a mesh type filter in the center of the plastic housing. If you remove the valve body from the transmission you can access the clogged mesh filter fits inside the plastic housing. Just simply take a flat head screwdriver and poke holes in the mesh part of the filter, make sure you don't damage the plastic housing. If you damage the plastic it will lose the suction needed to pull fluid from the bottom of the transmission. Just four or five holes are needed then take a pair of needle-nose pliers and reach in there and pull out as much of the mesh filter you can get. It doesn't take much and you won't get much out of it. It looks like real thick fishing line. Once you do that remove the transmission drain plug and flush out is much debris and sludge as you can by pouring transmission fluid into the dipstick tube, when it passes through and comes out the bottom it flushes a lot of sludge out. You can also put a light solvent in it also to help flush it. Next just simply reinstall the valve body and solenoid pack, do not over torque valve body bolts, next , reinstall cover and drain plug.. final step, install an in-line filter on the low pressure return line frim the transmission cooler. Note: The transmission fluid pressure is high as it leaves the trans via metal tube that passes infront of the pump and enters the radiator to cool then enters a smaller transmission cooler then returns to transmission via low pressure side rubber hose back into tranny. Note- the inline filter looks similar to an inline fuel filter. The inline oil filter is a much better design than the factory mesh type. It filters several times better and is less restrictive. I recommend replacing the filter every 30000 miles. This procedure takes about 2 hours to complete and it completely restores operating pressure to the transmission , I performed this procedure about 10 different Ford Escapes, Mazda tributes in Mercury Mariners and it has worked every single time with zero complaints from the customer. The process takes about 30 minutes now. Also, just a thought, if you study a diagram of the filter you could possibly gain access to the mesh filter by sticking a rod through the rain plug hole and through the oil pickup tube. I've also thought about using stronger solvents to break up the sludge but not eat up the plastic housing of the filter. Good luck guys
Hello, Im having the same issue. Can you people help me find the Value Body am where to access the Mess?
@Keitharow Im new tho this site so Im testing trying to tag you in this Question
Hello Keitharow. I am having the identical issue. 2006 Mazda Tribute, 3.0, with All Wheel Drive. When car starts cold it will go into gear and drive for about 30 seconds to a minute. After it's warm it drops out of whatever gear it's in and I lose all shifting until I turn off engine and let it cool down. Cylcle repeats. After looking online most experts say to replace the whole transmission. Between the difficult of accomplishing this, especially the AWD style, not to mention the high cost of replacement tranny, I was about to junk it until I stumbled upon you post. I'm extremely intrigued by your CD4E filter hack. Can you explain a bit more about the procedure and also about your proposed idea to access the mesh filter through the drain plug? Is there a somewhat direct path from the plug opening to the mesh? Would greatly appreciate your thoughts.
