My 2000 Explorer overdrive light will blink once in awhile no hard shifting, no slipping, i also pushed the overdrive button while it was doing this and it went out of overdrive , trans has been service, I know this is a common issue with explorers . I understand that it could be caused by a number of
issues any help would be appreciated and I haven't had the codes pulled yet.

 

Seems I recall reading something about that in the Owners Manual.

 

It means your trans is having issues. You need to have it scanned for trouble codes. The local auto parts stores cannot usually retrieve trans codes. Many good transmission shops will pull codes for free. Post all codes here.

What is the maintenance history on this trans?

 

Well as of today the trans failed started slipping in gears now have to the have rebuilt
Done . I'm simply amazed how many other explorer owners of the early 2000's were
The transmission completely failed. Has any else in this forum consider filing a class action
Lawsuit against ford ? I will keep mine for alittle longer then I'm getting rid of it

 

Why would anyone want to when the trans in these have proven to be as good or better than anything else.

Simple fact, the trans fails in these when it is not properly cared for. The fluid in these transmissions need to be changed every 30,000 miles or so. How many owners actually follow this schedule? Simple fact, if you have not followed the maintenance schedule and kept documentation of the schedule, you will have no success in a court of law.

Does that mean there weren't design flaws or that things couldn't have been improved? Of course there are design flaws. But these flaws rear up when the system has been neglected.

Inside the valve body are solenoids that operate various valves. In order to make shifts feel smoother and less jerky, Ford (and other automakers) opted to ingineer a small amount of slippage by pulse width modulating the engagement of these valves. They literally buzz as they engage. These valve control things like line pressure, engagement pressure, etc.

If the fluid is kept clean, this does not cause any real undue problems, and the trans will last somewhere between 120,000 miles to 200,000 miles without serious issues. But if the fluid is not kept clean, tiny particles of friction material accumulate and it turns the fluid from a lubricating transmission fluid into a polishing fluid. The friction material gets into these valves, and it cuts through the bore of the valve body. When enough wear occurs, the valve no longer functions correctly. Fluid can leak past the valve, causing low pressure, slow engagement, etc. This in turn causes more slipping than the trans was designed for, which causes accelerated wear of the friction surfaces, which in turn causes even faster wear of the servo bores.

Eventually it gets to a point where either the trans cannot engage at all, or the slipping becomes very noticeable. At this point a rebuild becomes necessary.

So how do these issues get fixed? Stainless steel or bronze sleeves in the valve body correct the wear, and increase resistance to wear. These steps are too costly and time consuming for most mass manufacturers, which is why Ford doesn't ship them with such sleeves. In addition any damage cause to friction and engagement surfaces must be corrected, bearing wear, etc.

But even with updated internals, if the fluid is not replaced at frequent enough intervals, it will do the same thing again. This is true of all makes and models, not just Ford. Some designs are more resistant to it, but as a general rule, most brands have consistent transmission problems between 80,000 - 120,000 miles, this includes Honda and Toyota. This doesn't mean that everyone will have a problem, just that these are the mileage ranges that transmission shops are reporting that they see most often.

the use of non-specified fluid doesn't help either. I always use the manufacturer spec fluid. That means in my 5R55e I use MerconV. I do not use a multi-transmission fluid.