TSS & OSS sensor change & PCU

[montyvox]

Good afternoon-

 

Kind of a random question. I had my TSS & OSS sensors changed last December as both crapped out on the highway, and of course it was 80 miles from home.....good times.

 

When the two sensors went, the wrench light came on, the speedo was down to nothing and the motor was stuck in a kinda low gear, I'm assuming to protect itself or something of that ilk.

 

Anyway, I had the two sensors changed and everything was fine. My question is, is that since my truck went into that fail safe mode, I believe I read somewhere on this forum that I need to take off the battery connectors to reset the PCU, then put them back on and then I should be good to go?

I thought you needed to reset the PCU in order to get it out of that "safe" mode.

 

I maybe loosing my mind, and that's certainly not out of the question, but I thought it had to be done. It hasn't as of yet, and I'm wondering if that has something to do with the crappy gas mileage I'm getting.

 

Thanks

Matt

 

 

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

If you want to reset the PCM, take off the negative battery cable, leave it off for 30 minutes, then reconnect. The PCM will need some time after that to relearn its' functions.

 

Not sure if it NEEDS to be done after a TSS/OSS job, but definitely won't hurt.

[rgigowski]

Good afternoon-

 

Kind of a random question. I had my TSS & OSS sensors changed last December as both crapped out on the highway, and of course it was 80 miles from home.....good times.

 

When the two sensors went, the wrench light came on, the speedo was down to nothing and the motor was stuck in a kinda low gear, I'm assuming to protect itself or something of that ilk.

 

Anyway, I had the two sensors changed and everything was fine. My question is, is that since my truck went into that fail safe mode, I believe I read somewhere on this forum that I need to take off the battery connectors to reset the PCU, then put them back on and then I should be good to go?

 

I thought you needed to reset the PCU in order to get it out of that "safe" mode.

 

I maybe loosing my mind, and that's certainly not out of the question, but I thought it had to be done. It hasn't as of yet, and I'm wondering if that has something to do with the crappy gas mileage I'm getting.

 

Thanks

Matt

 

 

Sort of off topic but yet still on topic, did you have Ford replace it or someone else? In either case, do you mind sharing the cost? My 08 needs to have that done too and I have been putting it off.

 

Actually had the symptoms twice but managed to get the car moving again and running okay. I can tell shifting is not what it should be but it does run okay with an occasional hesitation and rev between gears.

[macbwt]

I paid just under 800.00 dollars for my 2008 when this occurred. If it is done by Ford you should not need to reset anything (if the mech did his job)

 

One other note is bad gas mileage is possibly (most likely) due to the winter gas mixture. You might of dropped a couple mpg due to the gas company's adding butane to the fuel which is a low power additive..Then mix that with Ethanol and you get crappy MPG

 

Question have you changed the plugs?

Edited November 5, 2015 by macbwt

[montyvox]

Thanks for the info folks!

 

Yes, I just had the plugs changed out over the summer. The gas mileage is the same before and after which is disappointing.

 

I don't drive a lot to get back and forth to work- it's 50/50 on highway/city street driving, so the two kinda offset each other on the mileage.

 

The crappy mileage has been like this since I had it fixed. About a week or two, I heard the clunk noise getting off the highway but I haven't heard it since.

 

Other than that, it's been fine.

 

Thanks again-

Matt

[Zazzy]

I'm replacing the TSS/OSS on my wife's MKX tomorrow. I cleared the codes it threw last week and it's been running fine since. Instead of hoping it'll run fine for the next 150,000 miles, I decided to order the parts and replace both the TSS and OSS.

 

All the parts and fluids are about $150. It doesn't look too difficult. I'll probably spend more time cleaning stuff than the removal and replacement.

 

To be honest though, I did tell her that it might be quicker to have a local tranny shop do the work. There's one it town that I used a few times for major repairs/rebuilds that I didn't want to tackle. They've been in business for a long time because they do good work, they're honest and reasonable on cost. She chose me because I'm still the best mechanic she's ever known, and my labor is free. LOL.

 

Considering the amount of miles she puts on it, it's been a great car. Something like this isn't that big of a deal to me. Of course, I probably jinxed the car by saying it's been a great car. So, I have my fingers crossed that the tranny/transaxle doesn't take a dump in the next week due to the fluid change.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Please take pics of the before & after if you can and post them, Zazzy. Your previous pictorials were very detailed & informative. TIA, and good luck!

[Zazzy]

Please take pics of the before & after if you can and post them, Zazzy. Your previous pictorials were very detailed & informative. TIA, and good luck!

 

The project isn't too difficult. Below are a few before and after pix. I tried to put them in order but the server kept on arranging them end to beginning. I guess you could call the first picture the before and after, although I took it when I was done.

 

The last photo (on the far right) is after I had removed the air cleaner and the intake stuff up to the throttle body. I also removed the air filter support bottom bracket. It made it easier to remove the transmission cooler tube.

 

After I removed the solenoid cover, I had to disconnect the wiring. I took a photo of the one with the green plastic. You need to slide the grey lock to the right. That wasn't a big deal. The trick is that you have to press the green tab a little harder than you'd think to get it to release and slide off. That's the reason why I took this photo.

 

The other photo is showing the guts removed.

 

Here are the parts to buy and some tidbits not really clear in the service manual.

 

To buy:

TSS and OSS

From Ford: the solenoid "gasket". It's called a filter in the manual, but it looks like a gasket with a bunch of screens.

1 gallon of coolant and 1 gallon of distilled water. You'll only use about 1 quart of each (1/2 gallon of a 50/50 mix). Obviously, if you can find the specified coolant in a 50/50 mix, you'll only need to buy one gallon of the stuff.

7 quarts of Mercon V transmission fluid, at a minimum. If you're going to do a fluid flush (per the manual), buy 19 quarts (1+6+6+6). You'll use 1 quart to clean parts, you'll drain at least 6 quarts during this project. If you drain the fluid after it's all put together, you'll probably drain 5-6 quarts (not too sure). I'm going to do the next two flushes on another weekend.

 

Don't bother buying the seal for the main harness, unless it's leaking. If it's leaking you'll have to buy the seal, a new cover and a new gasket for the cover. Why? The new seals only fit the new covers.

 

Place a baggie with a rubber band over the throttle body. If you don't, you will squirt water into it when you remove the radiator hoses. Drain the radiator hoses as much as possible. Then plug them with something. I used shop rags.

 

Other than the typical/everyday tools, you'll need a in-lb torque wrench, a shorty 19 mm or 3/4" wrench for the right side transmission cooler line, a headlamp and a mirror. Also, get some large zip lock bags. You want to keep the transmission guts away from dust. When you remove them, slip them in a bag and seal it. You can also use the bag to pour new over the parts to clean off the dirty fluid.

 

Keep a pan underneath the valve body area. Fluid is going to drip a lot.

 

When you remove the cooler line, plug the holes with something that will keep them clean. The manual says to discard the bolt that holds the cooler line in place (this is the bolt on the left side). I'm 99% sure it's Ford's code for "reuse the bolt and use locktite blue."

 

The manual is also very specific about not touching the "lead area" of the solenoid body. It's the area around where the main harness plugs in. I don't know why and don't care because it's easy to avoid touching.

 

When you remove the solenoid bolts, scotch tape them to a piece of paper that's labeled so you can put them back in the correct spot. The lengths are different. The manual shows the lengths and where they go. But if you want to be cautious, put them in order. Don't worry about the scotch tape - it won't stick to the transmission fluid on the bolts.

 

The TSS sensor's wiring is a bit tricky to snake thru the hole when removing it. It slides out if you help it. You'll have to have the same patience getting it in. It's not difficult at all but don't expect it to take a couple seconds. It'll take 10 or 20.

 

Lining up the main control valve before bolting it on is a bit tricky. This is when you might use the mirror and the headlamp. Take your time. It's somewhat awkward to hold in place. Have one bolt in place so you can start a couple threads to hold it in place after it's in place or you need to take a break. There are two alignment pins but both are blind, plus you have to align the shift pin with the manual valve, and you want to make sure that the cables for both sensors are not in the way. It's not difficult but it takes patience. Don't not attempt to bolt it on and think it'll magical pop into place. Take it slow and once it's correctly aligned, it'll slide into place all the way. FWIW, "all the way" is only about 1/8 to 1/4 inch but is extremely obvious when it's correct.

 

Also, keep everything as clean as possible. If you stop for the night, clean the cover without putting lint on it, put the cover on with a couple bolts, and cover the openings with rags.

 

One other item: the manual says to drain the fluid and then put the plug back on and torque it to spec. I torqued it to spec as the last step before adding new fluid. I didn't leave it off the entire time but it was off a lot. And, I bet an extra 1/2 to 1 quart of fluid drained. Every time I took it off, I was surprised how much more fluid would drain.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Zazzy

[Zazzy]

Instructions attached. The OSS and TSS instructions are almost identical. I printed the TSS instruction because it was 12 pages, then I marked the pages as TSS.

Then, I printed the OSS instruction on the other side.

Solenoid Body Assembly.pdf

Turbine Shaft Speed (TSS) Sensor.pdf

Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor.pdf

Edited March 24, 2016 by Zazzy

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

So that's where the starter is buried! Very informative writeup, Zazzy, a boatload of pointers, needed especially with the FSMs being so "skimpy" for DIY'rs. Thank you!

 

===========

 

EDIT 9/3/2020:  since the files in the post above are now in the ether, here they are attached to this post.

Solenoid Body Assembly.pdf

Output Shaft Speed (OSS) Sensor.pdf

Turbine Shaft Speed (TSS) Sensor.pdf

Edited September 3, 2020 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W
added files

[Lucho179]

HELP!!! I can't get the plug of the tss sensor through the tiny hold, the plug is too big. I don't want to break it.

[Zazzy]

HELP!!! I can't get the plug of the tss sensor through the tiny hold, the plug is too big. I don't want to break it.

 

You can place your finger in the hole to move the front of the connector so it'll fit thru. There's plenty of room.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Zazzy

[Lucho179]

Thanks!! I was looking at the wrong hole, there is another hole on the side that you can't see . The bad news is that after replacing the tss and the oss my car still has the same problem, it jerks around 40 to 60 mph, what else can it be?

Edited May 16, 2016 by Lucho179

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Please provide some details on your Edge, Lucho.

1. How many miles on your Edge?
2. Is it AWD or FWD?
3. What is the service history? Fluid changes, repairs, scheduled maintenance, etc.
4. When does it "jerk"? Are you cruising, accelerating, braking, going uphill/downhill ...
5. Is it worse turning left/right?
6. How long has it been happening? For example, you just filled up the fuel tank, and noticed it after.
7. Have you checked the PCM for codes? If you don't have an OBD II reader/scanner, you can likely go to a retail auto parts store like AutoZone, Advance Auto, Pep Boys, O'Reilly's etc. and have the codes read for free. Some scanners will even provide the most common solutions.

That said, it could be plugs/coils/PCM (misfires), could be bad gas, it could be the Overdrive turning on/off, etc.

[Lucho179]

well the car has 95000 miles, is Awd. The service history is pretty good. It jerks when I am doing about 40 to 45mph and then sometimes when I am doing 60 mph. It doesn't do it all the time specially if you are giving it gas, uphill, downhill, straight road it doesn't matter. It has a couple of moth doing it more frequently. First time I felt it was like 6 moths ago. The are no codes, I do have an OBD reader. Can a bad plug/coil do it only sometimes? I did change the TSS and the OSS sensors. Can something be bad and not do it all the time? That is a little weird...other than that the car drives nice.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Lucho179

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Sounds like Overdrive isn't working right. Could be torque converter going in/out of lockup. Ask your dealer if they have a new calibration for the TCM (transmission control module). Did you fill in new fluid when you changed the TSS/OSS sensors, or reused the old stuff? Plugs & PCV valve done?

 

EDIT: Try cleaning the MAF sensor & throttle body (with electrical cleaner only).

Edited May 20, 2016 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W

[macbwt]

Did you reconnect the MAF sensor? MAF sensor will make for hard shifts. Do not ask me how I know

[Lucho179]

I did put new oil, I though the torque converter locks up at 45 mph, and my car does the jerking also at 60 mph. Yes I did reconnect the MAF, the car doesn't stay on if the MAF sensor is not connected. I have not changed the plugs or the PCV valve or clean the throttle body. On the overdrive is that something I can fix externally or is something inside the transmission?

Edited May 20, 2016 by Lucho179

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

A recalibration is external to the transmission, basically reprogramming the TCM. I do not know if there is an update to the version your Edge has, but it's worth checking with the dealer.

 

If it is a torque converter issue, that's internal to the transmission, not as bad as replacing gears & clutches, but not cheap either.

 

How much new transmission fluid did you put in? Just wondering how much of the current fluid is actually old fluid.

 

I would get on the maintenance first. Engine issues often seem like transmission issues. Worth a try.

[Lucho179]

about 7 quarts. So you don't think is spark plugs or throttle body.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

No, what I am saying is that it can be spark plugs, coils, PCV valve etc. contributing to what SEEMS like a transmission problem. So change the spark plugs, PCV valve; clean the throttle body and MAF sensor.

[macbwt]

You are past due on plugs. Might want to check that out.

[Lucho179]

so i guess my problem was a combination of trans. sensor and a dirty throttle body. it seems that when i desconected the battery and the throttle body is very dirty, the computer finds a problem with the throttle body, it does not send any trouble codes. it just kind of feels like is missing and stroggles on high gear like around 40-60 mph. I remember I had the same problem with my wife car an GMC envoy after changing the battery. You must clean the throttle body before you spend some real money. Thanks everyone.

[Brian K]

Mine was jerking and clunking a bit recently. I changed the transmission oil and added some seal conditioner to it which helped - but now that I changed the PTU fluid (numerous times) and I installed a drain, shifting seems smoother and the clunking has been reduced significantly and it seems to cruise better on the highway. Kind of makes sense if your PTU is draggy and getting hard to turn because the oil has changed to grease and not spinning freely. Just my thoughts...

I clean my TB regularly but it isn't ever really that dirty.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Brian K

[Heisenberg]

I'm about to do this TSS/OSS job on my wife's car. Not very happy about it but it is what it is. Thanks for the PDFs. I just need to find the solenoid filter in town and get to work. This is obviously a real common problem on these cars. Ours is 2007 with 99k, the wrench light came on the other day out of the blue but we were experiencing some rather rough kicks when shifting at slow speeds and the car seems sluggish when trying to go up larger grades. I hope this fixes the issue but we'll see, it was only $100 for both sensors so if not it's not that big of a loss.