Double checking trans shop report

[ejh1959]

I've got my '04, V6 Eddie Bauer Explorer in the local tranny shop for an evaluation and service. It's been slipping every now and then during upshift and banging on some downshifts. It has 129,000 miles on it and I don't know if it's ever been serviced. (I'm not the original owner). The shop is recommending an overhaul. They report that Ford basically took a 4 speed and made it a 5 speed without adding gears through programming and controlling pressures. The case is prone to wear from the a servo board rubbing against it. They want to go to a modified case along with new clutches, seals, etc. It will end up 'better than new' with a 3 year / 50,000 mile warranty through ATRA. I believe the shop to be reputable, but the price tag is close to $4,000 total, so I'm hoping for some second opinions from experienced people. The X is in great shape otherwise and I hope to keep it for a few more years. Have any of you heard of the issues brought up by the shop? Is the price tag reasonable? Any experienced feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ed

 

[tomlando]

I have recently purchased a 97 Explorer XLT 5.0L with 130K miles. It was slipping going into O/D and I decided to have it rebuilt. I requested some extras, like all Kevlar clutches, all the recent upgrades, replacing the shift servos and electronics, Rebuilt torque converter. I also had them replace the rear main engine oil seal with a FelPro Teflon seal: being that it is only 6 bolts away after the transmission is removed. I got a 2 yr/ 24 month warranty and, with a little haggling I got a total price of $2100.00. It works flawlessly with noticeable changes to the shifts. I think the price quoted you is way out of line. I would check around for pricing if I was you. Good luck and I hope this helps.

 

[PopRichie77]

Here is my opinion, Many manufactures did the same thing as Ford did to make a 5 speed and Ford wasn't the first, this is not a problem it just makes programing more complicated. The servo pins did wear the bores in the case. Your original trans lasted over a 100,000 miles and their expensive modified trans is only warranted for 50,000, doesn't sound worth the extra money to me. The fix is to sleeve the worn bore and rebuild the trans, if the sleeve job is done properly it will last longer than the original. Another fix for the worn servo pin bore is to use a servo that has had an o-ring installed on the pin. If your unable to do any of this your self, then I would look for a shop that will do the sleeve job and rebuild for about half of the price you got. This is just my opinion others may have a different one.

 

[ejh1959]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I can't do this kind of work myself, so I definitely need pros to do it. The tranny is already out and apart, so I owe them for that and I don't want it put back together broke. I'm kinda stuck at this point. He quoted me over $2000 in parts alone for the total overhaul including torque converter. He's checking to see if they can do better for me on the labor. I'll mention the sleeve option as compared to changing out the case. Thanks again!