Overdrive button | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Overdrive button

Michael Majorana

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July 6, 2019
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City, State
Gaines
Year, Model & Trim Level
03 Explorer AWD
Hello Forum, my wife and I are considering buying a 03 Ford explorer.The dealer selling it said the overdrive button is stuck in. From researching I have found that the button is not the real issue; dealer said the car is holding first gear too long. The question I have is can I drive the car home from Kentucky to Michigan and can I then load a trailer of household furniture and haul on a 9 hour trip to Blacksburg, Virginia in its present condition and back home to Michigan? After returning from the trip I will remove the valve body and have it rebuilt. What are the thoughts and advice out there? Thanks Mike
 



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If the button is just stuck "in", why then do they not fix it?
 






Hello Forum, my wife and I are considering buying a 03 Ford explorer.The dealer selling it said the overdrive button is stuck in. From researching I have found that the button is not the real issue; dealer said the car is holding first gear too long. The question I have is can I drive the car home from Kentucky to Michigan and can I then load a trailer of household furniture and haul on a 9 hour trip to Blacksburg, Virginia in its present condition and back home to Michigan? After returning from the trip I will remove the valve body and have it rebuilt. What are the thoughts and advice out there? Thanks Mike
@Michael Majorana

The imponderable here is this: with the button stuck in, does the transmission remain in 4th. gear, or does it shift into 5th? Getting an answer to that question determines whether towing is advised or not. The O/D OFF button is momentary contact, meaning once engine is started, a single push will lock out 5th. gear until the engine is shut down; then it defaults to OD ON automatically. Keeping the button depressed poses an unanswerable problem: is it in 4th. or 5th (O/D) gear. If you start the engine and the "O/D OFF" light illuminates and stays on, I'm guessing it is saying 5th. gear is locked out. Then, go ahead and tow away.

If truck is in KY, and you are dealing facelessly with the dealer, you are taking his word for answers to these questions. I would ask him to relieve the stuck button, then see if it's functioning as it's supposed to. imp
 












Welcome to the forum.

I would not buy that vehicle unless the dealer resolved the ‘stuck’ OD button.

You mention a 9 hour tow-haul, did you ask how are the brake pads / rotors? Wheel bearings? Struts?, especially the springs as they break. Don’t forget front upper ball joints. These are all things I needed to replace on my ‘02 when I bought it, and it came with a 1” thick folder of service records. Do you have any idea of what service has been / has not been done?

Then there’s the transmission 1-2 shifting issues.

Does the dealer provide any kind of warranty? Would they guarantee the transmission?

I’m not trying to be all negative, but you don’t want to get stranded out in the boondocks, especially with a trailer. The only garage in town might not have a rig (or want the liability) of towing your trailer as well, leaving your belongings on the side of the road.

Beyond the ‘stuck’ OD button the truck should get a good test drive and look over. Any friends in the area that can help out?
 






I would be more concerned about the 1-2 shift issue. I would not advise it. Also, if i does not have the factory tow package then you are not really equipped to tow anyway, especially long distance.
 












I've only spent 2-3 weeks with my '05 XLT, but one of the first things found on the net were refs to triple-nickel (knuckle?) transmission woes. At neighborhood speeds, it was hard to tell if it was shifting at all. It finally dawned on me to watch the tach, and I found I could see the shifts around 2500 drop to about 2000. This wasn't helped by my sproinged PRNDL indicator, which has moved up the priority list for things to do. Just remember...the cost of road repairs is directly proportional to your distance from home, compounded by the aggravation of your significant other. Get a second professional opinion, it'll be worth a coupla' extra bucks...
 






Hello Forum, my wife and I are considering buying a 03 Ford explorer.The dealer selling it said the overdrive button is stuck in. From researching I have found that the button is not the real issue; dealer said the car is holding first gear too long. The question I have is can I drive the car home from Kentucky to Michigan and can I then load a trailer of household furniture and haul on a 9 hour trip to Blacksburg, Virginia in its present condition and back home to Michigan? After returning from the trip I will remove the valve body and have it rebuilt. What are the thoughts and advice out there? Thanks Mike
I would forget this truck and move on
 






I personally would not buy an Explorer from a dealer, they jack up the price. Run the VIN though TXDMV.GOV - Standard Presumptive Calculator . I've never pay more than that number. I paid under that number for mine. IIRC it said $2,300 for mine and I paid $1,900.
 






Don't buy it, obviously has transmission issues, the button being stuck in is just a rouse. Keep looking.
 






^^ Yea, maybe they glued it down to cover a problem.
 












^ If going into overdrive caused problems, like buckling, stopping that would solve the problem.
I just went outside and tested that theory.
Starting the engine, while the button is pressed, causes it to start with overdrive OFF (light on).
So a glued button will cause the car to lock out OD every time.
 






^ If going into overdrive caused problems, like buckling, stopping that would solve the problem.
I just went outside and tested that theory.
Starting the engine, while the button is pressed, causes it to start with overdrive OFF (light on).
So a glued button will cause the car to lock out OD every time.

Nice to know. I have to manually turn mine off every-time I start it because 5th is out/slips. (and so is 2nd).
 






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