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Stuart, I had a very similair experience, almost to the letter, with my 97 Explorer with 5r55e. I had the 4.0 SOHC with auto, 4hi and 4 lo. My problem ended up being mismatched tires on front compared to rear. It would cause the transfer case to hiccup as I came close to but not dropping out...

A-pillar has moved? Is that the reason for the door being out with a one inch gap when closed? The latch catches fine but the top does not line up at all. The guy that towed it has a body shop and says that can be lasered and pulled but since I am footing the bill I have a feeling that will...

Hey Iamtodd. Yep, she seems to be fine. She took a knock to the head on the front roof pillar. Had her belt on buy huge knot over her eye last night and today it has gone down and she has a black eye. I will let the guy check it over for frame damage and then I guess part it out...

Wife was at fault though the lady was clearly speeding. Thus, I have to pay for repairs or decide to sell it to yard or part out. I am thinking I could find suspension parts for left side pretty cheap and I have air tools, etc and could fix the mechanical parts. That door is a different story...

Well, Wife called yesterday. Seems she was parked in front of house and went to pull onto road and some lady in Rav 4 was coming down street and hit the left front wheel. Pretty bad left front suspension damage and the left fender is shot. Front diff is not leaking so half shaft did not get...

Hi all, I have searched and have not found anything solid. I have a 98 Explorer with the 4.0 SOHC. 5r55e tranny. Rebuilt about 25k miles ago. This weekend I was staying in a cabin on a mountain and the first day shifting to 1 worked fine, great engine braking, etc. Day 2 I drop it into 1...

Hey, Thanks for the reply. Mine is the same way, braking in 2 but none in 1. I drove 150 miles home on it with no light, etc. Shifts fine. I need to replace my rear transfer case seal and change my spark plugs in the next few months so I will probably tackle it then. Fluid is due for a...

Hoppy, Did the valve gasket take care of your no 1st gear braking problem? I just discovered I have the same problem on my 98 Explorer this weekend while staying in a cabin a mile up on the side of a mountain. First day there all was fine, yesterday went to put it in 1 and no braking. I had...

Well, my parts arrived from Karl very quickly I might add. Great deal and excellent quality. Put a new thermostat in and O ring for water output assembly and the thermostat cover. Put new manifold gasket on upper and lower intake and it runs great. Backflushed and refilled with coolant and...

Final answer is they do and it stinks!!! $206 part from the dealer and no aftermarket. Seems the leak develops when the brass bushing strips from the plastic housing as you try to remove the ECT sensor or coolant temp. sensor. There are two on the housing, one for the gauge and one for the...

I certainly will let you know how it turns out. I ordered the part from Karl last week and my paypal payment should clear tomorrow ( screwed up and used bank account instead of CC). As soon as I get the part from him and a new O ring for where the lower assembly meets the block (Does Karl have...

well, I am taking another car to go out of town. Cancelled my dealer part order for $206 and got a great deal from Karl. Semmed like the most logical way to go. Thanks for the tips guys. Rob

definetly need it. Tell me how to get payment to you. email- robrike@rdskpt.com Thanks, Rob

I have gone ahead and ordered a new wateroutput assembly. The brass or copper threads that the sensors screw into are in a bushing or something that is bonded to the plastic thermostat housing (lower) and I could try plastic weld or something but opted to use my Christmas work bonus :( to buy...

410explorer, you are right about the dealer. Both dealers here want $200ish for the part. It was leaking around the sensor but it was where the copper threaded portion the sensor srews into meets the plastic. Like the threaded portion had dislodged from the bond with the plastic. I will...

I am leary of the JB Weld though tempted to try it. Had to pull the upper and lower manifold to get that thing off so I hate to do it again in the near future if the jb does not hold. I just hate to buy it from the dealer after this fiasco. Hoping to find it online somewhere. I have another...

Hate to post here with this but the Explorer is out of commision and my wife is on me to have ti running by Friday for a 250 mile trip. The thermostat housing that has the 2 sensors and a heater hose going to it has a loose bushing on one of the sensors that is leaking. Dealer order a new one...

anyone know a part number or source online for this part? Just got my "part" in from the dealer and it is totally the wrong part and they gave me some line about Ford parts system numbers being cruddy. Mine is a 98 XLT with 4.0 SOHC and it is the plastic housing that the thermostat goes in and...

Finally got around to pulling the lower thermostat housing off today. The bushing for the sensor on the left side of the housing is stripped/screwed/trashed/slightly dislodged. I suspect that is where the leak was and when I tried to unscrew it I may have stripped it more. The plastic under...

Hey, I appreciate the reply. I think I will go ahead and pull the housing and check everything out. There are a couple of wires in the way that will probably prove to be the hardest part of removing it but it looks like 3 bolts after the 3 for the thermostat top are out. I will check it...

Hey Bill, Yes, the EPC was replaced after the rebuild as there was still a 2-3 flare the tech was not happy with. He put a new EPC in and all was well till this downshift problem started. Rob

Hi, 98 XLT SOHC V-6 Kind of an emergency, need to get this on the road ASAP. Car was leaking coolant in the thermostat vicinity so I pulled the upper intake, drained the coolant and pulled the thermostat to replace the O ring. I did this about 18 months ago also. With the stat out and top...

I had my original rebuilt locally in Tennessee. Had 206K on original. Cannot complain but in the last few months the harsh downshift has started. The rebuilder offered 12/12,000 warranty and it is almost up so I want themt o fix it ASAP. My ABS does not kick in but I do get a jolt around 25...

No, that is the weird thing. There is no CEL or overdrive flashing, all seems well. When going from r to d or the otherway around my rpms are usually in the 700 to 800 range. Now that I think about it, when going from park to reverse it tends to clunk. Almost like a bad u-joint but if I give...

Hi all, I had the 5r55e rebuilt last year on my 98 XLT with v-6 SOHC. Came with 12 month 12k mile warranty. Warranty has about run out and I have a intermitent harsh or abrupt 3-2 and 2-1 downshift. It is sporadic and no obvious culprits such as cold or hot, etc. I am taking it in Tuesday...

Glad to help No problem. I hope that helps him out. I thought I might have to ask for the same thing when I was doing mine but my template worked. The info could be handy though. I think with that diagram and your diary Chris there is not another ounce of info available. :) Rob

Bolt Placement I am attaching a photo listing the bolt sizes and their respective placement in the VB. Hope this helps. Rob 98 Explorer XLT

Well, I went ahead and threw the additive in there. The transmission calls for Mercon V and I find it hard to believe a soft rebuild with a new TC and a couple of bands and a planetary gear could allow it to switch to III. Additive is in and my mind is now at ease. Thanks for the link to the...

Chris, I picked up a bottle of Lubegard Green today at CarQuest. I am going to add it to the transmission in the morning. Thanks for that suggestion. I think the Mercon III in there is a "no,no." Am I correct to assume that Mercon V can be used in trannies that call for III but that III...

Chris, I was wondering about the fluid. Thanks for the post. They warranty the transmission as long as I don't open it up, otherwise I void the warranty. No way for me to drain and refill but there is nothing wrong with adding a bottle of something. ;) I will go look for some today...

Hey BrooklynBay. I did not get a chance to photo that as it was all put back together when I got to the shop. I did the VB work here before I decided a rebuild was needed and as I recall I don't think the doulbe lip seal having a specific orientation. I could be wrong though. The shop did...

Well, after $1522.00 I got the car back. Runs pretty good though I still feel a tiny flare on the 3-4 now. Also when it goes out of overdrive back to 4 on inclines under load it downshifts and the rpm goes up, then for about a second it goes a little higher and then settles in. I will drive...

I would go ahead and do both. Since you are already in there if you do either, hit them both at the same time. The VB is not going to cost much at all for the gasket and upgrade, maybe $30. The EPC can be purchased for $112 online or you can learn the hard way like I did today and let the...

follow up Well, I did the valve body mod with much thanks to Chris for his support. I did the Ford TSB and the Superior shift kit but I still have the same results. Bummer! 206k miles though, not too bad for having the first rebuild. $950 for a rebuild barring no hard parts. They don't...

Bryan, I may have been the guy you refered to about the two different size tires. Mine is a 98 XLT and my shudder came in under half to 3/4 throttle at speeds above 50mph. It was happening as the tranny was trying to decide to shift out of OD to 4th. Mine has the Auto/4hi/4lo switch and was...

I feel like such a big boy. I dove in and took the plunge late this afternoon. I am going to pull the pan and valve body myself (thanks for the confidence boost from Chris) and replace the Ford TSB parts and put in the Superior kit. I managed to get the Cat off thus far and that may have been...

I had a similiar problem on a 98 XLT with the auto, 4 high, 4 low selector. Does yours have that or is it 2h, 4h, 4l? Point is, mine would shudder under light load on overdrive to downshift and I replaced transfer case, all sensors to the Transfer case etc and no fix. Turns out I had two...

Thanks for all the responses. I will definelty give the VB a try. I will with the Superior Kit and a new EPC solenoid as well as the Ford parts. If it becomes necessary to rebuild this puppy I will take as many pics as possible. Just out of curiosity Glacier, which seals on the solenoids...

Sounds like sound advice. I will get the EPC valve and the Superior or Transgo kit and assorted items. I will rebuild the Valve body and see if that solves it. Never had any harsh use. I will also get the Sonnox boost valve too. I will check for a list of parts to replace in the diary. I...

Thanks for the response Thanks for the info. I was thinking along the same lines. I have a guy who will replace the clutch packs, etc. I would probably order the parts you suggest in the diary and rebuild the valve body while he works on other items. Fantastic write up, absolutely perfect...