Greetings once again fellow wrench-heads. I still have the thunk. I just checked the play on each drive wheel to transaxle. There is none that I could detect by jacking up each wheel in turn and rotating it by hand in park. There was some play but it was all inside the transmission, probably to be expected in park. The CV joints showed no sign of looseness, but the one on the driver’s side going to the wheel had a boot that was broken at the axle, right at the clamp. I looked up up symptoms of bad CV joints and none that I found on several sites described my thunk, and I have none of the symptoms that were listed.
So I am down to three items to address (that I can think of):
Replace the remaining mount, the left one that is attached to the transaxle.
Top off the ATF fluid, which is just at the bottom of the hash marks on the dipstick after 5 miles of stop and go driving. The prevailing wisdom seems to be to drive at least 20 miles and then check to give the fluid time to heat up completely.
Swap out the transmission for a rebuilt, which is not likely to happen.
Hi John, I just bought the vehicle about two months ago. Got it cheap and did a lot of needed maintenance on it, brakes, spark plugs, AC system, and of course the three motor mounts. It drives very well. Great acceleration, great handling. It shifts when it is supposed to. Just this clunk that happens when coasting in overdrive and then re-applying the gas. I can live with it, but would just as soon fix it, if it doesn’t involve a rebuilt transmission.
Not sure yet about CV boot. I may be able to shoot some grease in and seal it with a hose clamp. It broke right up against the original clamp on the axle.
Suggest to remove the axle from the vehicle and replace the boot with a new one, per the manufacturer’s suggested repair procedure. Part of this job is to inspect the CV joint innards for damage from dirt intrusion caused by the failed boot. I’ve never done that job on an Escape, but I’ve done it on a Corolla and VW Rabbit, not overly difficult. Takes 2-3 hours. The upside is that you may discover the CV joint is causing the thunk, or worse case at least you’ll have a properly configured well-functioning axle on that side.
If it was me, I’d fill the transmission properly, replace the 4th motor mount because if I don’t I’ll be wondering about it so much I’ll make myself crazier than I already am, and I’d worry about the CV joint until it’s the middle of Winter and then try to fix it, and kick myself in the butt for waiting. But that’s me.
Yeah, that works. The only caution to be aware of is that some vehicles have quite a few options to choose from for the axle part number to buy. Buying the axle at your local parts store is better. Buying on-line can become problematic.
I notice that. RockAuto lists a SURTRACK/TRAKMOTIVE FD8096 as the left axle for this vehicle, but when I search that part on eBay Motors, it tells me that part is not compatible with my vehicle. But eBay lists it as compatible with the Mazda Mariner, a clone of the Ford Escape.
You can read some of the posts here (use forum search feature) about folks having trouble with buying on-line replacement half-axles. It’s pretty inconvenient when they ship you the wrong part and you have to mail it back to them, especially if this bizarre-comedy goes on several times. It makes just replacing the boot more appealing that might otherwise be thunk – pun intended
O’Reilly’s lists the SURTRACK/TRAKMOTIVE FD8096 as compatible with my Escape, as do many other eBay listings. Just one eBay listing said not compatible. If I decide to replace I will buy from either RockAuto or eBay, as I have done many many times in the past.
I have bought parts on Ebay in the past, which were purported to be from reputable brands such as Standard Motor Products or Delphi, and what I received was just some Chinese no-name part. Never again! Now, I stick to Rock Auto. So far, I haven’t received anything counterfeit or not-as-expected from them.
I did once, a heater core for the 87 Dak. Listed as compatible but flat out didn’t fit. Got a refund after sending it back at my expense. But I have saved so much buying from them. That’s what I like about eBay. If you are not happy with a purchase back it goes at seller’s expense, providing you buy from one that offers this arangement, and most do. But once you return an item you cannot offer feedback, hence only those who were happy with their purchase can rate a seller. Perhaps a rate-of-return percentage for sellers would be helpful.
Hi George, I ended up squeezing 3 ounces of new CV joint grease into boot and repairing it. This is practical because the break was very clean right around where the boot is clamped to the axle. The boot retained a tight fit on the axle, so little likelihood of dirt contamination. The break was very clean, almost as if it had been cut all around, right up against the clamp. I can’t imagine how this kind of break could have occurred.
I inserted a flat screwdriver between the axle and the boot to give me a space to inject the grease, which came in a 3 ounce rectangular pouch. I made a small cut in one corner and jammed the corner into that space and squeezed it in. I probably lost a quarter ounce or less. Then I cleaned the area thoroughly with acetone and used super glue to glue the boot back to the clamped portion. After the glue set up I used some fresh RTV sealant I had on hand to go over the joint.
