95 automatic trans issue

[gluciano]

95 X 4L with the auto tranny with O/D

The other day after getting off of the highway from driving 5 miles the trans started to act up. The OD light was blinking and it wouldn't want to shift out of second gear, when it would shift to third it's slip in. Shifting from 1st to 2nd was a very firm shift and from 2nd to 3rd it would hold 2nd for a while and then glide into 3rd.

I took my code reader and did an engine running scan to see if I can get codes, nothing came up and the system passed. I then drove the X around for a few miles and the trans was acting fine, shifting fine, no OD light. Again I took it on the highway for a few miles, came off of it and it began to have the problems again. What's odd is that after I put my code reader on it and test it the problem goes away.

Has anyone had a similar problem to this? Is the trans controlled by the ECM or does it have a separate computer? I really think this is a sensor issue of some kind rather than electric since the problem goes away after I try and pull codes.

 

[Svetepi4]

What was the last time(miles) you changed oil?

 

[BackyardCrawler]

my advice is... go to your local auto parts store.
and get a tans fluid cooler. i know with my 94 if
the fluid is cool it wont slip as much.
and autozone has them for $60

 

[gluciano]

I got it a few months ago and it has 127k on it, it had 125k on it. As far as it looks like it has never had a fluid change. It's a bit on the brownish side. It has a trans cooler on it already, looks factory installed, from how it looks..

 

[daisyrocky]

If I were you I'll just do a filter and oil change instead of a flush on my opinion. See my posts, I did a flushed and now ended up with another tranny. I had 98000 miles on mine and did a flush and added a tranny cooler and all hell broke loose. The OD started flashing after a 3 miles run and start clunking after coming to a stop, it got worse day by day. I think the flush loosen up all the gunk in the tranny and started clogging up everything inside. Good thing I have another Explorer to use now that one is laying in the carport till I put in this tranny I picked up today. Just my opinion and don't want it happen to others what it did for me.

 

[timn8er]

my 96 has the same issue. now its does it anytime when i drive. I have to let of the gas for it to go into 3rd, been doing this for over 8 months. My 95 had the same issue and i had the trans rebuilt. now it feels like my rearend is slipping on the 95. sigh..

 

[Bern]

How in the world can your rear-end be slipping...unless you're talking about your pants!

 

[gluciano]

I don't know, I just don't think a fluid change will do much. It really seems to be electric or something like a sensor. The trans will do it when it's cold as well. I drove it on the highway and it started to have the issue. I let it sit for a few hours and it did the same thing. It only worked fine after I put the code reader on, which the system says pass..

 

[gluciano]

One more thing that I want to add which I just remembered which I found odd is that when I was coming down to a stop which that trans issue I noticed that at about 15mph you can feel a downshift. What is very odd that is that I feel the brake peddle pulsate, like the ABS freaks out for a moment.

 

[Bern]

One thing to keep in mind about code readers is that the cheap ones will not read tranny codes. Having said that, if your OD light is not flashing, then you likely have no tranny codes.