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EDITED: 1994 Explorer 4wd auto slipping in 3rd and 4th

merlin12volt

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September 6, 2009
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Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Explorer XLT
Please move ahead to last post for most up to date info......


Hello all. Back again with another transmission issue. My brother recently purchased (3 weeks ago) a 1994 Explorer 4 door 4x4 with 4.0L and 100,000 miles on it. The truck has been doing fine for about 3 weeks with no real drivetrain issues.

I received a call from him that it wouldn't engage into reverse, no whining, no clunking no out of the ordinary noise; it just wouldn't engage reverse. He also told me he had no 3rd or 4th gear the whole way home and as a result drove at 30mph. He let it sit overnight, went out, fired it up and tried reverse. Reverse worked fine after the slight delay which I assume is associated with the servo leak.

I told him to take it down the road and manually shift from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th (OD). He said it shifted through all the gears fine. Once he reached his destination( about 5-10 minutes down the road) he attempted reverse and once again it wasn't there. On the way back he had no 3rd or 4th gear either.

Now I have done the searching before posting but don't seem to have this specific issue. I am thinking that it is going into limp mode? if it is even possible with this transmission? Why no reverse after warm up though? The tranny fluid, he said, is full and smells ok and looks like the typical transmission fluid. Doesn't smell burned either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am going out there either tonight or tomorrow and would like to have some help as to where to start troubleshooting. I have TONS of experience with cars and mechanics in general (electronics and electromechanical technician/ engineering aide) so I am comfortable with getting my hands dirty. I have never really played around with a transmission as I have never had a real issue with one needed my attention. Thank you guys much in advance for any and all help......
 






Ok checked out the truck and here is what I have.

Drove it around for about 30 minutes and couldn't get it to replicate what was said earlier but I did notice a few things.

1. It slipped slightly from second to third and third to fourth right after firing it up and driving it but didn't do it again once the truck was warmed up.
2. Reverse is slow to engage (2 seconds) but I attribute this to servo leak.
3. It needs a U joint (unrelated) as there is a clunk into reverse.


I am going to drive it around several more times today to see if I can get it to do it. If not, here is what I am thinking:

1. Do a band adjustment on it.
2. Fix the U joint.

Here are my new questions:

Could the valve body have caused the issue mentioned earlier and be causing the slipping issue I saw?

Again the fluid is fine doesn't smell bad and looks surprisingly good given the trucks age.

Thanks again all and hope to hear from someone.......:salute:
 






Still need help

It would appear this has turned into more of a diary for the issues I am having rather than a solution. Such is the world though.

Here is where I am now. Did a band adjustment on both of the band assemblies. Here is what happened:

1. First to Second shift is much improved. Feels much tighter, the "mushy/lazy" shift is virtually gone.

2. The second to third shift is slipping more on anything more then 1/4 throttle. If I let off it will engage and then pretty much hold until it gets warmed up over a 30+minute period.

3. The third to fourth shift is slipping slightly but didn't want to push it as the second to third shift is problematic.

4. I believe the reverse problem was more of a miscue on my brothers part. I went to back up to check reverse and it went nowhere. Then I did the instinctive thing and grabbed the gear selector and it popped right in. So I think that was more of "The Sweet Spot" issue associated with some selectors where you can sit between two gears.


Where should I go from here? I am thinking Valve body rebuild but would really hate to have my brother fork out the $60.00+ for a transgo kit and various other components just to have it not solve the issue.

Again any help would be greatly appreciated.
 






Anyone offering their expert advise?

Got to get the truck together and am at a crossroads now. Do I chance a used tranny (A4LD's are known to be such trustworthy transmissions :rolleyes: )? Or rebuild a VB and hope that solves the 2-3 slip that is occuring?

I am worried that it may be the clutches going and that the VB will do nothing but short my brother valued time (he is a full time college student and works full time overnight).

Once again any and all help would be helpful even if it is a "Stop asking questions".

Yes, I have researched the VB rebuild here already and am working on getting a manual for the tranny right now as I type.
 






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