Problem between 30-50MPH

[Ivan Svea]

Hi, new to the forum but may have the same issue with my 07 Explorer. Bucking or clunking between 30-50. Tonight it ran like it had a miss. Rough idle, vibration, cleared up some under hard accel an when it warmed up...

Did the torque converter solve it? I'm thinking electrical. 99,000 mi with the original plugs & wires. Never had any starting or engine problems.

Are there forum recommended brands for plug & wire upgrades or go with stock.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[spalmer1214]

If it is rough at idle, then it is not a torque converter because it is not engaged while at idle.

I dont know about the wires because with the 4.6 like mine, it does not have wires. It has coil packs on top of all the cylinders. I think the 4.0 has wires but i am not positive.

I am supposed to get the tq converter in the mail tomorrow and i will start replacing it as soon as i get it so i will give updates.

One of the dead giveaways that it was a converter is the chattering. It sounds like i am running over a rumble strip but i am not.

You should probably do a tune up before anything. Plugs, wires(if you have them), air filter and fuel filter. A lot of people forgot about the fuel filter but it is very important that you do that with your tune up. Also if you know your way around an engine then you might want to clean the throttle body too and maybe run some seafoam through it.

 

[Ivan Svea]

Thanks, after posting that message, I spent 3 hours reading some of the maint and repair threads. Glad I did. Never knew about the spark plug issue. I'd have blundered into that, snapped a plug off and figured I was done...

Tempted to pay someone with some experience to do the tune up. I'll price it with the local Ford dealer (Bob Thomas, Hamden, Ct) and with a buddy who moonlites from his day job as a Toyota mech. repairing cars.

Let you know how it goes.

 

[spalmer1214]

Does yours have the HT1 spark plugs. If so be careful i broke one of mine off when i was changing my plugs. Spend about 9 hours trying to get that one out. It sucked.

 

[panteramatt]

My wifes mounty has the exact problem. Around 40-50 the tranny seems to slip and bad. So bad that the belts squeel when it skips. Took it to ford twice and they swear th etranny is fine that its a coil. Replaced 3 of them so far and nothing. Going to replace the plugs and see if that helps.

 

[granadojl]

Don't get my wrong, I love my '06 Explorer.. but I'm about ready to drive it off of a cliff. I was cruising home a couple of hours ago and the check engine light started flashing, then turned off. I scanned the Explorer and was able to pull the easiest code to troubleshoot....... (sarcasm) P0300. I cleaned the MAF, cleared the code, and ran the Explorer for a few miles and I'm just waiting for another code to come up. I guess the "Transmission" problem I thought I had, might actually be an ignition problem. I'll keep you posted. Keep up the good work everyone...

 

[JAMES209]

Try Precision of New Hampton for a remanufactured unit. www.gopnh.com or 800-654-1220.

 

[spalmer1214]

Panteramatt- I cant see the belt squealing because of the transmission, but with these vehicles, anything is possible. Be careful when you replace the plugs because it sucks when the break and they break really easy. Also the cheapest place i found plugs for was on amazon. They were $70 for all 8 and at all the parts stores they are like $12 each.

 

[spalmer1214]

I changed out my torque converter yesterday and it fixed it. THANK GOD. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to remove the tranny and put it back in and now it runs great. If youwould like any tips incase you need to do it, dont hesitate to ask.

BTW, if you need a torque converter, i found mine at DACCO Detroit Transmissions. http://www.daccoinc.com/ I got it for like $240 with a 3yr 36k warranty. It is rebuilt but it does come with a good warranty. I got it in like 2 days

 

[FROADER]

Congrats, that's great that it was the converter. I wish mine was the converter to save a ton of money..

 

[kam327]

I've had the same symptoms for a few months now. Was thinking it was ignition related since in March I had to have a complete head gasket job done and I had them replace the plugs in the process - figured the coils and boots needed to be cleaned and greased or something (based on other threads on this forum).

But dealer just called and said it's the torque converter. Searched the forum again and found this thread.

Luckily I'm within 10 days and 700 miles of my extended warranty expiring. But still, after the head gasket, instrument cluster (which I believe was related to the engine work, and now the torque converter, with only 57,000 miles, my confidence in the Expy is severly shaken....

 

[kam327]

Picked up the Expy this afternoon after TQ replacement. The RPM surges are gone so that was it. The TQ itself was $550 and labor $780. Tranny fluid was another $58 (bonus that I got my tranny fluid changed). So $1400 total covered by my extended warranty, which ends next week. Whew.

 

[tojan19]

Well this doesn't sound good. Mine is acting up, doing a slipping/light bucking thing in high gear under light throttle. I've also had times when its really hot out that the Tq doesn't seem like it wants to move power to the drive train. Unfortunately for me, no more warranty. Looks like I might be doing this one myself. No way I'm dropping 7-800 in labor for a TQ change. Can't be more than 4 hours time to drop the tranny and the same to put it back.

 

[kam327]

Well this doesn't sound good. Mine is acting up, doing a slipping/light bucking thing in high gear under light throttle. I've also had times when its really hot out that the Tq doesn't seem like it wants to move power to the drive train. Unfortunately for me, no more warranty. Looks like I might be doing this one myself. No way I'm dropping 7-800 in labor for a TQ change. Can't be more than 4 hours time to drop the tranny and the same to put it back.

Yeah that was stealership pricing so small shop pricing should be less. Spalmer above said it took. Him 4.5 hours at home.

 

[tojan19]

So to go along with the slipping issue, the OD button no longer works. Any chance of a related issue? Also how can you tell if it's possibly a solenoid issue and not the actual TC.

 

[superinstaller]

Its important to get a TC rebuild as it can get bad and flood the tranny with pieces of bad stuff. Also mine had a studder at 55-60 mph So i changed the plugs like others and it fixed it. although one plug broke the tool off amazon worked great thank God!

 

[spalmer1214]

Tojin19,

i found my tq converter at DACCO Detroit Transmissions. http://www.daccoinc.com/ I got it for like $240 with a 3yr 36k warranty. It is rebuilt but it does come with a good warranty. I got it in like 2 days

 

[willied]

I changed out my torque converter yesterday and it fixed it. THANK GOD. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to remove the tranny and put it back in and now it runs great. If youwould like any tips incase you need to do it, dont hesitate to ask.

BTW, if you need a torque converter, i found mine at DACCO Detroit Transmissions. Home - Transtar Industries I got it for like $240 with a 3yr 36k warranty. It is rebuilt but it does come with a good warranty. I got it in like 2 days

I'm thinking about replacing my TQ myself. Can it be done without a lift? And what tools are needed other than basic things like wrenches and what not?

 

[Bazz270]

Cant be done without a lift.
It is strongly recommended to read the workshop manual before this kind of jobs.

 

[joney]

Wow, I'm doing some major searching too, and all I can find is Torque Converter P/N: 7902 that shows for $540. This is expensive. When I had my trans rebuilt at AAMCO, I had to buy a new torque converter. It might be a good idea to contact AAMCO to see if they will sell you one right out. Another thought, I just remembered my wife's cousin owns a transmission shop here in Phoenix AZ, I can call him and see if he can get one at a lower price. It will take a few days considering Father's day and all.. But i'll look into it.

What are the chances you can get a good one from a used auto parts site? There are a few online