newbie question!!

[rufus50]

Hello all!!

I am a newbie to this site so please indulge my newbie questions.

I am looking at buying a '95 Explorer Eddie Bauer . I went to see and test drive it last night and is is VERY nice. The owner (original) really took good care of it. It still looks like new outside and in.

The only problem he told me he had was that he had to have the tranny rebuilt. It is a V6 automatic. I posted the queston on the www.corral.net and a few people posted this site as very comprehensive and full of knowledgable people.

So, my question is: Is this a frequent problem with V6 Explorer automatics? Is it not a beefy enough trans to handle hauling a 4000 lb. truck around? If so, are there any fixes I can do to it???

HELP!!! I really like this truck but if I'm gonna have to rebuild the trans 2 or 3 times, its not worth it.

Thanks

 

[Alec]

It is a common problem to have the V6 tranny rebuilt. However, as long as it was rebuilt well with good parts it should last a long time. They tend to fail a second (or third) time when too many parts are reused from the crapped tranny and/or the necessary upgrades aren't performed. See where and when it was rebuilt and how much the rebuild cost. Maybe you can also find out how much of the tranny was actually replaced.

Overall they're great trucks and tend to last a long time. The V6 tranny is the only major weakness.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[rufus50]

thanks alec, I'm definitely going to call the dude and get the receipt tonight and see what was all done.

I like this website a lot. I hope we buy this truck

 

[rufus50]

Alec (or anyone),

By the way, what is it about these trannys that make them fail? Is it just a matter of a heavy truck and a tranny designed for a smaller truck/ sedan?

Is it and input shaft problem? or valve body?
I want to know as much about this problem before I go calling the trans shop.

Thanks again for all your help

 

[Alec]

The clutch bands wear out, overdrive first. The planet sets can sometimes start to wear and fragment in high stress situations, and the torque converters can also start to fragment. Usually the more serious problems occur after the clutches are shot or with water in the trans fluid.

 

[davesexplorer2]

oh just my 2 cents.....
ive noticed that some trannys like mine and others last till oh in the high 150,000 mile range, mines still tickin, and hopefully with a tranny fluid flush, and routine maint, it'll run for a while yet. And there are others, namely the trannies that last oh about 30,000 mi, i think that some are good some bad, but to help, take a look under the ex you might see a little radiator lookin thing, between the big radiator and the engine, that the tranny cooler included in the tow package. I got one on mine and its probably helped my tranny last so far.
how many miles on it btw?
I personally love my 95 xlt, and plan to keep driving it for a while!

 

[Alec]

Yes, an external tranny cooler and filter and fluid changes every 15k miles will keep the tranny healthy longer. One reason mine failed early was because the guy I had change the fluid didn't change the filter for 60k miles and still charged me for it

 

[aldive]

I have 72k on mine with no problems whatsoever. I have several friends with over 200k on theirs with no problems. It seems that most of the problems are with people who drive very aggressively and/or do no ATF changes.

 

[rufus50]

So it sounds like a kind of luck of the draw with these trannys. Some people have had them for 100k + miles,
some have had to rebuild after 60K miles.

The truck I'm looking at has 81,700 on it. The owner said that it just didn't feel as if it wa gonig into gear right. Now, from a car guy standpoint, that sounds like the clutches to me.

Although, I'm not a trans expert by enay means. I will have to get underneath it at some point and check for a trans cooler. Are there trucks out there without a trans cooler? or is it just that its a seperate cooler in addition to running cooling lines through the radiator?

I'm feeling a lot better about buying this truck. It is REALLY nice. I (and my wife) was amazed at how nice and easy it drove. Had I known they drove this well, I would've baught one a long time ago.

I do know that if I do get it, an ATF change will be done every 20K miles. Less than that if I do any towing.

 

[TPLYNCH]

Rufus, welcome to the site. Besides the tranny, make sure you test the 4x4 (if it has 4x4). If it hasn't been used or used infrequently, it may not work. The shift motor gets dirty/gummed up. Drive it around in Auto mode and make sure you don't get any flashing 4x4 lights. Also make sure it will shift into 4Lo. You have to be stopped, in neutral with your foot on the brake to engage 4Lo. You should hear a click and then a clunk when it engages. If you can do this on a loose or slippery dirt/gravel/snow that would be great. If only hard surface, you can roll in a straight line, to make sure it engaged. Just don't turn the wheel if possible cause you will get binding/axle wrap on solid surfaces