Hi, I recently got a new transmission (a used one, but new to me) put in my 2001 Mercury Sable. Ever since, the “transaxle” light flashes occasionally on my dash. It looks like a gear wheel surrounding an exclamation point. It seems like it usually blinks when I go from 2nd to 3rd gear, but it doesn’t do it consistently. The mechanic who replaced my transmission doesn’t know what it is and did a transmission fluid flush to see if that helped, but no luck. I’m at a loss. Any ideas? Thanks!
What year is your Sable?? Has anyone scanned the computer to see if any trouble codes were set?? If that light is on, the computer is detecting a problem.
transman
It’s a 2001. My mechanic said he hooked it up to his computer, but I guess his results were inconclusive. He suggested taking it to the dealer, which I guess I’ll have to do. Any idea what could be wrong? If so, could my mechanic be to blame? He installed the transmission, after all. Thanks!
Your mechanic probably doesn’t have the kind of computer scanning equipment needed to handle this.
But do not go to the dealer. Find a local, independent (i.e. non-corporate chain) transmission shop. Have them scan it for codes. Write down the exact codes and post back.
Hi. I finally got this looked at and the code was P0713 - Trans Flud Temperature Sensor High Input. The transmission shop said I should take it back to the mechanic who installed it. My mechanic says it’s just an electrical issue and shouldn’t affect the car’s performance. He said if I want, he can put in a new transmission (the current one is used - I’d have to pay the difference to replace it with a new one). He won’t put in another used one, though, because he says he can’t guarantee it won’t have the same issue. Two questions:
- Is it really safe to drive the car while this alert is still going off?
- Is my mechanic being straight with me?
Thanks!
–Chris