Another (FAILED) Tranny Tale
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From: North Andover
Another (FAILED) Tranny Tale
My 2000 Explorer 4X4 6Cyl Automatic started to slip a little between first and second last Monday, then the dreaded flashing "O/D Off" started. Checked the fluid level, which was good and it smelled ok, but there was just a hint of color change in the fluid from pink to a reddish brown. Took it to a national transmission chain shop. After a test drive and code check, they had a good idea what was going on (they have torn apart enough of these trannys in the last year alone). What I was told, and later shown, was the OEM gaskets used in these trannys have been known to disintegrate over time. As the particles break off and free float, they clog up the hydraulics. This prevents the fluid from circulating properly and the tranny runs hot and dry. This promotes more gasket disintegration for a nice "Catch 22" situation. Well, the upshot of it all is $2200 and 3 days later I've got tranny rebuilt with after market gaskets, new solenoid etc. They told me that Ford is aware of the problem, but will never admit to its existence. Anyone else been down this road and what's the general feeling about these transmissions?
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From: Las Vegas, NV
I have not yet had problems with my '99 4x4 (manufactured in '98). My Explorer has a 5R55E transmission (5 speed). I assume your's does, too? I changed my transmission filter a month ago at 75,000 miles and there were no gasket particles visible in the filter or pan. Ford changed the filter at 32,000 so I didn't see it then. Perhaps Ford installed a bad batch of gaksets somewhere in that time frame? Or does it span several years? I don't think there was a design change in there but it is possible that suppliers might have changed for certain parts.
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This sounds similiar to a problem Ford had with oil pan gaskets back in the early 90's. Instead of a gasket they used a type of silicone to seal the pan. After 90K miles or so, the silicone would deterioate and clog up the oil pickup screen, starving the engine of oil. Ford was aware of this too, but did nothing about it.
The transmission gasket deterioration is a new one on me, but it sounds logical. If it's so, the filter would have to be clogged enough to starve the trans of fluid, lowering the line pressure.
I changed the filter on my 2000 at 40K miles, and it looked OK. The pan had been off before though, so it's possible something was wrong before I bought it........
The transmission gasket deterioration is a new one on me, but it sounds logical. If it's so, the filter would have to be clogged enough to starve the trans of fluid, lowering the line pressure.
I changed the filter on my 2000 at 40K miles, and it looked OK. The pan had been off before though, so it's possible something was wrong before I bought it........
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From: North Andover
I too planned to change my filter at 40k (39,400 current), but AAMCO beat me to it with the rebuild. Perhaps I should change my next filter 20,000 miles from the current reading. I hope the after-market gaskets have more life than the OEMs. Did I mention that I had taken out an extended warranty in anticipation of this very problem? I'll tackle most jobs under the hood and have rebuilt a 4 speed tractor tranny, but shy away from the 4x4 tranny. By the way, the company I took the extended warranty out with went belly up a few months ago (Warranty Gold). Keep smiling, life’s too short!
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From: Virginia Beach
Originally Posted by Jaysee
I too planned to change my filter at 40k (39,400 current), but AAMCO beat me to it with the rebuild. Perhaps I should change my next filter 20,000 miles from the current reading. I hope the after-market gaskets have more life than the OEMs. Did I mention that I had taken out an extended warranty in anticipation of this very problem? I'll tackle most jobs under the hood and have rebuilt a 4 speed tractor tranny, but shy away from the 4x4 tranny. By the way, the company I took the extended warranty out with went belly up a few months ago (Warranty Gold). Keep smiling, life’s too short!
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If you are within factory warranty, you should be able to buy Ford's ESP extended warranty. It ain't cheap, just over half what a tranny will cost.
And if you're going to keep it for 10 years, you are going to need a tranny.
My tranny (98 ohc 6 w/5 gear auto) pied about 3000 miles after the dealer did the flush. And about 400 miles before the warranty expired. New tranny, $100 deductible.
Now they didn't bother to service the driveshaft, and they left the old axle seals in when they did the diff job, so I got to pay for those along with a radiator that they didn't look for the leak in for two or three services, but that seems to be the way of dealer service these days.
To paraphrase that WWII beach landing pep talk, "There's two kinds of transmissions in your Exploder--ones that have been replaced, and ones that will need replacing....."
And if you're going to keep it for 10 years, you are going to need a tranny.
My tranny (98 ohc 6 w/5 gear auto) pied about 3000 miles after the dealer did the flush. And about 400 miles before the warranty expired. New tranny, $100 deductible.
Now they didn't bother to service the driveshaft, and they left the old axle seals in when they did the diff job, so I got to pay for those along with a radiator that they didn't look for the leak in for two or three services, but that seems to be the way of dealer service these days.
To paraphrase that WWII beach landing pep talk, "There's two kinds of transmissions in your Exploder--ones that have been replaced, and ones that will need replacing....."
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I have a 2001 Explorer sport 4 X 4, 6 cyl. Just yesterday I was told by Ford that error code 733 meant a new tranny @ $2850.00. Mine was also slipping between 1st and 2nd and the o/d light would come on by itself. The only way to clear the o/d problem was to put it in neutral shut off the engine and start it back up. I was told that I no longer had a third gear and I had burnt oil. I am presently looking around for quotes from tranny shops.
You would think that a 3 year old vehicle with 46,000 miles would not need a major overhaul.
You would think that a 3 year old vehicle with 46,000 miles would not need a major overhaul.
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From: North Andover
Welcome to the club Mucat
Sorry to hear about your tranny. After my ordeal I've spoken with several other Explorer tranny victims, but unlike myself, they have an after market warranty that is still in business. I took my Explorer to AAMCO, the prices all seem close in this area. One Advantage is that if it bite the dust again they will tow it in for free. Almost went the extra $600 for a lifetime warranty, but one bitten twice shy. When you have it fixed please post back here with the cause of the failure. A common post repair problem is the electronic linkage sensor ( it an armature that wipes contacts on the tranny to relay the linkage position ) on the tranny, make sure they replace it the first go around. Symptoms of its failure will be trouble starting the SUV until you move the shift lever from park to reverse and back to park, also you may not have your back up lights working.
Good Luck and keep us posted.
Good Luck and keep us posted.
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