YACT: Now Transmission Problems? (99 Explorer XLS)

[GeekDrew]

See this for a brief history of my recent problems. The radiator had a leak and the thermostat was bad. There was also an exhaust shield that I had a repair shop replace. Everything together was just shy of $500 to repair.

Anyway... the shop that my parents took it to (they took it for me one day) is near their house... 55 miles south of my house. I drove the explorer back home from the shop last night, and I thought that it drove very nicely.

I did notice that it was shifting much more smoothly than usual - before I had taken it in for repair, it shifted at what I thought was much lower RPMs than I liked, and it was sort-of jerky or rough about it. Last night I could still tell when it shifted but it was much smoother. It did it at higher RPMs than it had been before.

I park my Explorer on the street, as there is no room in the garage. When I was ready for work this morning, I pulled off of the street into the driveway, backed back out on to the street (doing this to turn around), and then put it back in drive. I went nowhere. The engine would speed up, but I didn't move. It was exactly like I was sitting in neutral. It wouldn't respond in R, D, or 2. I shifted down to 1, and then I was able to move (albeit slowly). I tried to go around the block, praying that it was just a fluke. While driving, I shifted from 1 to D and I kept going. I slowly gained speed, till I was around the point that it would normally shift up... and then I would just lose power - it seemed like I shifted into neutral. I could resume control once I was back down around 20 MPH or so. I stopped a couple of times, and I was able to get going in D again, but only until I hit the point when it would shift up.

I called the repair shop today, and asked them if they had any idea what could be doing it, and they said nothing they did could have caused it (they took it offensively, even though I didn't intend for them to), and he had no idea what could be causing the problem without looking at it.

Well, I'm not going to take the truck to a shop 55 miles away, when I can barely go above 20-25 MPH. It would be outrageously expensive to have it towed that far too. I'm going to see if anyone I know that is a mechanic will be able to come look at it and give me an idea of what's wrong. One person (Dad) said that it could just be dirty transmission oil that's causing it to not shift properly. However, I talked to a couple of people online, and they both advised that I will probably need a new transmission in the end.

But until I can get it looked at by a mechanic... anyone have any ideas of what it could be? Anyone experienced this before?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Did you ever pull the dip stick and check the fluid level properly,ie: warm and on level ground. What color is it ? If its brown and smells burnt....Trans O/H time If not change the fluid and do all the internal/external adjustments, if there are any. Register for Autozone and check their database for details. Quixfire would be the one to listen too. He might be on in the AM if he's not now..........Good luck

 

[GeekDrew]

Update:

I decided to drive down to McDonalds and get dinner, and that would also warm the fluid up a little to check it.

Well... Left the house. Put car in Drive... hey, it works! Can't get above 25 MPH. Come to stop sign. Cannot take off in Drive. I shift down to 2nd... nothing... 1st... and I can go. After I'm rolling, I shift up to Drive. That time I got up to 35 MPH, even though I had to give it a LOT of gas before it got that far (couldn't try more than that - stop sign ahead).

Shifted down to 1 as there was a car behind me and I didn't want to fool around and possibly have an accident - I dunno what might happen with it, and I'm on an incline. After I'm rolling again, I shift up to Drive. I got up to 30, but no higher than that - but I may not have given it enough gas that time - speed limit is 25 and I don't need a ticket.

I had to stop for a left hand turn... couldn't move in Drive or 2nd... went to 1st. Took off just fine, shifted to 2nd, and drove the few feet to the next stop sign. I was on a decline, and got started in Drive that time. Then I was at McDonalds. I drove up in the line, ordered, then drove up to the first window to pay. There was already a car at the first window so I was the next in line. I heard a rattle, so with my foot on the brake, I shifted to neutral - there had been a rattle before that didn't happen when I was in neutral, but the shop said that they fixed it a few days ago - said it was an exhaust shield. The rattle didn't go away, so I assumed it was another vehicle I was hearing. It was a rather quiet rattle. By that time I needed to pull ahead. I put the transmission back in drive... pulled ahead to the window, just fine. The car ahead of me didn't let me get quite close enough to the window, so I needed to get a little closer to the window. I waited for them to pull up. I let off of the brake to pull ahead. Now, I *thought* I had placed it fully in Drive after I had it in neutral, just a second ago, but either A) I didn't, and it just slipped back into neutral, or B) the transmission let me slide backwards. Regardless, when I let off of the brake, I went backwards instead of forwards, and I felt a thump. Backed right into a nice lady... in a Volvo S40, I believe. Scared, I slammed it in 1st gear and very gently let off of the brake and gave it gas. I pulled forward. Got out of the truck... we examined her front end and my back end... neither had any dent, bumps, scratches, it looks like everything is fine. My bumper was right where her front grill is. Anyways, we agreed that it didn't look like anything was damaged, so we swapped phone numbers.

I paid for my food, got my meal, and pulled out of the McDonalds lot in 1st gear. Once back on the road, I shifted to drive and was able to get to 45 MPH.

I drove the rest of the way home, stop signs and all, in Drive, with no problem. I did smell something 'hot'... kinda like it was burning, but more like something was just overheating really badly. When I got back to the house I came inside, said a few choice words, and sat down at the PC. I think I was more apt to put my hand through one of the truck's windows than checking the transmission oil tonight.

I'm now absolutely furious about the whole situation.

 

[ElFenix]

sounds like your transmission is way low on fluid.

 

[amdforever2]

don't drive it

that will just make it worse





and
why are you shifting between first, second, and DRIVE
its obviously auto

moving between first second and drive in an auto does nothing
those first and second things just cap the highest gear at first and second respectively
thats it

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
sounds like your transmission is way low on fluid.

If it is, then it lost it some time between last night and this morning... the shop checked it yesterday before I left... for that matter my bio Dad did too... and he said it was fine.

Regardless, I'm not planning on driving it anywhere until I figure out some way to get a mechanic to look at it.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
don't drive it

that will just make it worse

Yeah, as I said above, I'm not going to.

why are you shifting between first, second, and DRIVE
its obviously auto

moving between first second and drive in an auto does nothing
those first and second things just cap the highest gear at first and second respectively
thats it

I was told to shift between them - though I have no idea why; my logic is the same as yours and I know that all they do is cap the highest gear. However... what on earth explains the difference in the way it's behaving when I shift to a "different" gear?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

When you sniff the dip stick and your olfactory says, "burnt Frito's", the trans is toast

This is why servicing an auto is important. At least every 30k in sever use, towing or heavy loads.

Never go beyond 60k in lite-duty use, freeway commuting with no real load.

Autos are never inexpensive to OH. See what Quixfire has to say in the AM.

If the trans is bad and the car were mine, I would be tempted to get the latest model, low mileage used trans from a
dismantling yard and just swap it out. Most come with a warranty at half the cost of an overhaul.

 

[iamwiz82]

My guess:

Most vehicles have radiators that also cool the transmission. When the radiator was replaced, fluid was lost but never replaced. Keep in mind, I know nothing of Explorers, but it is pretty common to have a transmission cooler. Check the fluid ASAP! The transmission is something you do not want to kill.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: galvanizedyankee
When you sniff the dip stick and your olfactory says, "burnt Frito's", the trans is toast

This is why servicing an auto is important. At least every 30k in sever use, towing or heavy loads.

Never go beyond 60k in lite-duty use, freeway commuting with no real load.

Autos are never inexpensive to OH. See what Quixfire has to say in the AM.

If the trans is bad and the car were mine, I would be tempted to get the latest model, low mileage used trans from a
dismantling yard and just swap it out. Most come with a warranty at half the cost of an overhaul.

my tranny lasted 109k miles under VERY hard conditions with no fluid change, but ended up going pretty badly. I had pictures online with pieces of the clutch pack floating in my trans. pan . $1000 later I was on my way, only to hydrolock the engine less than 1000 miles later. :frown:

 

[Pacfanweb]

You have to verify if the fluid level is okay, before you do anything else.

I really don't have time to read that whole other post, but if they removed the radiator to fix or replace it, they might not have tightened the cooler lines that go into it.....and you could have lost trans fluid.

Also, if the truck overheated badly enough, it could have cooked the tranny. Hard to say about that, just depends on how much it overheated, and how much you drove it in that condition.

It really does sound like it's low on fluid, so start there and let us know. Oh, and if it's low on fluid, that burning smell is probably the trans.....it will likely be okay if you fill it up and stop the leak, but I wouldn't keep driving it like that.....you're just making the repair potentially much more expensive by doing so.

 

[Thegonagle]

Don't try driving it like that again. (Please? Take our advice. You could just be costing yourself a lot more money.) It sounds like the shift linkage may just be screwey, but it could also be something worse.

See your instruction manual on how to check the fluid if you don't already know how. (Some cars require that the engine be running for the check, and some require for the engine to be off.) Ignore the instructions to drive it until it's at operating temperature before checking--it doesn't make that much difference--if it's low, you'll know, whether the fluid is warm or cold. Smell the stuff and note the color. If it's not bright red, it needs to be changed. If it's brown, especially darker brown, best of luck to you, because it's probably rebuild time.

If it's low, but still bright red or pink, fill it up with the type of fluid called for in the manual, check it again, check for leaks (especially up front around the radiator--that's where the tranny cooler is located) and see if that makes a difference. If you didn't see any fluid on the dipstick due to it being very low, add until you can see it on the stick, and once again, smell the stuff and check the color before you try driving again. If it works, but you have any doubt about the color, have the fluid (and filter, if it's called for) changed.

Also, because it sounds like the linkage my be screwed up, it might not be fully engaging the park mechanism, so set the parking brake while you're checking, especially if the instructions say to check the fluid with the enging running.

 

[Quixfire]

If you fluid level is ok, then the forward drive clutches are glazed or burnt.

Most vehicles have radiators that also cool the transmission. When the radiator was replaced, fluid was lost but never replaced. Keep in mind, I know nothing of Explorers, but it is pretty common to have a transmission cooler. Check the fluid ASAP! The transmission is something you do not want to kill.

The Explorers due use the radiator to cool the fluid.

Also, if the truck overheated badly enough, it could have cooked the tranny. Hard to say about that, just depends on how much it overheated, and how much you drove it in that condition.

Transmission fluid temperature must not exceed 190 degrees Fahrenheit or the fluid will burn and the clutches will glaze. Since you drove the truck for several hundred miles with a overheating condition caused by low coolant you most likely exceeded this temperature limit causing damage to the transmission.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune,
Quixfire

 

[iamwiz82]

Quix, do they have an aux. transmission cooler as well or just the radiator?

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Quix, do they have an aux. transmission cooler as well or just the radiator?

Most 4X4 have them, but the 4x2 don't unless equipped with a trailer-towing package.

 

[bmacd]

GeekDrew: Your tranny sounds toast, but here is a great forum for the Ford Explorer. The users are very friendly and extremely helpful...they've saved me a few times!

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=1

-=bmacd=-

 

[mandala]

While it sounds quite likely that your transmission is seriously troubled, it is conceivable that it's something simple - that a sensor in the transmission has failed. I had that happen and it was doing the same thing (not going about 25, etc). Can you take it (or have it towed) to a Ford dealer and have them check it out (on the off-chance it's something that may fall under warranty - depending on your warranty)?

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: bmacd
GeekDrew: Your tranny sounds toast, but here is a great forum for the Ford Explorer. The users are very friendly and extremely helpful...they've saved me a few times!

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=1

-=bmacd=-

I've been a member over there for quite a while... search for geekdrew over there. I received one rather useless response to my thread there, rather than the many I have thus far received here.

 

[Platypus]

Your's and mine man

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: mandala
While it sounds quite likely that your transmission is seriously troubled, it is conceivable that it's something simple - that a sensor in the transmission has failed. I had that happen and it was doing the same thing (not going about 25, etc). Can you take it (or have it towed) to a Ford dealer and have them check it out (on the off-chance it's something that may fall under warranty - depending on your warranty)?

It could be that a sensor has failed... but I don't think so. There is no longer any warranty at all on the vehicle.

Don't try driving it like that again. (Please? Take our advice. You could just be costing yourself a lot more money.) It sounds like the shift linkage may just be screwey, but it could also be something worse.

See your instruction manual on how to check the fluid if you don't already know how. (Some cars require that the engine be running for the check, and some require for the engine to be off.) Ignore the instructions to drive it until it's at operating temperature before checking--it doesn't make that much difference--if it's low, you'll know, whether the fluid is warm or cold. Smell the stuff and note the color. If it's not bright red, it needs to be changed. If it's brown, especially darker brown, best of luck to you, because it's probably rebuild time.

If it's low, but still bright red or pink, fill it up with the type of fluid called for in the manual, check it again, check for leaks (especially up front around the radiator--that's where the tranny cooler is located) and see if that makes a difference. If you didn't see any fluid on the dipstick due to it being very low, add until you can see it on the stick, and once again, smell the stuff and check the color before you try driving again. If it works, but you have any doubt about the color, have the fluid (and filter, if it's called for) changed.

Also, because it sounds like the linkage my be screwed up, it might not be fully engaging the park mechanism, so set the parking brake while you're checking, especially if the instructions say to check the fluid with the enging running.

I'm not going to drive it unless instructed to by a mechanic that seems knowledgeable, or in emergency. Mkay? that's been established.

This morning before work, I looked at the manual, and it said to run the truck engine while checking the tranny oil. With the parking brake engaged, I did so. I pulled the dip stick out, wiped it off, put it back in, and then pulled it back out. I could barely see something on the very end of the stick... the end of the stick is kind of circle shaped, and I think that i saw a brownish/blackish fluid at the end of it. I'm gonna go run the engine for a little while and then check the transmission fluid again.

I'm going to see if I'm able to borrow a friend's trailer and truck to tow my truck back down to the shop. Right now I'm just so very depressed about this and a laundry list of other things that I'm sort-of swimming in my own thoughts.

 

[GeekDrew]

It looks like my luck MAY have turned.

Tonight was the first night I've been able to go out and examine the truck when it hasn't been raining out (and consequently, everything being wet). It looks like the line that goes from the transmission to the radiator was not properly tightened... opened the hood and saw tranny fluid spraying everywhere.

I have no idea what it is I saw on the dipstick this morning, cause the tranny fluid that was being flung was bright red.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
It looks like my luck MAY have turned.

Tonight was the first night I've been able to go out and examine the truck when it hasn't been raining out (and consequently, everything being wet). It looks like the line that goes from the transmission to the radiator was not properly tightened... opened the hood and saw tranny fluid spraying everywhere.

I have no idea what it is I saw on the dipstick this morning, cause the tranny fluid that was being flung was bright red.

That is 100% the SHOP's fault. If you have ANY trans damage AT ALL, that shop owes you a new transmission. At the very least, they owe you any towing costs you may have incurred, as well as a trans flush + fill.

 

[bmacd]

if it's any consolation, i had a ford dealership rebuild the tranny in my 96 Explorer 5.0L 2wd, and it was $2200 cash.

-=bmacd=-

 

[GeekDrew]

Yeah I think it's the shop's fault. Unfortunately the shop that it was at is owned by good friends of my biological parents... so I dunno how well that will fly even though it is their fault.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
Yeah I think it's the shop's fault. Unfortunately the shop that it was at is owned by good friends of my biological parents... so I dunno how well that will fly even though it is their fault.

A courteous phone call. They just might be embarrassed enough to offer some solution.

Call them first. They will probably tell you to tighten the fitting, top off the trans, see how it drives,

then have it serviced and checked over real good, including all of their previous work. Good luck