93 XLT 4x4 Won't downshift to 4th gear | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

93 XLT 4x4 Won't downshift to 4th gear

JDLCA

Member
Joined
January 24, 2015
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
City, State
La Puente, California
Year, Model & Trim Level
1993 Ford Explorer XLT
Hey all, was driving early this morning to make a little casino run :D and I was climbing a grade in my 93 XLT 4x4 waiting for it to downshift automatically because it felt as though it needed more power to climb it, there was a sudden "THUNK" and now it won't downshift to 4th gear.... I'll be at 65 on the freeway at 4 1/2 thousand rpms... I tried jumping on and off the pedal to see if I could get her to downshift forcefully but nothing... Is there anything I can check for before I take her to the shop? All other gears shift fine, it's just that last gear :( thanks!
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





If it's an automatic, it only has 4 gears, 4th being overdrive. So, it won't downshift to fourth.

That being said, check your fluid level, that can cause a lot of odd behavior. Hope there's nothing majorly wrong! If your fluid is low, add some and watch for leaks. Check your vacuum modulator. It can be accessed through the hump in the center via a metal plate. If there is tranny fluid in the vacuum line, that's your issue (especially if it's actually 3rd gear we're talking about). There's a kickdown cable that can be adjusted, too.
 






Perhaps he's talking about lockup? That technically is a 5th gear. If that's toast then it could just be the torque converter clutch.
 






Kickdown cable popping loose? It's worth a look, anyway. There should be a ballstud next the throttle body where the kickdown cable is attached.
 






At 4500 rpm at 65 mph, that puts him in second gear. You could check the fluid but IMO that tranny is toast.
 






I hit a bump at about 20mph and my truck acted like it kicked into neutral and now won't shift into OD and acts like its between gears when shifted into OD but drives through first to third with no problem
 






Back
Top