I just bought a 97 explorer from my friend with the X engine and code D transmission. The overdrive quit a year ago, and its also not shifting right if you drive agressively. If you accelerate slowly, it seems to shift fine, but otherwise you have to let off on the gas to get it to shift.
I was looking into getting another explorer for parts, but it had a toasted trans.
I read on here about the valve body gasket replacement procedure, and I wonder if this might be the problem? Did he do damage by driving it like this? Should I just look into a rebuilt trans?
Uhm, this should have been in the shop a year ago. Hard to say if any damage has been done or not, but when the trans stops working correctly, the best rule of thumb is to stop driving it until the problem is resolved. Otherwise slippage and deteriorating crud can damage the rest of the trans. OD not working could be from a lot of sources. Valve body issues is one, old worn out fluid can also do it. There are also sensor issues that can cause OD to be disabled. What codes are stored in your computer?
I know what you mean by it should have been in the shop, but I didn't own it at the time. He did take it to the dealer, but they didn't have a clue what was wrong, and they just flushed the system.
As for the codes, there was an EGR code, and another one about a solenoid failure, but I cleared them, and put a tank of gas through it without the light coming on. It runs great other than the shifting problem.
You need to take it to a qualified and locally owned trans shop. If the shop has a flush machine or they recommend flushing it, find another shop. Flushes seem to cause more problems than they fix.
If they do some pressure tests, they can see what is going on inside and determine whether this is a mechanical or hydraulic problem.
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