I drive a ''96 mercury villager, my wife drives a ''97 sable, both with a 3.0 motor. I live in Glendive, MT, driving on 94, a major E W expressway, out toward billings, mt. Long big long hills, my 96 villager after a 1 mile climb at 75mph my transmission would downshift out of overdrive to drive, about 4000 rpm, .which is what it is expected. What was unexpected was after I crested the hill and started my decent, it would not shift back into overdrive until I cancel the cruise and resume it. 215,000 miles, well, I was going to write this vehicle off. But tonight we took my wife''s sable out to Dickenson, ND, about 120 miles away and it did the same thing. After it was warmed up, 75-80 mph, climbs a hill, downshifts to drive, crests the hill and started the decent and it didn''t shift back into OD. The sabel only has 185,000 miles on it and 138,000 of them were driven by a grandma b4 we bought it, the rest by my wife mainly expressway from chicago to central michigan at 70. My question is, is this normal behavior for these transmissions? I''m assuming their the same, mercury 3 liter motor, same transmission. should we start looking for some new cars or keep plugging along with these two cars.

 

these are computer controlled transmissions so it''s probably a sensor issue. I''m betting the throttle position sensor. since you disable the cruise (I''m assuming by tapping the brake), the cruise lets go of the throttle and resets the position sensor and when it gets back to the cruise position again, is reporting properly. I''m not sure how to clean those (if that''s even possible), but you might try just actuating it (while the car is off) my pumping the accelerator a few dozen times. the sensor is basically just a variable resistor and those are almost always metal contacting a coil. actuating it back and forth may help clean the contacts off some. hopefully someone else may know how to actually clean one.

 

That makes sense, as Budda says, “Do not believe in anything simply because you have
heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and
rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found
written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on
the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions
because they have been handed down for many generations. But after
observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with
reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then
accept it and live up to it.�

It makes sense, I''ll give it a try. so this means more than likely there isn''t anything serious wrong with my transmission, right?
</font>

 

right. something is telling the computer to hold the transmission in a lower gear. That sensor should be the culprit.