94 Explorer A4LD 1 to 2 shift problem

[markosaurus]

Hey gang, I just joined today and must say i'm impressed witht the wealth of knowledge that is represented here! I have a question. I have a 94 Explorer that I bought new and have gone to great lengths to keep it in top shape. I had to change out the radiator recently and ever since i did, I have had a problem with it not shifting from 1st to 2nd. After it runs for about 5 minutes it will shift just fine and continues to shift fine until I let it set overnight. Then the problem reoccurs. Any suggestions?

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome marko

 

[Four0Sport]

i had the same problem occur on my first explorer, a 1991. it would not shift past 1st when you put it in Drive in the mornings, you could manually shift from 1 to 2, but when you put it in drive it would go back to 1st, not 3rd. honestly.. i was selling the truck, so i thought hey ill throw in some lucas trans slip! well for some reason it worked, i mustve gotten lucky.

now.. after joining this site and reading up on all the great informative posts I re-diagnosed the problems I was having back to a faulty trans modulator. there is a vaccum line from the valve up to the intake. trace back and find the hose, check it for fluid in the line, this is a sign of a faulty modulator. the modulator can be accessed from inside the truck. there should be an access panel under the carpet on the pass side of the trans hump in the cabin. under that panel you can access the modulator valve. for more information look through the 'transmissions/differentials..' forum stickies.

 

[Dopler174]

Mine did it until I boiled the fluid out by clogging the trans cooler with mud. I replaced the fluid and it has never done it again. Service it and see if the cleaner fluid helps to clear up your shift modulator issue.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! This problem is usually caused by a sticking governor. Sometimes dirt could get caught in the governor.

 

[markosaurus]

A4LD Sticky shift from 1 to 2

I went ahead and changed the filter and fluid even though i only had 13,000 miles on this filter/oil. I was surprised at how dirty it was. Anyway it has gotten better in that now it shifts at 2500 rpm as opposed to not shifting at all. I believe i will change it again here in a few weeks and see if it gets better. If not then i will pursue cleaning the governor. Thanks for the info.

 

[BrooklynBay]

This link is # 45 in my list of useful threads: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155582

 

[markosaurus]

Well guys, it's been a few weeks and I changed the trans. oil and filter again along with welding a drain plug in the pan. The explorer is shifting with absolutely no problems now. Thanks for all the help.