Transmission Failure?
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Freshman User
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Transmission Failure?
Hey All:
I think I might have had a tranny failure today, and wanted feedback on what to check/ask the dealer re: repairs. I have a '98 Expy E.B. with the 5.4 and auto trans, approx 70K miles.
The tranny seemed fine, at 65 mph with cruise on. Suddenly, no warning, the thing seemed to slam into 2nd gear. Scared the heck out of me and almost threw us off the road. It was almost as if someone put it into 4Low at high speed.
When we got stopped, I checked for damage and saw none. But, we could only go approx. 35 mph at 4000 rpm in what seemed like second gear. It's parked at a station 2 1/2 hours from me, and I'll need to have an out-of-town dealer check it out.
Any ideas for me as to what the problem could be? Also, any tips on keeping an unfamiliar dealer honest and on their toes? Thanks for any help!
2Gordons
98 Expedition
Eddie Bauer
5.4 Triton
I think I might have had a tranny failure today, and wanted feedback on what to check/ask the dealer re: repairs. I have a '98 Expy E.B. with the 5.4 and auto trans, approx 70K miles.
The tranny seemed fine, at 65 mph with cruise on. Suddenly, no warning, the thing seemed to slam into 2nd gear. Scared the heck out of me and almost threw us off the road. It was almost as if someone put it into 4Low at high speed.
When we got stopped, I checked for damage and saw none. But, we could only go approx. 35 mph at 4000 rpm in what seemed like second gear. It's parked at a station 2 1/2 hours from me, and I'll need to have an out-of-town dealer check it out.
Any ideas for me as to what the problem could be? Also, any tips on keeping an unfamiliar dealer honest and on their toes? Thanks for any help!
2Gordons
98 Expedition
Eddie Bauer
5.4 Triton
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,028
Likes: 1
From: Annapolis, Maryland
Transmission Failure?
Possibly a tranny failure...have you regularly (20k miles) changed the fluids, etc?
I'd also try disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes - it clears the computer out. Can't hurt, anyway...
XXL
I'd also try disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes - it clears the computer out. Can't hurt, anyway...
XXL
Logistics Pro
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: All over Texas
Transmission Failure?
>Hey All:
>The tranny seemed fine, at 65 mph with cruise on. Suddenly,
>no warning, the thing seemed to slam into 2nd gear. Scared
>the heck out of me and almost threw us off the road. It was
>almost as if someone put it into 4Low at high speed.
>
>When we got stopped, I checked for damage and saw none. But,
>we could only go approx. 35 mph at 4000 rpm in what seemed
>like second gear. It's parked at a station 2 1/2 hours from
>me, and I'll need to have an out-of-town dealer check it
>out.
>Any ideas for me as to what the problem could be? No Idea, but it sounds like you've hit the nail on the head.
Never heard of this type of situation.
Also, any
>tips on keeping an unfamiliar dealer honest and on their
>toes?
Why do you think they would be dishonest? If your transmission did fail, be prepared to fork out some serious dinero....seems like +/- $2K.
>The tranny seemed fine, at 65 mph with cruise on. Suddenly,
>no warning, the thing seemed to slam into 2nd gear. Scared
>the heck out of me and almost threw us off the road. It was
>almost as if someone put it into 4Low at high speed.
>
>When we got stopped, I checked for damage and saw none. But,
>we could only go approx. 35 mph at 4000 rpm in what seemed
>like second gear. It's parked at a station 2 1/2 hours from
>me, and I'll need to have an out-of-town dealer check it
>out.
>Any ideas for me as to what the problem could be? No Idea, but it sounds like you've hit the nail on the head.
Never heard of this type of situation.
Also, any
>tips on keeping an unfamiliar dealer honest and on their
>toes?
Why do you think they would be dishonest? If your transmission did fail, be prepared to fork out some serious dinero....seems like +/- $2K.
Junior User
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 85
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Transmission Failure?
Not that this helps you any, but the transmission on my 98 Expy failed at about 37k miles. It was just a couple days after I had it in to the dealer for routine service. Always wondered if it was more than coincidence. Anyway, I had the ESP warranty, and it cost be $50 for a new (remanufactured) transmission to be installed.
The failure symptoms were not quite the same as yours. It was more akin to what you see when a clutch is slipping on a standard tranny -- lots of revving but not too much forward motion!
Anyhow, I had no complaints re how the dealer or Ford handled this, and drove the truck another 40k miles or so after that until my lease expired. Driving an '03 now.
The failure symptoms were not quite the same as yours. It was more akin to what you see when a clutch is slipping on a standard tranny -- lots of revving but not too much forward motion!
Anyhow, I had no complaints re how the dealer or Ford handled this, and drove the truck another 40k miles or so after that until my lease expired. Driving an '03 now.
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
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Transmission Failure?
Thanks for the input... Here's what happened.
I actually was right about the 4Low thing- that's exactly what happened. When the dealer picked it up, the truck was actually in 4W Low, even though the dash lights and control **** didn't show it.
The dealer is a little stumped, saying maybe there was a short or some dirt which actuated the switch (or whatever causes the transfer case to change).
Weird thing is, while I was on muddy fire roads this weekend- it was at crawling speed over the rougher stuff. I never even engaged the 4 wheel drive. The last time 4 wheeel was used was last August, when I was backing a trailer up a steep gravel drive.
So, I'm having the tranny and coolant serviced (hey... it's in the shop anyway) and hopefully that's the end of the story. By the way, great dealer service.
2Gordons
I actually was right about the 4Low thing- that's exactly what happened. When the dealer picked it up, the truck was actually in 4W Low, even though the dash lights and control **** didn't show it.
The dealer is a little stumped, saying maybe there was a short or some dirt which actuated the switch (or whatever causes the transfer case to change).
Weird thing is, while I was on muddy fire roads this weekend- it was at crawling speed over the rougher stuff. I never even engaged the 4 wheel drive. The last time 4 wheeel was used was last August, when I was backing a trailer up a steep gravel drive.
So, I'm having the tranny and coolant serviced (hey... it's in the shop anyway) and hopefully that's the end of the story. By the way, great dealer service.
2Gordons
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2001
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Transmission Failure?
My bet is the GEM module. You're switch contorls an input to the GEM module, then it tells the t-case how to shift. There is a switch on the tranny that is only closed when in neutral, so my guess is the GEM moudle freaked out and shifted you into 4-LO. If the dealer cannot find a problem and all is working well again, I think I would replace the GEM module anyway.
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Freshman User
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Transmission Failure?
Good advice! Picked the truck up today from the dealer (VanBoxtel Ford in Green Bay, WI). Everything is working fine.
BTW, this was some of the best customer service I've ever received from a dealer. I'm always leery of dealer service, as I've had a few bad experiences at Metro dealers in the past. Aggressive follow-up (they called me TWICE, before I ever felt I needed to call them) is something I could get used to.
When is the last time a dealer service came back $2000.00 LESS than you expected to pay? :-X12
2Gordons
BTW, this was some of the best customer service I've ever received from a dealer. I'm always leery of dealer service, as I've had a few bad experiences at Metro dealers in the past. Aggressive follow-up (they called me TWICE, before I ever felt I needed to call them) is something I could get used to.
When is the last time a dealer service came back $2000.00 LESS than you expected to pay? :-X12
2Gordons
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Transmission Failure?
Had the same thing happen to my 98. It too was the transfercase shifting into low. Got hold of the people that traded it in to the dealer I bought it from and it had happened to them once and they got rid of it! I ran some tests and couldn't find anything wrong. It did it the second time a month after I bought it and that was when I made a connection to wet weather. I pulled all the connectors apart and used di-electric compound on them. A year later and several very wet and muddy mile have gone by without another problem.
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Transmission Failure?
There may be something to this -- on my '94 F-150 (5.8L/E4OD), after a heavy rain the tranny would shift very hard. I concluded that it was water getting into the electrical connector at the tranny, so the tranny wasn't getting the signal to lower control pressure between shifts. I subsequently learned that Ford had redesigned the connector on later E4OD's, but conveniently failed to mention that (or offer a retrofit) to us earlier E4OD owners. Seems that water entry into Ford electronic-controlled tranny connections isn't a new issue.