Ford Fusion semi auto stuck in gear- repair?

[Lankytim]

Hi all.

 

I’ve been given a 2004 Fusion 1.4 pez auto with a gear fault. It was stuck in reverse so I googled the likely fault and removed the gear actuator, expecting it to be seized up. It wasn’t and as I’ve disturbed the precise positioning of the selector motor the engine won’t even fire up anymore. Has anyone got any experience

Of fixing these? Is a manual conversion using a donor an easier

Route? Help!

[PiperCub]

Would have thought a manual conversion would be a real PITA on a modern. Did it several decades ago on a mate's Mk3 Cortina and that was a gigantic ball-ache, you need to change/source so many small (& a few not so small!) parts you can't believe although with a donor car that mightn't be so bad.

 

I wouldn't unless it was something rare and it made financial sense. This case isn't & doesn't IMO unless you want a project that is!

[dave21478]

I dunno about the ford system but when I had the C2 vtr with a robotronic box, the Citroen diagnostic system had all sorts of modes for positioning and calibration. Perhaps forscan would be worth a try?

[Captain Furious]

Yeah another vote for Forscan, I don't know specifically if it can do it, but its probably your best shot without spending money

 

If that fails, squash it.  Fusions are bleak.

[Lankytim]

I know the manual conversion has been done before, it’s relatively easy as you keep the original box and just add a clutch pedal and assoacialted bits along with gear cables and gear stick. I think the ECU needs changing though

[Zelandeth]

You learn something every day.  I never even knew these came with a semi-auto.

 

Semi automatic boxes these days really do strike me as being an answer to a question nobody has asked...Conventional autos are decent enough these days that there really seems to be little to gain.

 

Fusion is a capable little car.  My folks had two as Motability cars (albeit with a proper gearbox), and while they're utterly unexciting, they are versatile and roomy cars that are well thought out with regards to the art of being useful in everyday life.

 

Both of ours were 1.6 petrol examples, and I found myself a lot of the time thinking that it really could have done with a two litre engine up front...A 1.4 would be truly dire I imagine, much like the Mk II Fiestas that they put the 950cc engine in...

 

 

Got to be worth trying to find someone who has access to the necessary equipment to go through a calibration cycle with it though, if that doesn't fix it I'd probably look at weighing it in unless it's in otherwise exceptionally good condition. 

[egg]

Agree, a trick was missed by Ford re: engines, even the 1.8 from the Focus would have been fine.

 

I know nothing about the workings of these semi-autos, but every time I've been on Fusion related forums, these boxes seem trouble. Have a poke around here with a search for Durashift.

 

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/forum/26-ford-fusion-club/

[SiC]

You learn something every day. I never even knew these came with a semi-auto.

 

Semi automatic boxes these days really do strike me as being an answer to a question nobody has asked...Conventional autos are decent enough these days that there really seems to be little to gain.

 

Robotic autos are much more suitable setups to small engine cars than slush. Slush robs too much from small engines. Where as robot autos don't loose any power and much better on fuel. Even compared to a CVT. Of course a small engine car is better as a manual, but not everyone wants or can have a manual.

 

Remember a DSG is an overly complicated robotic manual box. Just they split the gears into two halves as a computer can easily deal with 2 clutches, unlike humans.

[egg]

thread drift, but are there any robotic autos that actually have a good long term reliability record though?

[dave21478]

I know the manual conversion has been done before, it’s relatively easy as you keep the original box and just add a clutch pedal and assoacialted bits along with gear cables and gear stick. I think the ECU needs changing though

 

Again, this is C2 specific, but you get the idea... The manual conversion is physically easy...everything just bolts up from a donor car, but the electronics need a little thought. The gearbox has its own ECU which you can bin off, but the engine ECU needs told that there is no longer a gearbox ECU, as it needs some inputs under certain conditions...ie it wont let the engine start unless it gets a signal saying the box is in neutral. You can either make the changes with Lexia or swap the ECU for a manual one, but that opens the can of worms, needing immobiliser, transponder chips etc all swapped too.

I would guess the Ford is vaguely similar.

[SiC]

thread drift, but are there any robotic autos that actually have a good long term reliability record though?

6 speed DSG believe it or not. Just early ones (2003-2005 ish) were problematic and gave a reputation. The Smart robo-auto is pretty strong too. Just need to make sure the clutch is recalibrated every 20k miles or so, as for some reason Smart doesn't adapt automatically. If serviced at a Smart main dealer, they're supposed to do it. But a lot now are not serviced by dealers.

[Felly Magic]

The only decent semi automatic was made by Self Changing Gears several decades ago

[MarvinsMom]

aren't ford getting sued in america (some class action type thing?) cos the durashift gearboxes are just crap?

 

in all honesty i'd just scrap it.

 

fusions full stop are pretty crap to start with, add it is some twin clutch new-fanged thing what don't work that well, makes it just a ball ache that isn't worth bothering with, even when its free!

[Zelandeth]

Have driven three vehicles with a DSG, hated every one of them. Know two people who have had them grenade on them at less than 30K miles on three cars... would not touch one with a barge pole.

 

The latter of those had done their reading beforehand and avoided using creep like a conventional auto and all that...it still went bang and left them stranded halfway up the A9 in the middle of the night.

 

They now drive a Citroen!

[Asimo]

Point of order: the 950 engine was perfectly satisfactory in a Fiesta mkII. (IMHO)

[dozeydustman]

The only decent semi automatic was made by Self Changing Gears several decades ago

 

 

Controlled by one of these.

 

[MarvinsMom]

Controlled by one of these.

 

4581478694_253x187.jpg

ah now that takes me back, i remember all United's Bristol VR;s, Leyland Nationals and Leyland Olympian's having those fitted!

[Lankytim]

These things don't have dual clutches or anything, they're literally just a standard manual box with a mechanical monkey bolted to the side to do the cog swapping for you. AFAIK most HGVs have the same set up. After doing a little research I think someone got one running by putting a switch direct to the starter solenoid and getting it running that way.

 

I'd like to get this fixed, it belonged to the inlaws, and before them my own Mum owned it and is in pretty good shape all round. Apart from this and a coil pack hasn't put a foot wrong in 10 years or so. Plus it's got a fresh MOT, 4 new tyres and a full tank of petrol. 

 

There's actually a crashed fiesta just round the corner. I may have to make enquireys....

[egg]

Good on you, saving a Fusion is shiteing of the highest order.

[carlo]

Robotic autos are much more suitable setups to small engine cars than slush. Slush robs too much from small engines. Where as robot autos don't loose any power and much better on fuel. Even compared to a CVT. Of course a small engine car is better as a manual, but not everyone wants or can have a manual.

 

Remember a DSG is an overly complicated robotic manual box. Just they split the gears into two halves as a computer can easily deal with 2 clutches, unlike humans.

 

It's a constant source of irritation to me that's it is almost impossible to buy a small automatic car, used or new, with a powerful enough engine to run it properly.  They all seem to stick the smallest possible engine in, presumably thinking anyone who wants an auto will have no interest in driving anyway.  I even looked at the new Fiesta, and they've gone and put the least powerful engine possible in the automatic version.  Look at the power to weight ratio on it, and see how the economy drops by 20%!

 

The only company who seem to produce small, powerful autos are Audi, with the DSG which one would like to avoid.  And the fact it's an Audi.

[dozeydustman]

AFAIK most HGVs have the same set up.

 

 

Iveco certainly use a self-shifting manual with optional semi-auto control.

 

They are fucking useless.

[Eddie Honda]

They are fucking useless.

As are DAF ArSetronic.

[dozeydustman]

As are DAF ArSetronic.

 

 

DAF fitted with an Allison is even more useless. Hits a hill and the white flag pops out - faster going up in reverse.

[omegod]

For the first time ever and actually meaning it.......... just burn the fucker 

[sierraman]

Would a a weekend in baking heat taking a gearbox out make you happy?

 

If not save the £100 or so on the gearbox, spend it sat outside the pub over the weekend, enjoying the glorious weather we are having. Then on Monday take it down the breakers and cash in £130 to put towards one that works.

[5speedracer]

With the exception of the new Volvo DCT box almost all mainstream trucks are auto. Well when I say auto I mean synchro manual boxes with shifter units bolted on and a lot of clever software. As previously mentioned for trucks running older ZF boxes just software.

I hear the new ZF Traxion boxes are very good though.

 

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

[sierraman]

But you can shift manually I guess?

[castros_bro]

Hi,

 

I have experience of repairing these, where in our glorious country are you?

 

 

 

 

Initially you need to know you have probably not buggered any precise positioning.  The two motors/actuating bits each have three positions as in a manual gearbox, one motor produces the left/right movement  the others does the for/aft movement. Usually there is a display with the gear on the dashboard, you can only start the engine if "N" is displayed

  

1 3 5

   N

2 4 R

 

When you turn the ignition on there should be a whirling and clunking noise and the motors both select their mid positions which put the gearbox into N (natural) , the motors each have built in position sensors to tell Mr. computer which position they are in.

 

On your photo at about 4 o'clock there is an off white plastic cap, this is the end of a blind plastic bush which is part of a rack and pinion set up, if you can remove the rack part so you can inspect this plastic bush internals you'll probably find it damaged and preventing the rack moving fully.

 

 

 

 

[catsinthewelder]

I seem to recall that Tim is up near Stafford.

[Lankytim]

I’m in Stoke on Trent, I have indeed buggered up the motor positions when I took the motor off to inspect the rack. I expected it to be seized but it wasn’t so spun the motor around to see if it was seized, it was a bit stiff at first but obviously doing that caused it to lose all sense of what gear it’s supposed to be in. When I put it back together I made sure it was in neutral but after a second or so the gear indicator on the dash when blank, it won’t turn over now either.