No low 4W and tranny won't shift when cold

[bigrob]

Hey guys. I am a newby, so be gentle !!!! I have a '92 Explorer with 190k miles. The tranny only has 30k on it. I'm having two problems. First, the tranny doesn't want to shift 1-2, 2-3, 3-OD automatically when cold. It will shift 1-2 fine when shifted manually, but 2-3 and 3-4 seems like it is stuck in the lower gear.

Secondly, my tranny will shift into 4HI fine, but will not shift into 4LO. I have tried it in neutral and part, hot and cold.

Any tips?

Rob

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! A 1-2 shift delay when cold is usually from a sticking governor. Since you are having this problem in all gears, I would suggest scanning your computer for any fault codes. Sometimes it could be bad vb gaskets that act up when they are cold. It could cause problems in all gears as well. The tps, engine coolant sensor, vss, brake switch, and other components play a role in locking, and unlocking your tcc, and 3-4 shift solenoid. The modulator could be defective as well. Are you losing any atf? Did you check your transmission with a pressure gauge? You could have a partially clogged vb, or cooler. Did you try to adjust your bands? You also mentioned that you are having problems with your transfer case. I would suggest reading the sticky thread on rebuilding, and troubleshooting your transfer case. Do you hear your shift motor moving? Does it make a constant grinding noise, like it is skipping instead of stopping at a predetermined reference point? there is a fix for this that is quite simple. It only requires some rubber hose to act as a stopper! It's all in that thread.

 

[bigrob]

Thanks for the reply. I read the wonderful sticky on the transfer case, but no one was having problems with just the low range. I can hear the motor engage the 4hi, but I hear nothing when I try 4low.
I had a problem over the Summer with it spraying tranny fluid from somewhere only on long, high speed trips. If it were hot outside and I drove interstate for 45 minutes or more, I would get that wonderful white smoke !!! I replaced the alternator (volt meter was swinging wildly) and noticed that when they installed the new tranny (years before I bought it) the cooler was disconnected. I reconnected the cooler the same day and haven't had a problem since with the hot spray problem.
I just changed the filter and fluid yesterday, but that didn't help. It does OK once it gets warm, but it just doesn't seem to go into low gear when it is in OD.
I haven't had a chance to search this site for info on adjusting the bands and stuff. There is a LOT of info on this site !!!

 

[BrooklynBay]

I'm not that familiar with 4wd, but I'm just thinking that there must be some sort of switch that engages the electric motor everytime you go into 4H, or 4L. Maybe that switch is defective, or out of alignment.

 

[eli3201]

I have the same problem with 4 low on my 96 ranger and im also looking for a answer, if anyone figuars it out please post it here

thanks