theshadowmaker
New Member
- Joined
- July 13, 2011
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Hansen Idaho
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1992 Eddie Baur
Hi Guys, I am new to this forum, and to Explorers for that matter. After spending the last 5 or so hours reading & looking for a solution to my problem, I am both impressed with the wealth of knowledge here, and disappointed that I found no problem like mine.
To start at the beginning, I bought my 1992 Explorer 2 months ago. I have been driving it daily, and really enjoying it. The only hint of tranny problems was that first thing in the morning when I started driving it, It did not want to upshift for about the first half mile, then, it would upshift and work flawlessly for the rest of the day. I assumed this was a symptom of a dirty filter, and that the cold fluid did not want to flow well through the filter. Once warm, the problem went away. I made a mental note to find time to change the filter.
Yesterday, after driving all day, (I am a service tech, so I drive to jobs throughout the day) I was on the way home and got a phone call. I pulled over to take it, and the torque converter did not release, causing the vehicle to stall, just as if it were a standard tranny, and I didn't release the clutch. When I tried to go, the converter was still engaged, so, like others I read about here, the engine stalled when I put it in gear. I was on loose dirt and gravel, so, I decided to throttle it up a bit, not much, but enough to hopefully get moving. This worked, threw a little gravel, but, I was again on the way. 5 miles later, I pulled up to my mail box, and the converter behaved normally. I left the mailbox, headed the final mile toward home. About a half mile later it was as if I had shifted into neutral. Not slipping, just not engaged at all. I coasted to my driveway, stopped & tried all the gears. Nothing. I got out, engine still running, and checked the fluid level. Maybe a little more than half a quart down. I shut off the engine, and topped off the fluid. I started it again, and it engaged in all gear positions. Whew, I was thinking. Surprised being just that low would cause such odd problems. Not so lucky.
This morning, I get in and head off to work. 1/4 mile down the road, it disengages again. I pull over, shut it off, & think for a few minutes. try starting it again, it engages solidly. I turn around, head for the driveway, it disengages again. I coast home, switch vehicles and go to work.
Upon returning home, after reading for hours here, I try a few things for clarity. I can find no fluid in any vacuum lines. I can start the engine, cold or hot, and it will solidly engage, in any gear, forward or reverse, no apparent slipping for about 10 seconds, then, it is like I put it into neutral. It wont go in any gear. If I shut it off for 2 minutes, it will engage again, cold, or hot.
For awhile my reading was making me think throttle position sensor, as it can cause torque converter lock up issues. But, then, I read that other than not releasing, that should only be a problem at speed, and even if all electronics were disconnected, the vehicle should move.
Other than that, it is almost as if the tranny runs out of fluid in the pan after 10 seconds, then, it takes at least 2 minutes for enough of it to run back down to the pan to engage again. If I were out of fluid maybe, but, it is still full.
Could it be the dirty filter? Hard to reason it, but I need to change it anyway, as long as I am not just wasting my time & money if it is a bigger problem.
In the 2 months I have had this vehicle, the tranny has not slipped at all, and that is like 6 months driving for most, so, I just have a hunch that it is a good tranny, with some other issue.
Any thoughts?
To start at the beginning, I bought my 1992 Explorer 2 months ago. I have been driving it daily, and really enjoying it. The only hint of tranny problems was that first thing in the morning when I started driving it, It did not want to upshift for about the first half mile, then, it would upshift and work flawlessly for the rest of the day. I assumed this was a symptom of a dirty filter, and that the cold fluid did not want to flow well through the filter. Once warm, the problem went away. I made a mental note to find time to change the filter.
Yesterday, after driving all day, (I am a service tech, so I drive to jobs throughout the day) I was on the way home and got a phone call. I pulled over to take it, and the torque converter did not release, causing the vehicle to stall, just as if it were a standard tranny, and I didn't release the clutch. When I tried to go, the converter was still engaged, so, like others I read about here, the engine stalled when I put it in gear. I was on loose dirt and gravel, so, I decided to throttle it up a bit, not much, but enough to hopefully get moving. This worked, threw a little gravel, but, I was again on the way. 5 miles later, I pulled up to my mail box, and the converter behaved normally. I left the mailbox, headed the final mile toward home. About a half mile later it was as if I had shifted into neutral. Not slipping, just not engaged at all. I coasted to my driveway, stopped & tried all the gears. Nothing. I got out, engine still running, and checked the fluid level. Maybe a little more than half a quart down. I shut off the engine, and topped off the fluid. I started it again, and it engaged in all gear positions. Whew, I was thinking. Surprised being just that low would cause such odd problems. Not so lucky.
This morning, I get in and head off to work. 1/4 mile down the road, it disengages again. I pull over, shut it off, & think for a few minutes. try starting it again, it engages solidly. I turn around, head for the driveway, it disengages again. I coast home, switch vehicles and go to work.
Upon returning home, after reading for hours here, I try a few things for clarity. I can find no fluid in any vacuum lines. I can start the engine, cold or hot, and it will solidly engage, in any gear, forward or reverse, no apparent slipping for about 10 seconds, then, it is like I put it into neutral. It wont go in any gear. If I shut it off for 2 minutes, it will engage again, cold, or hot.
For awhile my reading was making me think throttle position sensor, as it can cause torque converter lock up issues. But, then, I read that other than not releasing, that should only be a problem at speed, and even if all electronics were disconnected, the vehicle should move.
Other than that, it is almost as if the tranny runs out of fluid in the pan after 10 seconds, then, it takes at least 2 minutes for enough of it to run back down to the pan to engage again. If I were out of fluid maybe, but, it is still full.
Could it be the dirty filter? Hard to reason it, but I need to change it anyway, as long as I am not just wasting my time & money if it is a bigger problem.
In the 2 months I have had this vehicle, the tranny has not slipped at all, and that is like 6 months driving for most, so, I just have a hunch that it is a good tranny, with some other issue.
Any thoughts?