Questions before I head to the transmission repair shop

[seiryu]

Hello all,

First off I want to say that this forum has been a tremendous help to me and an invaluable source of information! I want to thank all of you for the time and effort you seem to put into each of the great posts and stickies on this forum.

Now I'm not a very mechanically inclined person, however I recently came across a 1996 Explorer XLT Automatic at a really good price, through friends of family. The car is in great shape as far as the body and interior goes. The engine sounds and runs great (from what I've been told) but I was told that it has problems with the transmission slipping when the car gets on the highway.

Well after actually test driving the car it turns on the problem is alot worse than it initially seemed. The transmission seems to slip going from 1st -> 2nd gear as well as 3rd -> 4th. The 1st -> 2nd slip seems to happen alot more than the 3rd -> 4th. Also, it turns out that the reverse doesn't seem to completely engage. When I put the car into reverse it will slowly begin to reverse, however the accelerator has no affect on the speed at which the car reverses.

I've done as much research as I could, but being that I'm so new to this it's been a complete information overload. I've read good things about Cottman Transmissions, so I'm taking the explorer there in a few days to get a professional diagnosis. I had a quick conversation with one of the techs at Cottman, and he mentioned that the problem may be related to a solenoid or a sensor on the transmission, given the transmission on the explorer is electronically controlled. This seems to match what I've read on this forum so far, so I'm pleased that they recognized this even over the phone.

Now to my questions. I realize that the diagnosis for this problem is probably not going to be good. I am prepared for this, but before resigning my own fate, I decided to post here and ask you nice people if there is anything a mechanically simple minded fellow such as myself should know before committing to anything such as getting a replacement transmission, or having the transmission rebuilt? As I've said, I've read as much as I could on this forum, but a good chunk of it is over my head.

Also, I know the answer to this question varies greatly, but what price range should I be looking at for a transmission rebuild? And for a replacement? I want to make sure that if I do have to have it rebuilt\replaced, I'm not being overcharged because of my ignorance.

Thank you for your time!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! How many miles does it have? When was the last time the fluid, and filter were replaced? It could need a new EPC solenoid, valve body gaskets, shift kit, end plugs with O rings, boost valve with O rings, and low/reverse servo O rings. Shops usually try to talk you into getting an entirely rebuilt transmission. You could do this work yourself with the proper tools.

 

[seiryu]

Hello, thanks for the reply!


The explorer has 160,000 miles, but I couldn't give you an accurate answer you any of your other questions.

I asked the previous owner if he had any work done to the transmission, and he said it did take it to a shop around the 120,000 mile mark. He mentioned that the technician did "something" that fixed the slippage for about 20,000 miles, but after that the problem has resurfaced.

I would love to do the work myself. In fact, I was thinking that if the shop says that it's definitely going to need a rebuild, I may go ahead and see if I can try some other things on this forum before giving it up to the shop.

Thanks again!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the sticky thread on the 5R55E valve body rebuild.

 

[bisjoe]

The fluid should be changed every 30,000. If it has never been changed then having it last 160,000 miles is good, but it may well be in need of a rebuild. Last time I checked it was about $2,500 around here.

 

[seiryu]

Well I just got back from Cottman, and it's as I expected. They said that they ran the explorer through all of their preliminary diagnostics, and their equipment doesn't show any sort of electrical failure. There are no error codes at all.

They're now saying the the problem must be mechanical, which I'll buy. But they are also saying that it's going to take $450 for them to further diagnose it and $2,500 (best case) to $4,500 (worst case) to fix the actual problem. Does this seem right to you guys?

 

[BrooklynBay]

It would be much cheaper for you to try to rebuild the valve body first. Some places like Central Valve Bodies give members of this forum a discount, and could test your old valve body before you take a gamble with a rebuilt one if you just want to purchase an already rebuilt one. Check WWW.ATRA.Com for a shop in your area for a second opinion.