2004 Explorer Transmission Issues

[high_speed]

So I bought this 2004 Ford Explorer 4x4 4.0 about 14 days ago. Yes...14 days ago from today.

I'll be the first to admit, I don't know much about mechanics. I never had a father figure growing up to teach me anything about them, and I was always a computer geek growing up. But since I started driving years ago, I've tried my damndest in my adulthood to learn what I can. Unfortunately...I'm still lacking the mechanical know how....

I bought this truck 14 days ago, literally. I actually sold a Ford Mustang and was in the market for something bigger so that I could haul my wife and kids when needed. I found this sharp looking 2004 Ford Explorer with 102k miles on it. I looked it over as best I knew how and test drove it. Everything seemed to appear and drive fine as best I could tell. I did pay special attention to how it seemed to shift, but I honestly didn't notice anything out of the ordinary (albeit I was used to driving the manual transmission mustang for years, perhaps I had forgotten what an automatic is supposed to feel like when shifting?). Anyway, I basically bought it with the money I got from the mustang, even though it was about 5 years newer with less miles. I thought I was getting a pretty good deal. Of course, it was used and "as-is."

So last night I'm on my commute home. I was on the Interstate with the cruise control on about 73mph and was just cruising along real smooth. All of a sudden I felt this really hard jerk (almost like something caught really hard somewhere in the driveline) but then it continued to cruise. The RPMs didn't rev, nothing. No lights. I was immediately concerned, but figured since nothing else seemed out of the ordinary I would just see what happened when I got off the Interstate about another mile up the road. When I came to a stop I eased out again to pull off the ramp and noticed the RPMs going up to almost 4k rpm before it would shift out of 1st gear. I pulled into a gas station and got out. I looked under it to see if there were any leaks (I guess I was looking for transmission fluid). I noticed none. So, after pondering for a few minutes, I decided to make the drive on to my house about 5 miles from there.

I got in it, and it seemed to go into reverse fine. I backed out, and it seemed to go into drive fine. But of course, when I pulled out, it acted like it didn't want to go out of first gear, but it finally did. It then did the same thing as it went through 2nd gear and eventually into 3rd. But...I don't think (from what I could tell) it ever went into overdrive. I then noticed as I got going down the road toward my house that the o/d (overdrive) light was flashing.

I parked it in my driveway and...well I really don't know what to do. It literally lasted 13 days after I bought it. Of course, I bought it as-is so I'm assuming the dealership I bought it from is probably going to tell me tough luck, right?

Aside from that...where do I start? Do I just take it to a transmission shop? I have a good general mechanic that has always done me right, but I'm not sure he's a "transmission guy." I'm assuming if it take it to a local Ford Dealership they are going to charge me an arm and a leg, right?

Can anyone tell me where to start here? I feel like such a fool.

 

[jamesyarbrough]

Just get it rebuilt. Those trannies have lots of issues. A good trans shop will fix em all and rebuild it for $1800 installed.

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

you can start by having the tranny fluid and filter changed. that corrected my transmission problems, but it's not always the case.

most likely a servo bore problem which is the most common problem i have found with the transmission. there is a fix of sorts with an o-ring servo kit, many members have had success with the fix. i will grab the link in a second.

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

http://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/

 

[high_speed]

Okay, thanks for the information. I guess I'll try to find a transmission shop around here and take it to them. I'll print off all the information about the servo bore fix from that site and discuss with them.

Does anybody know what it should cost to do a rebuild on these? Is that $1800 really accurate? And, if rebuilt...is the transmission made stronger than original? Just trying to figure out if I have a complete rebuild done how long that's going to last or if I just need to get out of the Explorer all together.


Also: Would it be safe to drive it real easy down to the parts store (approximately 6 miles one way) and back to check the computer for any diagnostic codes?

 

[mikey4563]

Okay, thanks for the information. I guess I'll try to find a transmission shop around here and take it to them. I'll print off all the information about the servo bore fix from that site and discuss with them.

Does anybody know what it should cost to do a rebuild on these? Is that $1800 really accurate? And, if rebuilt...is the transmission made stronger than original? Just trying to figure out if I have a complete rebuild done how long that's going to last or if I just need to get out of the Explorer all together.


Also: Would it be safe to drive it real easy down to the parts store (approximately 6 miles one way) and back to check the computer for any diagnostic codes?

it really depends if on how bad your tranny is and if it needs more parts than usual. but 1800 or a little bit more is usually the most common price ive heard. As for driving it to the parts store, just to play it safe I would just have whatever shop you take it to check the codes. Before I had my tranny rebuilt it was doing the same thing where it would have trouble going into first but eventually would. One day on the way to work it started having trouble again and I figured oh well it will just shift into first in a second here... it didnt. tranny went out and I was stuck in the middle of a busy intersection in rush hour traffic. Car wouldnt move at all. So I personally wouldnt risk it

 

[jamesyarbrough]

Yeah the $1800 is accurate, at least where I live. Thats including fixing the valve body issues so it will cycle fluid all the time and sleeving the servo bores.

I am waiting till mine starts slipping to get it done. I have 130k on it now and its had shift flare and other problems since I got it. I just changed the fluid and added lucas transmission fix. Its still going and its actually a little better now. Lucas is worth the ten bucks! Im hoping to get it to 150k before I have it rebuilt

 

[D Hook]

You might want to give the dealer a call and see what they say. Sometimes they'll be stand-up about it agree to give a free check of the tranny and at least diagnose the problem for free. That's been my experience anyway. I had a problem with my 4x4 kicking in right after I bought the truck and took it back, expecting just a brush-off but instead they diagonosed for free, found the worn tires were causing the problem and gave me 50% off a new set of tires.

They know the old axiom: One safisfied customer will tell 1 other person. One unsatisfied will tell 10 others.

 

[Exproblems]

Aside from that...where do I start? Do I just take it to a transmission shop? I have a good general mechanic that has always done me right, but I'm not sure he's a "transmission guy." I'm assuming if it take it to a local Ford Dealership they are going to charge me an arm and a leg, right?

Can anyone tell me where to start here? I feel like such a fool.

You can try the cheaper fix first, and that would be having the tranny pan fluid and filter changed and see if it helps or buys you some time. There are posts in here on how to do that. Try to have the tranny warning codes read with a scanner to find out what part of the tranny is causing the codes. Parts stores can read check engine codes for you for free, but I'm not sure if they can read the tranny codes as well with their scanners. Tranny shops can definately read the codes with their scanners. Don't take it to Ford for a tranny rebuild, they will rape your wallet. If a rebuild tranny is needed, have it done by a reputable tranny repair shop. It will cost less there than taking it to Ford. Good luck!

 

[high_speed]

Well I dropped it off with a transmission shop this morning, and he said from what I described to him that it sounded like a rebuild job. He estimated it "around $1600-1800."

I mentioned the servo bore fix, and he said that was only a temporary band-aid, so to speak. Said part of his rebuild for these is to bore out the cylinder and put a sleeve inside it before replacing the servo bore.

He's supposed to get back to me if turns out to be something simpler, but he said the jerking I felt is usually the breaking/cracking of the servo bore or worse.

Does this sound on par with everyone else? I don't even know if we can come up with $1800 right now until we get our tax return.

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

that is probably what happened to your servo piston.

 

[high_speed]

Great, so I'm assuming it's not as easy as just replacing that broken part? I still need to do a full rebuild?

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

proper way would be to sleeve the bores, but i just put the new part in since there wasn't any play in the bore and it looked normal. i haven't put it in the vehicle.

 

[mall]

proper way would be to sleeve the bores, but i just put the new part in since there wasn't any play in the bore and it looked normal. i haven't put it in the vehicle.

Can the servos cause complete failure of the transmission...no forward...no reverse? Or am I looking for something else?

 

[high_speed]

Well I guess part of the "rebuild" includes "sleeving the bore."

Interesting enough, I called the dealership on Saturday and was basically told (paraphrasing of course), "Sorry about your luck. That's the risk you take when you buy used." So, I posted a negative, but perfectly honest review of the dealership on cars.com. It was approved this afternoon, and I got an email from cars.com that it was now displaying on their dealer profile. Within 30 minutes, my cell phone starts ringing off the hook. Of course, I couldn't take the call because I'm at work, and I was actually on a call with a customer at the time. But the salesman from the dealer tried calling my cell a few times before finally leaving me a voice-mail saying that he didn't appreciate the negative review and that he wanted to discuss this with me. I guess I'll call him here in a bit and see what he has to say. He sounded really angry in his voicemail....

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

reviews are needed to spread the word for situations like this and when good.

 

[high_speed]

Well just a bump, I spoke to the dealer the other night where I bought it, and they were extremely upset that I left them a negative review (I was perfectly honest in it, and I even gave them 5 out of 5 stars on the "buying experience," because I really did have a pleasant experience with them at first)! I mean, I understand I bought a truck with 100k miles on it "as-is." But as clean as it was, and as good as it seemed to the best of my limited mechanical knowledge seemed like a good vehicle, it still required a complete transmission rebuild just 13 days after I drove it off their lot. I think had it lasted a month or two, I honestly would feel different. But for it to completely break down after less than two weeks, I guess I just feel like the right thing to do from a business standpoint and a moral standpoint is to at least offer a customer some help. I mean, I wasn't even asking them to fix it. I was just asking them to maybe give me a little bit of a break on when I had to pay them the remaining $1k I owed them, since if I had $2k to put into the vehicle, I probably wouldn't be owing them the remaining $1k on it. Maybe I'm in the wrong, I don't know.

But anyway, when I spoke to them, they really seemed really upset that I gave them such an honest review. They wanted to know what they could do to get me to remove my negative reviews of them from the Internet. I told them straight up that I didn't expect them to "fix it" but just to..."offer some sort of help." Honestly, at this point, if they'd said, "you know what sir, we really hate this happened, how about we give you a couple extra months to pay us what you owe us since you have to pay so much to fix the vehicle" I would have been happy as **** with that! But...again, I told them last I spoke to them to just see if they could offer me "anything," and the guy said "give me till tomorrow, and I'll call you back. We want to make this right!" I haven't heard from them since....that that was 4 days ago.

The transmission shop should be done with the rebuild any day. Here's hoping the rebuild lasts. Has anyone that's had one of these tranny's rebuilt had any further issues? The guy at the transmission shop said he'd give a 1-year warranty, but he did say that honestly the transmission should be as good as new (if not stronger, he said).

 

[D Hook]

Good as new?

Uh oh....

(kidding)

Is this a small shop or chain? I know AAMCO used to offer a lifetime warranty for an extra $250 or so but that was some years ago. If they did now, I'd take it in a heart beat.

 

[Exproblems]

I know AAMCO used to offer a lifetime warranty for an extra $250 or so but that was some years ago. If they did now, I'd take it in a heart beat.

Yes, AAMCO still offers lifetime warranties or a 3 year standard warranty.

 

[high_speed]

I live in a rather rural area. We don't have an AAMCO anywhere near here. This is a local shop.

I just got off the phone with him, and he says turns out the transmission had been replaced once before! He said the internals were in horrible shape, mostly due to "lack of lubrication" he said. He said it's all fixed up, so I'll pick it up Monday morning, I guess.