New 2008 Ford Explorer - Wont Shift/Orange Wrench?

[PotatoExplorer]

I had been looking at a used 2008 Ford Explorer for a while and it finally came down in price. I test drove it a few miles once before; The Explorer felt solid. I took it to my mechanic, about 40 miles 1-way on some back roads, through stop and go traffic. My mechanic said it looked solid for its age and mileage, might need a left lower ball joint replaced next year. He even drove it around a bit and tested out the 4x4. This gave me the confidence I needed to buy the Explorer. I drove it 40 miles back to the dealer, this time on the highway. I WOT 2 times to see if she would hold up - felt great, no issues!

I made it to the dealer, signed the papers, did the financing - I now have a 2008 Ford Explorer in my possession. I decided to take it on the back roads again. I'm about 15 minutes away from my house at a red light, light turns green. I go through maybe 1st through 3rd gear, then I felt a weird shudder and an orange wrench appeared on the cluster. The car still felt like it had power so I waited for a little for a safe spot to pull over onto the shoulder. Checked out the manual, which wasn't very informative, and I noticed it said "clear code press reset", which I did stupidly. Orange wrench went away and I thought maybe it was just a fluke. I continue to drive towards my house and get to another red light. This time when it turns green, it will not leave 1st gear. It just stays in 1st and wont get past 2k rpm. I creep it the rest of the way home and park it at home.

At this point I'm freaking out... a huge knot develops in my stomach, I just bought a POS. My wife was anxiously waiting for me to get home with the new vehicle and I told her what just happened. She calmed me down and we decided to try to replicate the problem and call the dealer first thing in the morning with the code still on the dash. Drove around for about 20 miles through town and long stretches - nothing. Drove it to Autozone to see if maybe the code could still be read - nothing. Drove it today to work, drove it on lunch and back to work - NOTHING.

Was this a fluke? Is this a sign of worse things to come? Help me not feel like I just made the worse decision of my life. I have a 1 month / 1,000 mile warranty and am trying to get the issue to come back with no avail.

Thank you everyone

 

[plasticseng]

Autozone was probably using a scanner that would only read generic OBD2 codes. You can probably find someone that has a Ford specific scan tool that can pull the code, or you could buy an ELM adapter and download Forscan for free on your laptop or phone.

 

[naiku]

Is your Explorer a V6 or a V8? Your symptoms sound almost exactly what happened to mine when the transmission mechatronic unit went out. In my case I pulled away from a light, felt a large bang and the light came on. Looked and saw nothing, started driving home and noticed it not shifting gears. In my case though the problem did not go away, after checking the code it was reading P0770 - Shift Solenoid Stuck. However, from my research there was no way to tell which was stuck, and at $100 a piece and I believe 7 in the transmission. I decided to order a re-manufactured unit from eBay.

I am not sure how you can check if that is your problem though, if it is, and you have a 1000 mile warranty I would be doing everything I can to get it to happen again and take it to the dealer to repair. The new unit was about $750 (with a $200 core charge). On top of that you would need a new filter, gasket and fluid (10qts I think). So unless it is either a fluke, or you can get it to happen again before the 1000 mile warranty, you are going to be out a minimum of $700 not including labor.

I would definitely try to get it to somewhere that can read Ford specific codes, also get underneath and check the transmission fluid level. The dipstick is attached to the fill plug (assuming it is a V8).

Good luck.

 

[PotatoExplorer]

Is your Explorer a V6 or a V8? Your symptoms sound almost exactly what happened to mine when the transmission mechatronic unit went out. In my case I pulled away from a light, felt a large bang and the light came on. Looked and saw nothing, started driving home and noticed it not shifting gears. In my case though the problem did not go away, after checking the code it was reading P0770 - Shift Solenoid Stuck. However, from my research there was no way to tell which was stuck, and at $100 a piece and I believe 7 in the transmission. I decided to order a re-manufactured unit from eBay.

I am not sure how you can check if that is your problem though, if it is, and you have a 1000 mile warranty I would be doing everything I can to get it to happen again and take it to the dealer to repair. The new unit was about $750 (with a $200 core charge). On top of that you would need a new filter, gasket and fluid (10qts I think). So unless it is either a fluke, or you can get it to happen again before the 1000 mile warranty, you are going to be out a minimum of $700 not including labor.

I would definitely try to get it to somewhere that can read Ford specific codes, also get underneath and check the transmission fluid level. The dipstick is attached to the fill plug (assuming it is a V8).

Good luck.

Plasticseng and Naiku, thank you very much for your responses.

The ELM adapter sounds like a great tool to invest in. Any recommendations? I saw one on Newegg for $10.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ii_scanner_elm_327-_-9SIA2VF23R3021-_-Product

As for the code(s), I'll call my mechanic and see if he can pull the code(s) for me tomorrow. Yes, it is a V8, and I am scared that it could be that or something else related to the transmission. I was also doing some research that it could possibly be related to the electronic throttle control mechanism which doesn't seem too terrible.

I drove around for an hour last night on some hilly back roads, long straight aways, stop-and-go downtown traffic (about 30 miles in total) - still nothing to report. I haven't really been getting on it too hard though, just driving it sensibly like I would with any other vehicle. I'm like stuck in a dilemma - Do I beat on it hard to try and recreate the problem at the risk of possibly doing more damage, or do I drive it sensibly in hopes that I recreate the problem (or don't recreate the problem) with no further damage??

So tonight I should be able to pull the fill plug and it will tell me the level? I'm kind of hoping that the fluid is just low/dirty and it needs a flush / filter replaced. Is there a specific code it would throw for this, or no? If it's anything like my Ranger and if I remember correctly, it has to be on a level surface to read the proper level.

 

[naiku]

I have a BlueTooth ELM adapter, about $10 on eBay and really nice to be able to just leave it plugged in and pull codes up on my phone. Definitely worth looking into a Bluetooth one if you want to use your phone.

It's definitely a tough situation you are in, assuming that the warranty is good I would likely try hard to recreate the problem and immediately have it towed where I bought it from. But, I also understand the risk of it not happening again and you causing possibly further damage. Try to get the codes at least that should give you a start. Also, when checking the fluid it needs to be level and hot. However, the drain plug is right next to the exhaust, so be careful!!! I have seen that if you check it cold, that if the fluid is at the bottom of the hash marks on the dipstick it is the correct level when hot. Not sure how accurate that truly is though. Doubt it would throw any codes for dirty or low fluid, but you never know.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Read about my issue, it may be the same:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...unication-errors-u0101-u1900-solution.438414/

 

[Explorer_PL]

And I have 233k miles on the original tranny...