1996 Explorer-Auto Trans trouble

[fransmustang69]

Re build kit installed and all electronics plugged in. Drove about one mile to autzone and everything worked. Shifts were good and no slippage. Bought some unrelated stuff and decided to have them plug their code reader in as engine light was on. After pulling 11 codes they cleared the codes from the Explorer so that the engine light would go off. Pulled out of the parking lot and tranny would not shift properly, slipped between shifts and had to let off gas to allow it to upshift. After a few miles it would not shift out of low gear at all even if you let up on gas pedaal. Crawled underneath and unplugged blue colored plastic plug (12 to 18 pin ) and now vehicle starts out in second and shifts to third and overdrive fine but has no low gear no matter where shift selector is positioned. Reverse works fine. Could plugging in the code reader create this problem? And how do I fix? Removed pan and everything looks ok.

 

[imp]

Re build kit installed and all electronics plugged in. Drove about one mile to autzone and everything worked. Shifts were good and no slippage. Bought some unrelated stuff and decided to have them plug their code reader in as engine light was on. After pulling 11 codes they cleared the codes from the Explorer so that the engine light would go off. Pulled out of the parking lot and tranny would not shift properly, slipped between shifts and had to let off gas to allow it to upshift. After a few miles it would not shift out of low gear at all even if you let up on gas pedaal. Crawled underneath and unplugged blue colored plastic plug (12 to 18 pin ) and now vehicle starts out in second and shifts to third and overdrive fine but has no low gear no matter where shift selector is positioned. Reverse works fine. Could plugging in the code reader create this problem? And how do I fix? Removed pan and everything looks ok.

Was the trans. completely disassembled? What-all was in the "rebuild kit"? It sounds as though, and this is only my wild-assed guess, that if it was disassembled, some locating part, possibly a snap-ring, has broken, worked loose, or was not seated fully, allowing lateral shift of parts, which could obscure fluid delivery holes, causing symptoms like described. Note that it worked properly for a time, while things were going hay-wire internally. imp

EDIT: If plugging in a code-reader could cause this, there would right now be thousands of really P.O.'d users of code-readers! So, no, it couldn't.

 

[fransmustang69]

96 Explorer 4wd, trans problems

Thankyou for your very reasonable response. The rebuild kit had 2 bands, new clutches and gaskets. Installed all the kit parts that were for that tranny so yes it was all apart.

 

[PopRichie77]

I would say you need to fix the engine problems, resetting the computer caused the engine problems to come back up. The computer uses information from the engine sensors for it to shift correctly. For some engine problems the computer will use a programed in value so that the engine will run, The programed in value was probably ok for it to make the shifts correctly. This is my opinion from what I have read and the fact that it worked ok untill the computer codes were removed. (imp) could also be right but fixing the engine should be done anyway.

 

[imp]

I would say you need to fix the engine problems, resetting the computer caused the engine problems to come back up. The computer uses information from the engine sensors for it to shift correctly. For some engine problems the computer will use a programed in value so that the engine will run, The programed in value was probably ok for it to make the shifts correctly. This is my opinion from what I have read and the fact that it worked ok untill the computer codes were removed. (imp) could also be right but fixing the engine should be done anyway.

The problem I have with what you're saying, and I could be wrong, is this: the computer stored codes because it detected "faults" which should not have been there. Those faults might have been generated before or after the trans. rebuild, so, if they were generated after the rebuild, and something was detected amiss in the transmission, how could it have functioned properly during the drive to the store?

IOW, I feel clearing codes does not "reset" the computer, as such, because if a fault has caused it to enter a different operating "strategy", will it not continue in that strategy until the fault(s) is corrected? I could be wrong, but I THINK deleting the DTC only shuts off the MIL, if the faults are still present and get immediately detected again. imp

Edit: Could be I still got a lot to learn about this ****!!

 

[PopRichie77]

Using a code reader or disconnecting the battery removes all codes and sensor readings it resets the computer. All OB codes and DTC codes are removed and sensors. The computer has to relearn and pick up all engine sensors. It may require more than one drive trip (cycle) before it sets a fault code and uses the programed value. Not all sensors have programed values for substitution.