Explorer Totally Dies When Pulled Into Gear

[ExplorerNik97]

Greetings Everyone! I have been reading this forum for almost two days trying to figure out my problem, but with no success. I will tell you that being a woman, it's hard to have the knowledge a lot of you already have when it comes to cars, but I am someone who can figure it out when my back's against the wall so I have been working on my Explorer on my own for a day. Now, on to my problem that I'm hoping you can help me with.

I have a 97 Explorer, Auto Trans.2WD that was running like a champ until 3days ago when I noticed it was shifting from 1st to 2nd slightly rough. Nothing that was a big deal though. Later that night, when I went to crank it everythinig was fine. Idled perfect in Park, pulled it down into drive and it was like someone just unplugged the power. It never shuddered, never made noise...just died. Cranked it again and again, same thing. Runs in reverse, neutral and park. Tromped down on the gas, pulled into drive and it finally caught. Drove it for 30min and no problems at all. Ran like a champ again. Put it into Park, ran into the store, came out pulled it in Drive...dead. I had to tromp down on gas again to get it home. It's got me stumped and that is the only source of transportation I have, so I'm desperate.

What I've Done:

Read that the IAC may need cleaning, so I took that off and cleaned it very well, put it back on and no difference. I was thinking it may be a locked torque converter, but doesn't the car have to be moving first for the torque conv. to lock up? Can I do anything to fix this problem? Even if it's a temporary fix, that's okay with me. I cannot pay for the repairs at a shop right now, so if you can give me guidance on this one, I will be eternally greatful. This is a huge problem for me and my kids.

Nikki

 

[obie]

Parts of the torque converter will always spin while the engine is on. If your torque converter is locking as soon as you put it into gear, it will stall the vehicle. This can be caused by a malfunctioning Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid, or the hydraulic valve that sends fluid to the TCC. Those are both going to be pretty expensive for a shop to do. Since it's happening intermittently you can probably rule out mechanical damage to the TC.

I don't really know of any easy or temporary fix, unless you want to take the trans pan down and disassemble and clean the valve body and everything you can reach.

If you don't mind damaging things further, you can always just rev to about 4k and then dump it into drive and try to hang on.

I'm far from a transmission expert though, so maybe someone else has better advice.

 

[my98nnj]

If its not experiencing the problem in R then I'd rule out the TC as the issue.
See if you can shift directly into 2 or 1.

Post results.

 

[john93rangerstx]

i had the same proble with 91 explorer

 

[drdoom]

I do wonder if lockup is even possible in reverse, so consider that.

 

[drdoom]

i had the same proble with 91 explorer

Please tell us all how you rectified the problem.

 

[xpolice-explorer]

I hate to ask the obvious but it was never stated. Have you checked the fluid level? Is it clean? CEL?

 

[ExplorerNik97]

First of all, thank you to everyone who has posted their advice. I really appreciate it. I did check the transmission fluid level and it was good. Fluid was still nice and red and not dirty at all. No CEL ever lit up on my panels, so I never had any error codes or indicators that went off to give me an indication of electrical problems. Last night I decided to unplug the battery for an hour or so in hopes that maybe the computer would reset and magicly solve my problem...no go on that either. I had also tried shifting directly into 1 or 2, however the car simply dies in those gears as well. I am stumped on what to do here and being without a vehicle is pretty rough on me right now. Anyone think that the solenoid may be the issue? Is that something that they would have to remove the entire tranny to repair or am I just thinking in the wrong direction on a solenoid problem? Thanks in advance for all your input.

 

[drdoom]

Nikki, have you had the PCM scanned with a pro level sccanner? Also, just to clarify, the O/D OFF lightis not flashing? Sorry for all the questions, but it could be so many things causing the problem, but hopefully its just one little thing.

 

[drdoom]

Just a couple more things you could eliminate ...do a test on the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS), and check the harness and all conections down there too. And try to get that thing on a good scanner, but any stored transmission codes were probably wiped while the battery was disconnected. I am on the road now, but I'll peruse the shop manual when I get back to the office...maybe ta clue can be found in there.

 

[obie]

The TCC Solenoid can be replaced without removing the transmission. However, that part is expensive and the "shotgun" approach to transmissions can wind up costing a fortune and causing lots of headaches.

I did do a bit of research for you that might help you save a lot of money. If you're comfortable dropping the transmission pan, you can disable the TCC solenoid by unplugging the wire. You will lose some fuel economy at steady speed. You will *not* harm your transmission by doing this. All this does is disable lockup at steady speed. Torque converters lock and unlock all the time without harm driving in the city.

If this fixes your problem, then you've identified the failure and can save up for the new one. If you're going to replace it, I highly recommend getting a transmission flush and filter, followed by another filter replacement and refill within 25-50 miles. The second filter change is critical for high mileage transmissions.

If you have any more questions, I'll try to get you answers.

 

[alohamonte]

i had the same problem with my explorer. i originally thought it was a bad injector. i replaced the spark plugs and mass air flow sensor and that fixed it.

 

[ExplorerNik97]

Okay guys, I had my Explorer towed to a tranny shop and here's what they told me....the transmission is shot. He said they dropped the pan and there were metal shavings all in it and the TC had locked up causing all the damage. Said the clutch was also out of it. He wanted to drop the tranny to look inside and figure out what was damaged and I told him no that I could not afford this much money right now. I don't know that I beleive the whole tranny is just shot though. Would the car have driven so well before taking it out there if the transmission was just junked? Im so confused about what to do. Seems like they could just clean the pan and unplug the TCC, then fix that clutch. If I could get another six months out of the car, I could save up for a new one. Need some insight from you experts on this please! Thank you all in advance.

 

[dennis h]

One more test. Unplug tranny and try it. She has the same symptoms mine had as the internal wiring harness evaporated.

 

[MeanGene1016]

Exact same problem

I'm having the exact same problem with My wifes 99 Explorer now. Hers is a 4.0L V6 4X4 SOHC. So much useful information in this thread. I'll hit it hard tomorrow and hopefully find the cause. Thanks for the info guys.:exp: