So......who's a mechanic around here?

Car trouble and no nothing. I can take a computer apart and put it back together with my eyes closed, but when it comes to my car, I'm as stupid as they come.

Who knows cars? I need help!

Does it crank, or nothing?

I'll be at class from 11-12:30...I'll drop in again.

What can I do for you?

I'm hoping it's not.

I've got a 95 Windstar. I guess (after reading some of the info on them) there were some electrical problems in some of them. About three months ago, when I was driving, the overdrive light would start blinking when I shifted on hills. When I would stop and turn off the car, the light would go off and everything was fine.

Well, it kept doing it, only when I started to shift. One online site something about an electrical control box mounted on the firewall right in front of the driver's seat that might need replacing. Not having any money, I hadn't had the chance to look into it, though.

Two weeks ago, I was in Boston and driving home on the Pike. This is our main fast road, and I usually stay in the second to left lane, cruising about 65-70. I got off the Pike, paid the toll, and suddenly, it stopped shifting completely. I put my hazards on, got off the second road (495) and onto Route 9. I was only able to get it to about 25-30 miles per hour. I put in a quart of transmission fluid and a quart of oil when I got into the gas station, but it still wouldn't go faster than 25-30. I did manage to get it turned around to head West, and managed to keep it from stopping completely by putting it into 2 on the gear shift. I rode at 30-35mph for the next hour on 9 in order to get it at least home.

It simply won't go any faster, and in Drive alone, it will sit there endlessly without shifting higher. It will "rev up" but not do anything else. In 2, it will at the very least move, which it doesn't want to do in Drive.

I can drive it around my neighborhood and look like a Sunday driver going 30-35, but that's about it.

I am hoping it's related to that Overdrive light blinking (i.e., some electrical problem), or that it might be the transmission filter (which is relatively low-cost), but fear it's the transmission. I had to replace a transmission once, though, and I remember the car wouldn't even get the 30mph on it.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd be grateful. I also need to know how much this %#$%#$^ thing will cost to replace if it is the transmission. I'm lost without a car. :(

either possibly a bad torque converter, hich isn't cheap to replace, but it IS cheaper than a complete transmission rebuild; or the transmission. The fact that it won't move at all with the gear selector lever on D but will move in 2 makes it sound like failure of some of the friction surfaced components in your transmission, which means it most likely needs to be rebuilt. You need to pull the transmission fluid dipstick (with the car RUNNING), check the colour of the fluid, and hold the stick at an angle to a light source to check for any particulate contamination. If the fluid is a deep purple to brown, smells burned, and there are fine-grained black flecks in it, you have a problem.

I hope not. The night I got it into the gas station, there was a burning smell, though. I will go out later on today and see what I can find out.

I'm afraid it's going to have to sit for a month or two until I can get it fixed if it IS the transmission. I'm broke, unemployed and have no credit. It sucks, but it's a fact.

You have several clutches to control the planetary gears in the tranny. Sounds like one has burned out and won't allow you to engage the drive gear ratios.