2002 XLT transmission problem

[arwcrk]

Hello everyone................Newbie here. I recently purchased a 2002 xlt with 95,000 miles on it. It drove great and is in really great shape, however i have been having tranny problems that no one, not even the ford dealer, can seem to diagnose, let alone fix. The problem: after leaving the dealer and driving about 20 miles, the o.d. light in the dash started flashing and I could watch the rpm's flucuate up and down while the tranny tried to decide what ratio to pick. Turning the od off stopped the problem..........but when under hard acceleration the engine would rev all the way up ( I let off the gas at about 5,000 rpm so the motor wouldn't blow) and not shift right. When that happened, i let off the gas which then allowed the tranny to shift, kinda like a manual tranny minus a clutch. When running on flat, level ground with the od on, it continually hunts for the right ratio which in turn causes the od light to flash, so i drive it with the od off. When pulling a grade, and when the tranny down shifts, od on or off, i notice a slight vibration or shuddering which seems to be coming from the tranny. The transmission shop hooked a code reader up to check things out and...................with the reader connected, and putting the shifter in low, or 1, the readout on the meter said the selector was in reverse, and we subsequently never could get the two on the same sheet of music. The selector unit on the tranny was replaced but the readout was the same; put the selector in reverse, the readout on the scanner said 2nd, and so on. The fluid was checked and was clean with no sign or noticable odor of burnt fluid. When the tranny is cold, (first start up and drive), the tranny seems to shift a lot better, but as it gets warm it starts having problems. Two codes were obtained after resetting and they were: insuffcient egr flow, and incorrect transmission input(?) or ratio. Is this a problem within the tranny itself, or could it be a sensor or something? I, as with a lot of us out here, do not have $2500 to replace the tranny with a reman one, nor do any of the wrecking yards here have one, so I am hoping someone out there might have some suggestions about trouble shooting the computer and electrical aspects, as that is what seems to be producing the problem.......the selector switch and the computer aren't playing the same song together. I really like this explorer even after replacing one half-shaft in the front and one hub and bearing in the rear. I am fortunate to be reasonably mechanically inclined and did the work myself and saved about $600 in labor alone; The design of the component's made these two task's quite easy (so it seemed) for me to do in the "back yard". Has anyone heard or expirienced a similar tranny problem? I need some help on this one. I think this is an excellant web site and I have found a lot of information here about the problems I was having with a 92 explorer I had before this one, and wish I had found this site then...........oh well. Help!

 

[jobunn]

I recently purchased a 2002 xlt with 95,000 miles on it.

Wow!! That's a lot of miles per year. Any warranty?

Is that the new sealed 5r55w tranny or the 5r55e?

I and others here have had plenty of issues with the 5r55e tranny. But I see very little (so far) on the new sealed unit.

 

[arwcrk]

Yes......quite a few miles per year and no warrenty. I believe I have the 5r55e sealed tranny. It seems to me that perhaps a sensor is at fault due to the scanner reader not showing the correct gear selection. Thanks for the reply

 

[Rangerboy]

The OD light fashing is suposed to be an indication (kinda like the check engine light) that there is a problem with the trany or the computer. The dealer should be able to plug into the onboard computer and tell you whats wrong.

 

[arwcrk]

Well..............I did the brown wire mod to my 02, and that has helped a great deal with the problem i was having with my tranny. The vibration and shudder appears to have been due to the auto 4x4 trying to kick in and out, which caused the od to search for a ratio, which then caused the od light to flash. I still have a problem, but running in two wheel drive has eliminated the shake and shudder. My 4x4 seems to work fine regardless, with no unusual noises. I have 114,000 miles on it, and so far I have only had to replace the left front half-shaft and the right rear hub and wheel bearing and brake pads..........Pretty happy so far. Arrow Creek

 

[arwcrk]

If I manually shift the tranny, taking her up to around 4000 rpm, letting off the gas momentarily right at shift, then get back into the throttle again like one would do with a stick shift, the tranny seems to work good, feeling each shift......but when in D the tranny acts funny. Any ideas on where the problem might be, like the modulator, etc? Thanks, Cary

 

[robbiey`9]

Where can you find out if your tranny is the w or the e? I just bought a 2002 explorer and would like to know if I'm in for potential problems. Thanks for your help.

 

[arwcrk]

The automatic tranny identification label is attached with a bolt usually on the tranny extension housing and on the left or right side of the manual trannies. As stated above, doing the brown wire mod to totally turn off the front half of the 4x4 was a great one........I would suggest doing it, especially if your xlt has low miles. I think it would give the whole system a longer life and wonder why ford didn't have it as factory option. The air box mod (drilling holes) for us poor folks is another good mod. I have noticed increased throttle response and better mileage......Will be installing a flowmaster exhaust hopefully soon. Using the search function works well. Later, Cary