Here we go again: '03 Explorer DTC's P0733/P0745

[Mike-in-Maine]

Any advice on the best method to break free the int. band adjuster bolt/stud without having them turn as one?

 

[JK080]

You want to break the jamb nut loose first, don't try to turn the adjuster with the jamb nut tight it will break off the adjuster head.

Dont worry about it if they both turn, maybe make a mark on the adjuster head with a marker so when it turns you know how much. Once the jamb nut is loose then try to hold the adjuster while backing off the jamb nut. Maybe use a metal brush to get some of the rust off before doing this, good thing you used some penetrating oil first it should help.

Or just skip this step and try to get the servo out. It can be a pain to get out also, just keep working at it.

 

[Mike-in-Maine]

You want to break the jamb nut loose first, don't try to turn the adjuster with the jamb nut tight it will break off the adjuster head.

Dont worry about it if they both turn, maybe make a mark on the adjuster head with a marker so when it turns you know how much. Once the jamb nut is loose then try to hold the adjuster while backing off the jamb nut. Maybe use a metal brush to get some of the rust off before doing this, good thing you used some penetrating oil first it should help.

Or just skip this step and try to get the servo out. It can be a pain to get out also, just keep working at it.

Thanks for this guidance. I don't want to drop the pan and replace the servo pack if the band is broken. why bother at that point?

Will update here with progress...

 

[JK080]

The servo is located on the side of the transmission not in the pan. It can be a pain to get out but it will come out.

 

[Mike-in-Maine]

The servo is located on the side of the transmission not in the pan. It can be a pain to get out but it will come out.

Woops, I was thinking solenoid not servo... well... What am I looking for on the servo? warped base, binding? leaks? Id hate to take it out and then not be able to get it back in.... is this the servo that the o-ring fix was devised for?

 

[JK080]

Yes its the same servo's with the worn bores, sometimes the crack or the lip seal will fail on the servo.

 

[Mike-in-Maine]

Gave it another shot at trying to adjust the intermediate band via the nut/bolt adjuster. Several days worth of AeroKroil Aerospace grade penetrant and the nut /stud are free to turn, but the threads are so rusted that I spend 3 hours working the nut, spraying, soaking, wire brushing, working, repeat, etc etc... I managed to get the nut backed off approx. 2¼ whole turns over 3 hours... not quite enough to fully check for a broken band. I'll give this another try another day. What a royal pain.

The process was slowed also because my 8mm box wrench and large box wrench both began to wear out through this process, adding enough "slack" that the process was far more tricky.

I did come up with a solution for keeping the small wrench on the stud end: I made a small loop of safety wire around the wrench and made a "noose" of sorts that I looped around and used as a harness to keep the wrench on the stud when I wasn't holding onto it. worked pretty good, but once my flashlight died and it started to get dark (at the same time!) I quickly re-tightened the nut and called it quits.

 

[Mike-in-Maine]

Just an update: Have had no time to try getting nut backed off further. Thus, I still havnt checked the band. Explorer still very driveable when using throttle to "skip over" 3rd gear. Have only got o/d flash light a couple times in 2 weeks, and SERVICE ENGINE light only twice when I forgot to use throttle correctly to skip 3rd. (if you allow the trans to stay freewheeling in 3rd it will pop a code and error)

Otherwise I can drive all day and not get any codes or errors so long as 3rd is avoided. Shifting in all other gears is excellent.

 

[JamesNoMechanic]

Mike,

Any update to your issue, I have a 100% same exact issue on my 05 Explorer. Would really love to know what the the final fix to the issue or whatever the resolution was. I keep getting told that I should just replace entire tranny (Dealer).

Any info would be appreciated!!

 

[Mike-in-Maine]

Mike,

Any update to your issue, I have a 100% same exact issue on my 05 Explorer. Would really love to know what the the final fix to the issue or whatever the resolution was. I keep getting told that I should just replace entire tranny (Dealer).

Any info would be appreciated!!

Hey James, Nothing yet. We're deep into Winter here in Maine and I have a bad driveway and a useless garage filled with shop equipment. So, Ive just given up until Spring.

In the meantime, as Ive noted, I still drive the Explorer everyday. It has tons of smooth power since the timing chain work, and runs excellent. When Spring comes I'll dive back into the tranny and see what the problem is. All indicators point to a broken band, but it very well could be the servo pack. We'll see.

 

[toddious]

Mike-In-Maine , so did you ever solve this issue? Was it the intermediate band or the solenoids?

I'm having the exact same issue, with the same codes showing up (0733 and 0745). I'm wondering if there's still a chance it's a servo or solenoid, or if it's the Intermediate band and I'll need to drop or replace the tranny.

Let me know if you ever solved this. Thanks,

 

[Mike-in-Maine]

toddious, Sorry for the LONG delay.. the 2003 Explorer is now 100% retired... it needed about $1000 in parts and too many hours of my labor to pass inspection here... it has 210,000 miles and is starting to rust out underneath. Just wasn't worth it for us.

With that, I never addressed the tranny, we just got so good at driving with no 3rg gear it wasn't a priority. (We laughed because as a passenger you couldn't tell there was a problem if you didn't know it... unless you tried to steal it and didn't know it!)

The 2003 sits in my driveway now. I picked up a 2005 for cheap and am using the 2003 to replace the bad parts in the 2005 (2003 was well maintained inside and out except for rust, 2005 was abused inside and out)

If you need any 3rd gen parts just msg me.