What can you do if your 1997 Taurus is slipping?

Answer 1

Whatever you do, do not use "Stop Slip" Additives. These thick and syrupy additives will gum up the filter, cause fluid starvation and hurt the transmission worse. If the transmission is slipping, It can be due to several things. The most common, is the Torque Converter, it can fail and cause the transmission to slip consistently. Next could be the seals on the Transmission engagement piston (found in AX4S transmissions) the seals tend to go bad causing the transmission to lose pressure during shifting and actuation causing the vehicle to slip into gear. In extreme cases, the piston itself maybe cracked. Another possibility is faulty solenoids. Solenoids that do not engage quickly and securely can cause slipping, particularly with those that manage pressure in the transmission. If only one gear is slipping, this is probably your culprit. And finally, another common cause of slipping is worn or loose clutch bands inside the transmission. These aren't like a regular clutch in a manual vehicle, and require knowledge to replace and tune.

If in doubt, take it to a trusted mechanic.