Engine problem or trans? Im lost

[schoop]

Spent 5 days online looking for an answer or help. Wife has 2002 explorer limited with 4.0 auto 4x4. Pulled out of drive and once in OD she lost OD then selected 3, still nothing. I went to her on side of rode and realized there was no rev either. Selected 1 and it moved with good solid gear then shifted 2 and that was good but no other gears. I pressed OD button to turn off and the light flickered quickly and constant, not what i would call a flash, definately flickering. I scanned it once back to house and it had 2 codes, first one said it was running rich 2nd one was P1700. Removed pan which had no debris at all in it and changed filter but first checked solenoids and all ohmed within spec. Filled back up according to the book and erased codes. Same problem. Whether in drive, 3rd or reverse, vehicle would move slightly when throttled but wouldnt drive unless 1 or 2 were manually selected. I kept messing between ranges and all of the sudden reverse worked good! Put in D and it worked too! Took for a ride and all was suddenly good until i kicked it down. It then sputtered like i hit rev limiter until i stopped vehicle and then it all worked again!!! Took off thiz morning and it sputtered again when it shifted 3rd. I stopped on side of road and accelerated easily and it took me to work, 15 miles with no more issue. Left work and the whole thing started all over like this morning!! Can anyone please help us! I am ver mechanical but very stumped by this! I do suspect the cat to be clogged as its been smelly lately, but im also wondering could it be somethinv like the TPS?? No codes have came back yet either! HELP....please

 

[imp]

Spent 5 days online looking for an answer or help. Wife has 2002 explorer limited with 4.0 auto 4x4. Pulled out of drive and once in OD she lost OD then selected 3, still nothing. I went to her on side of rode and realized there was no rev either. Selected 1 and it moved with good solid gear then shifted 2 and that was good but no other gears. I pressed OD button to turn off and the light flickered quickly and constant, not what i would call a flash, definately flickering. I scanned it once back to house and it had 2 codes, first one said it was running rich 2nd one was P1700. Removed pan which had no debris at all in it and changed filter but first checked solenoids and all ohmed within spec. Filled back up according to the book and erased codes. Same problem. Whether in drive, 3rd or reverse, vehicle would move slightly when throttled but wouldnt drive unless 1 or 2 were manually selected. I kept messing between ranges and all of the sudden reverse worked good! Put in D and it worked too! Took for a ride and all was suddenly good until i kicked it down. It then sputtered like i hit rev limiter until i stopped vehicle and then it all worked again!!! Took off thiz morning and it sputtered again when it shifted 3rd. I stopped on side of road and accelerated easily and it took me to work, 15 miles with no more issue. Left work and the whole thing started all over like this morning!! Can anyone please help us! I am ver mechanical but very stumped by this! I do suspect the cat to be clogged as its been smelly lately, but im also wondering could it be somethinv like the TPS?? No codes have came back yet either! HELP....please

@schoop
Many mechanical problems will not throw a code. Many can, though. TPS malfunction will definitely throw codes. P1700 would indicate the transmission will not move the car at all. I will try to research further. imp

 

[schoop]

Thanks for reply. What gets me is when its acting normal there is absolutely no slipping and it will hit the gears good. Whats odd is how engine flutters when it misses the 3rd gear shift and its only at about 3000 rpms when that happens. I also wondered bout speed sensor but speedo works perfectly.

 

[schoop]

The shift is happening but definately not at all in gear completely. Considering sea foam also as ive thought about a sticky valve or something.

 

[imp]

@schoop
This would be a 5R55W transmission? I have diagnostics tucked away for that in my shop, which I can retrieve later today. See what I might learn. imp

 

[schoop]

Well....im only guessin, but i say yes. Where do i found out for sure? Selector says D321 but it does appear to have 5 speeds. I didnt google how to tell if its a w,e or s. I added trans sea foam at work tonite and chatted with boss so long that it was good and warmed up. Kinda gave her **** all 15 miles home and all was well. Only thing i notice is when i treated it like i was passing a car, i got to about 70 and backed off throttle, it lagged and then firmly shifted to 4th or overdrive, whichever u call it. Seem to do that every time but zero slippage. Next test will be to see what happens cold to see if problem is trying to hide or not. Thanks for your interest in helping me Imp!

 

[schoop]

I am actually a chevy guy myself but i did buy this vehicle for my wife. I really like it as it is a limited so has all bells and whistles and actually is quite a nice suv. Im hoping to not let it be one of the statistics that i keep reading about. I do know the guy before us towed a travel trailer but you can tell he took goid care of it. He even supplied us with his mechanic history, but no trans issues.

 

[schoop]

Ok here is the latest....the sea foam has seemed to carry us this far but still having issues. Most commonly, wife complains that it dont want to shift in what i believe is 3rd gear. She said she gets to about 20 mph and it misses the next shift until she takes her foot of throttle then seems to shift bit harsh. Is this sounding like the common shift solenoid issue or valve body? Only reverse issue we have had is couple days ago while backing up the engine died for no apparent reason but started right back up. Engine wise, she runs like a champ. Any new info before i dig too deep?