My 96 Explorer has been having two problems:

1) The steering column shifter is pff by a little... i.e. to get into Drive the indicator is on th eleft side of the "2". This has been like this for over a year.

2) The problem is, that the transmission seems to slip in Drive when I first shift into it... most of the time it feels liek teh engine racing and the truck is going nowhere... sometimes with a shuddering sound like a clutch is partially slipping and catching. Interesting thing is that if I shift into D from the right side "1, 2, D" it does not seem to do slip... AND if I turn off the A/C it does not seem to slip in any case.

I am planning on selling it in a couple months when my new 07 Expy comes in... so I'd ratehr not put a lot of $ into it... obviously it would be a guess at best, but can anyone tell me if these symptoms look like simple linkage problem that will be OK for a couple months until i sell it, or major transmission touble that will have me on the side of the road any day now?

As a side note... I have always wondered whether the shifter could be put into Reverse while moving at road speeds in the forward direction... but never wanted to try. While moving only about 5 mps, the slipping occurred and in my attempt to fix it by shifting out of and into D again I got into R by accident... wheels locked and I skidded a few feet. Should this have happened? Should the transmission allow you to get into R while moving? Is this the way all transmissions work? Or typical or 96 exp? Or indicative of a problem with mine?

Jeff

 

Well... I got news today that I need a new transmission at about $3k. I have no reason not to believe the shop I take it to. They said they saw metal in the fluid when they checked the dip stick.

Since I am getting rid of it in a couple months can someone help me with these questions:
1) Does a transmission ever fail in a way that would cause an accident if driving down the road or is it more likely that I will just go to pull out and have nothing there?
2) Will a dealer still take this for trade? What will it do to the trade price?
3) Short of a $3k replacement, can a transmission shop do anything with repairing the current transmission to allow me to sell or trade it? Is it even worth me taking it to a transmission shop to open up and look at? Or once it is open, might it never go back together?

I appreciate any feedback anyone might have.

Jeff

 

check on ebay,i saw some rebuilt ones for around $1,000 with a warranty.it's alot better than $3,000.

 

last time i went to the ford dealer i traded a 2002 mustang GT,for a 2005 ranger,and they never even drove it or even started it and gave me a descent payoff for the stang.when we left the dealer the stang was still sitting there and we were gone,that was the first time that ever happened to me.

 

Thanks for the replies...

I got two more opinions...

Remember, mechanic (not transmission specialist) said it was going to fail soon and needed a rebuilt replacement at $3k.

Cottman: Thinks a band broke. No explanation why it is season dependent (does not slip in winter, but does in summer). Will cost about $2k to rebuild. Will charge $400 to diagnose on bench. If I don't want to repair they will TRY to get it back together but no guarantees.

Ammco: Thinks it is the torque converter. Said they can run a full test and drop the pan if necessary to determine extent of problem (no remove of transmission from car). If I choose to not repair they will put back together all for no charge. Is there any danger in dropping the pan? Can it make the problem worse? If torque converter, it will also cost about $2k to repair. he said that if it has been doing it for 1.5 years and it were his car and he was getting rid of it in a few months he would just leave it alone. He said I have a 55 transmission... I thought I read that 96 Expl 4X4 V6 has a 70... anyone know?

Jeff

 

Hi all
I am a man from Denmark ho has a problem with my 73 Mustang with c6 gearbox, hope you can help me. I have fuld rebuild my c6 gearbox with all bussings, clutchplate, trustwasher, onewayclutch and all seal`s. The gearbox has a whining noise speciel in 1-2 gear and reverse i can`t find what it is, i have even try another walvebody.
All the adjustments is ok. Hope someone can help.
Best Regards
Peter Brødland
Have a nice day

 

All V6 Explorers have the 5R55 transmission. The 4R70W was only used in the V8 Explorers.

And as for Cottman, if a band is broken, it's broken. A broken band never works again.