Flashing O/D Light

[Ian5700]

My O/D light is flashing. This has been happening for a couple of months now, i have been disconnecting the battery for this time and it would stop for say 3,000 miles. But now when i disconnect the battery it comes back in within 100 or so miles. When the light is flashing it seems to shift poorly.

Presumable this means the transmission is working towards the end? I know that it might be a good idea to have the code read.

I was thinking i might as well get a replacement transmission put in from explorer parts at newport for 500.00. If i give it to Ford to work on i would be looking at labour at 100.00 x ... and parts/fluid, etc, and still have a high mileage transmission. Thoughts?

 

[rich uk]

Hi Ian
heres some great advise

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170162

if you were thinking of fixing it yourself it can take a lot of work to take it out ,and if theres a lot of seized bolts ( exhaust ) to remove even before you get near to getting it out, It can be a nightmare
trust me Ive done it twice now
its a lump heavy and theres a chance of damaging stuff getting it back in (i did) + oil leaks ect
mine went bad due to the forward clutches having no material left and slipping....giving the flashing o/d light and the planet gears breaking up (grinding/crunching noises)
best part of a day to remove it (without problems),plus day to fit,
I'm sure the pro,s are quicker than me tho !! ...
£500 its a good deal ,
IMHO if its been going a while you might have bits of metal swimming round in there,
mine did and the bands were badly scored as were the rear copper bushes (more parts to buy).
a rebuilt valve body might do it , plus a rebuild kit + ATF, filters and u gotta fit all of it right or its gotta all come out again
not to mention the torque converter..
I ended up fitting another used trans in the end
if it were me over again i,d give to ex parts
phew... reminds me of that job lurking in the summer (fingers crossed)
new TC and fit that VB...
good luck Ian

 

[BIGHVM]

Do A COMPLETE oil change and change the filter first mate- far cheaper!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the codes first.

 

[Ian5700]

I did a fluid/filter change some time ago, the fluid looks fine, i checked it last night, however it looked sort of fizzed if that gives an idea to what is wrong. Plus the fluid/filter & gasket is around 100.00 from Ford.

 

[kevin p]

Ian, is the water in your engine coolant tank got any signs of oil in it?

 

[gwar]

Check the codes first.

I've got a code reader if you're anywhere close to West London

 

[Ian5700]

I checked the coolant reserve and there doesn't appear to be any oil in there.

Do most garages have code readers that will work on the Explorer? I am in Hampshire.

The flashing O/D light always comes on when i am on the motorway. For example when overtaking it will not shift back up and maintains just under 3000 revs. When you leave the motorway and drive for a little while the O/D light stops flashing and disappears.

 

[gwar]

Any OBD2 reader should work with the Ex, you can get them off ebay for £10-£15, alot cheaper than the £40-£50 some places want to charge for telling you what error codes you have.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Not all scanners are capable of reading these kind of codes. A transmission shop would have one of those more expensive scanners for this. Some places might even read the codes for free if they assume that you are going to give them a rebuild job. You should always find out in advance what they charge.

 

[kevin p]

Mine used to do exactly the same. Sometimes it would go months before it did it, and then only on the motorway above 70+ mph.
Eventually it would do it all the time on the motorway.
I put on an extra transmission cooler.
Changed the gearbox oil.
Flushed the original filter.
Tightened the front brakeband 1/4 turn.
It has only done it once since, towing my caravan at 70mph. I now keep it out of fifth whilst towing.
It never does it anymore solo.
Hope this helps.
Kev.

 

[bigfoot8931]

I got my Ex 3 weeks ago. We got it from a dealer. The dealer found a problem with the gearbox and put in a recon box before we took delivery. Now when we get up to 60 -70 MPH the O/D Light flashes. When we turn it off the light goes out. The O/D Light also flashes if we have been driving around town for over an hour. I am sure it is changing gear properly and gets into 5th. On the motorway ay 70 MPH it is pulling just under 2500 RPM so I am sure it is getting into top. I presume an oil and filter change will sort the O/D Light out. Any ideas whould be greatfully recieved.

 

[kevin p]

Hi BIGFOOT
If you are doing 2500rpm at 70mph I would say it is in fifth as well.
Seems strange because if my light came on at that speed it DEFINATLY wasn't in fifth.
I thought my gearbox was 'trashed', but just by doing a complete oil change it is now next to perfect.
If it is a recon box, ask the dealer to check the adjustment on the front brakeband. This one controls the overdrive 5th gear.
Kev.

 

[markwillenbrock]

2,500rpm at 70mph isn't much, but it isn't 5th...

Mine shows an indicated 68mph at 2,000rpm in 5th; 70mph is just a shade over 2k. At 2,500rpm you'll be doing more than 80mph - mine cuts out at about 115mph and it's still only doing 3,500rpm or so!