Please help! Tranny problem

[majorlag]

Just got back in from some off-roading. Heard a strange noise (kinda a pop or thud--not the normal thunks and chunks my Ex makes). I had just come up a pretty steep grade and struggled a bit to get back on a level exit road. Took the truck out of 4x4 hi, backed up to unlock the auto hubs, and put the trans back in 2nd (or maybe it was 1st gear). As I started forward, I heard the pop, and stopped to get out to see what it was. Looking under the truck, I saw a small (3"-4" diameter) puddle of fluid underneath the tranny and more dripping from around the gasket at the back of the oil drain pan.

Did I blow a gasket? Trash my transmission? Destroy the engine? Kinda worried about it.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice!!

 

[Crankcase]

You just blew the seal. You should search here for blown transmission seal or similar threads. There is alots of info here on it. I just responded to one thread about blown seals.....Just to tired to do it twice in 10 minutes

 

[majorlag]

Thanks, Crankcase.

I read your post about blowing your tranny seal because you were in Overdrive pulling a hill. Just curious why that caused the seal failure.

Took my X to the shop yesterday and they told me they thought it was the front pump seal. Guess I'll get to have the transmission pulled and worked on.

You mentioned having the torque converter replaced (my leaking fluid is a dingy red, not bright and new). How much should that run?

Once again, thanks for your help, Crankcase!

 

[majorlag]

Update

Just in case anyone is interested, just heard from my mechanic last week that I have a blown front tranny pump seal, rear main engine seal, and a bad or broken weld on the torque converter. Still waiting for the work to be done and the bill to be submitted.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to what caused this? Using 4hi when 4lo was more appropriate? My '94 explorer has about 77k miles on it, and spent a lot of its life parked in the driveway. The hill I was climbing just prior to the failure didn't really seem that steep--maybe a 30° slope.

Any input or suggestions to prevent future high-cost repairs are very welcome. Thanks!

 

[1993fordexplode]

Not enough gear is was caused a similiar prob. in my Ex. I had it in 4 hi and went shrompin in a big mud hole and blew the seal and screwed up my torque converter. I had to be towed home.

 

[SteveVB]

crank bushing

With the seal and the converter problems I would ask the shop to check the crank bushing - I posted a link to a note from a torque converter manf. about this. Do a search. A fully brazed converter would be a good idea- I dont know if they are replacing or repairing what you have- ask the trans shop or check Pro Torque www.protorque.com for a HD converter.

 

[majorlag]

Thanks, SteveVB. I'll check with them tomorrow.

In case anyone is interested, the newest chapter in the saga:

After picking up my ride this evening, I immediately noticed my shift points (particularly 1st to 2nd) changed dramatically. Now, it stays in 1st until 30 mph, which at even mild acceleration puts the shift at 4000 RPM. Almost no throttle puts the shift at 3500 RPM. Before, almost all shifts, even those with moderate throttle were around 3000, except for passing at highway speeds. I am convinced something is not right with the new torque converter installation, but don't know what.

What's worse, after starting the engine a total of three times and driving several miles after leaving the shop, the doggone thing won't start now. I have lights, etc, and it sounds like the starter's clicking really fast, but it doesn't even start to turn over. I'm really pissed at my mechanic--they've only had the thing seven working days!

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dogfriend]

might check this

On my Ford Ranger, my starter relay (located on inside fender, cable from battery + term go directly to it) failed and was making a noise just like you are describing. You can test by having a helper try to crank engine while listening for the noise. Hopefully it is this and not a problem with starter because the relay is cheap ~$10 - 15.

 

[majorlag]

Newest Chapter

Here's the latest update, in case anyone's interested.

The starting issue was the battery. I feel real smart now. One of the posts had corroded very badly on the inside. It actually sheared in two while they were trying to clean it.

The shop made an adjustment to the shift cable, and that resolved the problem of always staying in 1st to the top of the gear. Still, not everything is quite right. The truck is downshift happy--where before the RPMs would go up a bit (3000ish) pulling a slight grade at highway speeds (torque converter?) the tranny now slams down and races way up to 3500+. Makes the truck lurch like it's been tapped from behind. Also, in town driving, the shift from 2nd to 3rd sometimes goes 2nd-1st-3rd, even though I'm not on the accelerator much. Seems as if throttle response is hypersensitive sometimes and unresponsive at high speeds.

Took it back in today--I hope they can fix it!

 

[majorlag]

It's fixed--mostly

Latest chapter in the saga:

Got my X back and things are mostly back to normal. One more adjustment of the kickdown cable cured all the low-speed shifts. There is, however, a really rough shift at highway speeds. Between 55 and 65 mph, particularly around 60, the downshift from OD to D (or D to 2nd) is super rough. It was the roughest shift before the work, but now the truck bucks like it's trying to throw me. I'm a bit concerned about damaging the transmission or breaking some other driveline component.

All the other shifts are pretty smooth and predictable. This one almost feels like a shift without enough clutch. Fluid levels look good, and I don't appear to be leaking much besides a tiny bit of engine oil (a few drops form on the bottom of the oil pan).

Any ideas? Anyone seen anything like this? Other than that one shift, I'm really pleased with the work.

As always, thanks in advance!

 

[Derekjeterkid2]

I have the same problem!

well i went through a mud hole last weekend 3 times cuz i got stuck the first 2 times and today my transmission fluid wes spewing out from under my car, on the hight way then it just stoped working it wouldent shift at ALL just sat at a standstill in OD while i reved it, NOT GOOD hope i didnt blow thr transmission

 

[majorlag]

Ouch! Yeah, that sounds really bad. It wouldn't shift because you lost all your fluid. You could be lucky and you may just need new seals, but a rebuild could be in order.

Search the forum and you'll find a lot of useful information about X transmission problems.

Hope you can get it fixed, dude.

 

[majorlag]

Final Chapter (hopefully!!)

In case anyone is interested, I finally resolved the bad shift between 50 and 60 mph. After talking with some mechanics (and paying them to not fix the problem), I came to the conclusion that the torque converter was not unlocking at that speed before the tranny downshifted. The torque converter locking/unlocking is (as I understand) entirely electronically controlled, as should be the OD to D shift unless the kickdown cable forces a shift mechanically.

Armed with this view on the problem, I looked at the cables on the accelerator and noticed that the kickdown cable didn't have a whole lot of slack in it and the throttle cable did. I put a zip tie on the throttle cable (per throttle cable mod), and now my torque converter unlocks smoothly at 60 mph! The only downside (?) is that the X winds all the gears out a little longer than it did before. It is, however, and improvement.

My model may be a simplification of what's really going on, but it seemed to fix a problem that 2 tranny shops and one general auto shop couldn't (or wouldn't) fix.

 

[FourXFred]

I recently had the same problems with the awful A4ld. I blew the front seal and cracked a weld on the torque converter while bellowin through a mud pit. I am having many of the same shifting problems as you did, so im gonna go try the throttle cable mod now. I was just curious how much $ it cost you to have the seals and converter replaced, cause it cost me $760 to have all of the seals and converter replaced, and i think i got screwed.

 

[majorlag]

Ouch!

FourXFred:

Sorry to hear that you're having the same problems I had. Personally, this last has been the biggest PITA car problem I've ever had, even including throwing a rod on an old inline six.

Well, excluding the cost of fruitless attempts to fix the shifting problem, my cost was something like $650. That included removing the tranny, replacing the TQC and front seal, replacing the rear main engine seal, reinstalling the tranny and fluids. Before I replied I didn't notice what part of the country you're from, Fred, but it sounds to me to be fairly reasonable. Based on my experience, that is. My local mechanic who did the bulk of the work is cheap on labor and high on parts, so that $760 figure is at least the right order of magnitude.

Of course, it is by no means a cheap thing!

One thing you might want to try first is adjusting the kickdown cable. I think there some hints on how to do that elsewhere on the board. I'm sure that if I went to the trouble to fine-tune my kickdown, my problem would go away. The throttle cable mod, however, was really quick and painless.

Hope the throttle cable thing takes care of it. Good luck!

 

[FourXFred]

throttle cable mod helped a lot, but my tranny is still shiftting funny. sometimes when getting on the gas gard it will fall into nutral. it is just another problem i am going to fix with a "for sale" sign.