Fixing Mk6 Durashift faults

[KSQ]

Hi Everyone,
I have a 2004 transit 350 RWD with durashift transmission. Now has 95000 miles and been generally trouble free. Occasionally it would refuse to engage the starter and the gear indicator showed crossed lines instead of N. The free play in the brake pedal also disappeared. After waiting a few minutes, the brake pedal would go down, the N would appear and the engine would start. It has done this once or twice a year since I bought it, otherwise the transmission works fine. Before Christmas it showed these symptoms but it took me a week or so to get it to start. Initially I took it to the garage I normally use but they do not have the proper Ford diagnostics so couldn't help much. Next I booked it into the Ford main dealer for a diagnostic check, they had it for two days. First they said the gearbox needed to be taken out and re-built by a specialist, then they changed that to a faulty HPU, cost to fit a new one, £7000 plus fitting! I politely refused as they could not actually tell me what was going wrong. They then told me that their diagnostic software no longer covered the Mk6 properly. Cost £130. After looking at various forums I suspect that the electric motor on the HPU is worn. The transmission will work fine and give smooth gearchanges if its driven gently, although reverse is difficult to select sometimes and it can suddenly change down at the wrong time. The local garage has agreed to do the work if I can help with information. Current thoughts are this: Symptoms point to the control system rather than the gearbox, possible low pressure in the HPU due to the electric motor wearing out. ( I don't hear it wirring when I unlock the van ). Bonnet switch may be faulty, adding to the initial gear selection problems. Apparently the hydraulic fluid should be changed every other year, mine has never been changed, just occasionally topped up so putting in new fluid seems a good idea. The two-part flywheel and clutch plate may be nearing the end of their life causing false readings from the crankshaft sensor. ( The flywheel and clutch was replaced at about 40k miles when the leaking crankshaft seal was replaced ) So it may be time for them to be replaced again.
Can anyone help with instructions for replacing the hydraulic fluid and bleeding the system, the local garage only has basic diagnostics, they say they cannot get proper software from Fords. It would also be helpful to have a proper repair/service manual that covers the durashift transmissions. I have spent many hours on the web looking for a manual, but all the 'free' downloads seem to need a payment first! and the sites have a very dodgy look. I don't mind paying a reasonable amount but want to be certain I'll get a proper manual.
Currently the local garage is attempting to get the old HPU electric motor off, it is just in front of the petrol tank and above a chassis member so difficult to get at, they are going to try with the front wheel off. I bought a new motor from a German site, fingers crossed it fits. Any help with bleeding the hydraulics gratefully received, I think cracking a joint and turning on the ignition could be a little dangerous........................ Thanks, KSQ

[ossie cossie]

hi mate there are a number of threads on the ASM box and HPU problems do a search and this may help you out.

[WheelyBigBox]

( I don't hear it wirring when I unlock the van ).

<snip>

Any help with bleeding the hydraulics gratefully received, I think cracking a joint and turning on the ignition could be a little dangerous........................ Thanks, KSQ

If the motor isn't activating when you open the drivers door then the HPU motor is pretty much dead. Does it do anything when you put the key in the ignition and turn on the ignition (without starting) ? - If not then you've got the problem right there. Loads of people have had dead HPU motors which give all sorts of random symptoms. Mine is slowly going but at the moment I just get the odd refusal to go into reverse - so i hit the N button again and then double tap the R button and it works.

Don't bleed the hydraullics - at least not until you've got the motor changed. Get the motor done first. If that solves the gearbox woes, great - you can still change the fluid if you're desperate. If it doesn't solve it, you can still change the fluid. But whatever you do, don't start changing the fluid while you're still investigating the HPU motor - you'll just be creating another "what if" for yourself when trying to get it all working. Get a good motor in first, then look at the other stuff once that job is complete. Tryhing to sort other issues while you're still working on one just leads to the proverbial can of worms being opened - you end up chasing your tail round for ages trying to get on top of it all again.

There is a manual available on ebay which covers these. Also i've noticed that driving at 60mph+ seems to upset the HPU motors, my clutch becomes incredibly sensitive once i've slowed to a stop from 70 - literally just touching the pedal sees it jerk with a thump so be careful there. What i do is to slow down to 50mph for a few miles before my exit off the motorway - it gives the engine, HPU and motor time to cool down and that makes a massive difference once i've come to a stop.

[ossie cossie]

mine has now started to do the same as yours, it seems to be running slowley but still runs when the door is opened all be it slowly

[WheelyBigBox]

mine has now started to do the same as yours, it seems to be running slowley but still runs when the door is opened all be it slowly

Motor is on its way out then mate. I think it's the bearings inside that expand with heat making it hard for the motor to turn - thus causing it to deteriorate over time. I only say this as i found reference to someone else having problems with one they had refurbed - they got it back and it still didn't work as the people he used to rewind it didn't change the bearings. He sent it back and got them to changer the bearings like they were meant to and it came back working properly.

[ossie cossie]

thanks for the info thats good to remember

[spudmab]

Our work van had a blown motor, i got a vw abs motor, modified the shaft so it fitted the adapter part and bolted it back in.

We have covered loads of miles and its still spot on, it cost £10.00 for the abs pump motor of ebay. A bit of time with a grinder, dermal and some files and its like new.

They motor can be removed from under the van with out to many issues, it has 2 or 3 torque head bolts and a wiring plug. Didn't have to touch any other the hydraulic system or anything else.

To refit is a bit fiddly but no where near as bad as some jobs.



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[KSQ]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for all the suggestions. I suspected the HPU pump to begin with and sourced a new one from Germany. Local garage is trying to fit it at present but it is quite difficult to get at the motor on the LWB RWD transit 350s. The van is driveable so the HPU motor has not stopped completely. I was intending doing the motor first before any other alterations/servicing, well aware of dealing with only one problem at once. The drivers door alarm switch stopped working a while ago and now wondering if that is also connected to the control system! I've had this van from nearly new and for some years frequently needed to drive over 400 miles in a day, mainly on motorways and dual carriageways, keeping to 'normal' motorway speeds and never had an issue with gear changes playing up when I had to slow down. I've always liked the system and thats why I want to fix it. I decided to change the hydraulic fluid in the HPU system as it was suggested by a few people on the forums that it should be done every few years and mine still has the original fluid!
I will let you all know how I get on.
Ken.

[WheelyBigBox]

Our work van had a blown motor, i got a vw abs motor, modified the shaft so it fitted the adapter part and bolted it back in.

We have covered loads of miles and its still spot on, it cost £10.00 for the abs pump motor of ebay. A bit of time with a grinder, dermal and some files and its like new.

They motor can be removed from under the van with out to many issues, it has 2 or 3 torque head bolts and a wiring plug. Didn't have to touch any other the hydraulic system or anything else.

To refit is a bit fiddly but no where near as bad as some jobs.



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Can you provide the details of the model of pump you took your motor from? - What car did it come from? - Would be very handy to know more details on these hacks as so many others have issues with HPU motors. We need to help each other out!

[spudmab]

Our work van had a blown motor, i got a vw abs motor, modified the shaft so it fitted the adapter part and bolted it back in.

We have covered loads of miles and its still spot on, it cost £10.00 for the abs pump motor of ebay. A bit of time with a grinder, dermal and some files and its like new.

They motor can be removed from under the van with out to many issues, it has 2 or 3 torque head bolts and a wiring plug. Didn't have to touch any other the hydraulic system or anything else.

To refit is a bit fiddly but no where near as bad as some jobs.



Sent from my SM-N981B using Tapatalk

Can you provide the details of the model of pump you took your motor from? - What car did it come from? - Would be very handy to know more details on these hacks as so many others have issues with HPU motors. We need to help each other out!

It was a VW abs pump motor, i think ours was from a golf but im sure there much of a much.

This is the sort of pump motor you need.

Just unbolt the black motor part and the little drive shaft is round ish, the ford 1 has to flats on it, you will need to cut, grind, file the round shaft to match the ford 1. Change the wiring plug and bobs your uncle.

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[ossie cossie]

WOW very good info thanks a lot

[spudmab]

Hi everyone I happened to find the old pump motor at work today.

As you can see this 1 burnt out but you can also see how the shaft needs to be.

Hope this helps people out

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[WheelyBigBox]

Thanks

[ossie cossie]

thanks when i get mine off i will see if it looks the same

[KSQ]

Hi Everyone,
I have now got my van back and working perfectly. The LWB transit 350 is a bit different to other durashift vans in some ways. It proved impossible to get the HPU motor off without removing the fuel tank, just not quite enough room to get the motor out. Meanwhile the replacement drivers door switch turned up , a used one as the new ones that are available are different to mine. The diagnostics were suggesting a faulty bonnet switch among other things. The bonnet switch had been taken off, checked, temporarily bridged and the gear change was still not working properly. The crankshaft sensor was also replaced. Before the fuel tank was taken out to fit the new motor, the replacement drivers door switch was fitted and then the durashift started working properly! Much relief all around. Van has been performing perfectly for two weeks now. Hydraulic fluid has not been changed so that can now be sorted as and when I can fit it in.

As well as the bonnet switch and the drivers door switch, there is one on the side loading door. I've not checked the rear doors yet but these switches are critical to the smooth running of the durashift, it seems. So making sure they are all working correctly would appear to be the first thing to check, even if the diagnostics says its something else. My van has done 95k miles and the clutch and flywheel was replaced at about 40k miles. Replacing them was the next thing to change after fitting the new hydraulic motor if the sytem was still faulty. So it seems mine is good for a few more miles yet.

Thanks for all the suggestions and info, I am still looking for a decent workshop manual that covers the durashift LWB 350. Online searches have shown up a number of dodgy sites but nothing that I felt was worth paying for a download. If anyone has succesfully downloaded a decent manual that covers my van, please let me know.

Ken.