Downshifts
 

Strange happenings.

Just bought a 2001 Tribute 3.0. Runs good but...

At speed it will shift all the way to OD and cruise pretty cleanly.
However sometimes it will:
1. Once it gets there it will jump out of what I am guessing is torque converter lockup then back.
or
2. Jump out of lockup and drop a gear, then shift back and forth a few times then back down.

Sometimes it does it multiple times sometimes once.

Any ideas?

check your transmission fluid level

check age/condition of fluid. if it is dark, or smells burned, you need a flush. remember that if you just drain it, more than half of the fluid stays in the torque converter, so you will need to either pay a shop to powerflush it, or drain and refill several times

Fluid looks good. However it was a little high.

This truck leaks like a sieve. Alot of oil around the pan but also at the back of the engine area drivers side that looks like transmission fluid.

I am going to get the transmission fluid down a little and see what happens but I truly feel like a sensor is telling the transmission something false.

Update.

The hunting continues.

There has to be a sensor that tells the transmission where to be at any given time.

I can almost recreate the problem. I can every time make it shift out of lockup and back in. Just driving at a steady speed, lift off the gas, then get back on the gas. Boom rpm's drop and it's back in. And this shift/lockup is a little harsh. My guess is because it's been doing it for a while.

The other hunting is a bit more random. Sometimes at 40 sometimes at 60, others at 70 (that one is fun). Hurky-jurky-find-a-gear rpms jump up to 3000+ then back down to 2000.

Weird. I wish I could find the problem as it is quite annoying to drive this way.

Well tired of hunting. I think I am gonna sell it.

Try changing your TSS sensor.

Also make sure the engine is tuned up and idling correctly, no vacuum leaks. No trouble with the throttle position sensor.
If the RPM's are not steady it could make the transmission shift at the wrong time.