rotordoc
New Member
- Joined
- January 21, 2009
- Messages
- 1
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- City, State
- american working in the balkans
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '96 xlt
hi Guys. I'm new to the site, registered and logged in to get some help with a problem. wrote a fairly long post to give some background, but when I tried to submit I guess I fouled it up, and lost everything. Don't want to rewrite all that, so I'll summarize.
I'm a U.S. Army contractor in Kosovo, I've got an otherwise clean and well maintained '96 Explorer engine runs like a sewing machine, but a really sick tranny. My research into it indicates basically worn out forward clutch plate, although I can't be 100% sure. I don't have the time or resources to tinker around with it, so if I'm going to salvage the vehicle, I've pretty well decided that I'll need a thourough overhaul. Getting it done in Kosovo aint gonna happen, automotive repair here is extremely primitive. what it looks like I'll have to do is pull the tranny and take it down to Macedonia or up to Belgrade. I plan to buy the parts from stateside and provide them to whatever shop I decide to have do the work.
so anyway, here's the couple questions I got. The rebuild kits that I see advertised basically have a set of clutch plates and a handful of gaskets, seals and such. however, as I've done my research, I've seen references to problems with valve body malfunctions/leakage, problems with sensors and actuating solenoids, etc. What should I get to ensure that I don't have to revisit the guts of this thing again in the near future, and what do I need to ensure is done labor wise to make sure that I get a quality product. Secondly, I've had a couple of guys that are supposedly in the know tell me that the overhaul of this machine is complex and requires some super special tooling to accomplish, so what do you think the chances are of an other wise reputable shop biting off more than they can chew do to a lack of equipment? bear in mind that automatic transmissions still are not that common in europe, and certainly not here in the Balkans.
I really like the truck and would hate to junk it, but as it stands it's not much more useful than a wheeled flowerpot (although I still drive it around town a little bit). on the other hand, I don't want to get trapped by a money/time/frustration black hole. Any advice you guys could give me to help me make an informed decision would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I see that one of our forum gurus is from Sacramento, I was born and raised in the Wilton/sheldon/Elk Grove area, But I haven't been back there in more than thirty years. I still get homesick every once in a while. anyway, thanks.
John
I'm a U.S. Army contractor in Kosovo, I've got an otherwise clean and well maintained '96 Explorer engine runs like a sewing machine, but a really sick tranny. My research into it indicates basically worn out forward clutch plate, although I can't be 100% sure. I don't have the time or resources to tinker around with it, so if I'm going to salvage the vehicle, I've pretty well decided that I'll need a thourough overhaul. Getting it done in Kosovo aint gonna happen, automotive repair here is extremely primitive. what it looks like I'll have to do is pull the tranny and take it down to Macedonia or up to Belgrade. I plan to buy the parts from stateside and provide them to whatever shop I decide to have do the work.
so anyway, here's the couple questions I got. The rebuild kits that I see advertised basically have a set of clutch plates and a handful of gaskets, seals and such. however, as I've done my research, I've seen references to problems with valve body malfunctions/leakage, problems with sensors and actuating solenoids, etc. What should I get to ensure that I don't have to revisit the guts of this thing again in the near future, and what do I need to ensure is done labor wise to make sure that I get a quality product. Secondly, I've had a couple of guys that are supposedly in the know tell me that the overhaul of this machine is complex and requires some super special tooling to accomplish, so what do you think the chances are of an other wise reputable shop biting off more than they can chew do to a lack of equipment? bear in mind that automatic transmissions still are not that common in europe, and certainly not here in the Balkans.
I really like the truck and would hate to junk it, but as it stands it's not much more useful than a wheeled flowerpot (although I still drive it around town a little bit). on the other hand, I don't want to get trapped by a money/time/frustration black hole. Any advice you guys could give me to help me make an informed decision would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I see that one of our forum gurus is from Sacramento, I was born and raised in the Wilton/sheldon/Elk Grove area, But I haven't been back there in more than thirty years. I still get homesick every once in a while. anyway, thanks.
John
