Beware the world of tranny rebuilders...
Off all the work you may ever have to do on your Explorer, you'll spend more and usually get less on a tranny rebuild. I'm not saying go out and buy a new replacement from Ford. Just be sure to shop around and get a written copy of the warranty before having anything done. From my experience, tranny guys let the BS flow during their sales pitch. Telling you what a P.O.S. your model tranny is may just be setting up blame when THEIR crappy rebuild fails. Has anyone ever gone to a tranny shop and been told what a great tranny they have???
Notice all the spare tranny parts stacked all over the place at most shops? Whaddya think they do with them? I'm thinkin' they use them in rebuilds and you can bet they'll be charged on your bill as "new". When I had my tranny done, I got several quotes and not one shop referenced possible cost savings by installing some used parts. Chances are, some of my "bad" parts, that I paid to have replaced, will be used to rebuild some other sucker's tranny.
In my case, the work was quoted by the shop owner. I asked him directly, on the phone and again face-to-face, about the warranty for the rebuild on a 1991 4WD Explorer (see 4WD, four wheel drive, clearly stated, twice). He told me both times,"12 months, 12,000 miles".
Four months later, my tranny is nearly pegging the temp gauge climbing hills on the highway and just running around town. This excessive heat is a solid indicator of internal tranny problems. I pull out my invoice to make a call to get this checked out and in the written warranty section (which I only received when the work was done and paid for) in super small, light grey print, it noted the exclusion,"Four-wheel drives - 90 days".
So now I have a tranny that gets me down the road but I fully expect it to fail at any time.
The thing is, you will NEVER REALLY KNOW what you're getting for your money.
