In addition to the intermittent surge at startup, the PID for TR (Transmission Range) occasionally showed Reverse at startup, so I adjusted the MLPS, shifter, & shift indicator.
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
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The original 8-pin MLPS is F5TZ-7A247-B / SW5063, which is not in production. The revised switch is
F7LZ-7F293-AB / SW5713, but it requires a 12-position connector shell be swapped onto the old wiring terminals.
UPDATE: This adjustment didn't help much, so I replaced the MLPS with a NOS of this design, and the problems are gone.
SEE THE NEXT SEVERAL PICS...
See also: