jseabolt
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- July 12, 2009
- Messages
- 232
- Reaction score
- 5
- City, State
- Kingsport, Tennessee
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2006 Explorer Limted V8
I’ve been reading about all these transmission problems on the web on. I bought my 96 used and stopped by the dealer and asked them to print me off a service record of work that had been done. Nothing was related to the transmission. So I am assuming it’s got the original transmission with 85,000 miles on it. Am I lucky? Or am I driving a time bomb?
So far the only thing that stands out was a coolant leak at 60K miles which required a second trip to the dealer less than 1000 miles later. Unfortunately the service record was not very specific as to what the leak was all about.
OH here’s an update on that. Awhile back I noticed it was leaking when parked but didn’t seem to lose any coolant on the trip to Philly and back (about 1200 mile trip). So I crawled underneath it and found coolant below both exhaust manifolds. So I figured it might be the head gaskets leaking when the engine cools down then seals itself off when warm. Since there was no oil and antifreeze mixing (not blown) I tried some coolant stop leak. The tube that contains a trace amount of sodium silicate. Not the Barrs stop leak or block sealer. So far so good. I’ve used this stuff in the past with good results. Not a sure fire fix for a blown head gasket but great for minor leaks.
Getting back to the transmission. Mine is the 5 liter with all wheel drive. Since the 5 speed was not an option on this model, is it theoretically possible to install a 5 speed transmission and keep the all wheel drive system? Has anyone ever done it?
After owning my all wheel drive Subaru, I’m a big fan of all wheel drive. It would rape the crap out of my previous 94 Jeep Wrangler when it came to driving on slush and ice.
I’m not going to swap out transmissions unless I have to but if this is a chronic problem with this vehicle, is swapping over to a 5 speed an option? I know they put 5 speeds in the 4.0 liter models but don’t think they had all wheel drive.
Although I’d really like to keep it an automatic simply because my wife refuses to learn how to drive a stick. I’ve offered to teach her but she says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. HUH, I’ve taught my nine year old Pit bull terrier how to sit, lay down and roll over….
I read the 5 liter Explorer uses the same transmission has the F-150 pickup. But would the transfer case link up to the transmission? I know I’d need a donor vehicle. Like the foot pedals from a stick shift Explorer.
I haven’t looked too closely at the system under the vehicle to see how it’s arranged. Someone help me understand how this system works.
So far the only thing that stands out was a coolant leak at 60K miles which required a second trip to the dealer less than 1000 miles later. Unfortunately the service record was not very specific as to what the leak was all about.
OH here’s an update on that. Awhile back I noticed it was leaking when parked but didn’t seem to lose any coolant on the trip to Philly and back (about 1200 mile trip). So I crawled underneath it and found coolant below both exhaust manifolds. So I figured it might be the head gaskets leaking when the engine cools down then seals itself off when warm. Since there was no oil and antifreeze mixing (not blown) I tried some coolant stop leak. The tube that contains a trace amount of sodium silicate. Not the Barrs stop leak or block sealer. So far so good. I’ve used this stuff in the past with good results. Not a sure fire fix for a blown head gasket but great for minor leaks.
Getting back to the transmission. Mine is the 5 liter with all wheel drive. Since the 5 speed was not an option on this model, is it theoretically possible to install a 5 speed transmission and keep the all wheel drive system? Has anyone ever done it?
After owning my all wheel drive Subaru, I’m a big fan of all wheel drive. It would rape the crap out of my previous 94 Jeep Wrangler when it came to driving on slush and ice.
I’m not going to swap out transmissions unless I have to but if this is a chronic problem with this vehicle, is swapping over to a 5 speed an option? I know they put 5 speeds in the 4.0 liter models but don’t think they had all wheel drive.
Although I’d really like to keep it an automatic simply because my wife refuses to learn how to drive a stick. I’ve offered to teach her but she says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. HUH, I’ve taught my nine year old Pit bull terrier how to sit, lay down and roll over….
I read the 5 liter Explorer uses the same transmission has the F-150 pickup. But would the transfer case link up to the transmission? I know I’d need a donor vehicle. Like the foot pedals from a stick shift Explorer.
I haven’t looked too closely at the system under the vehicle to see how it’s arranged. Someone help me understand how this system works.
