Shifting issues - 2008 V8

[naiku]

Our 2008 Explorer has started to develop a transmission problem. When driving and lightly pressing the gas pedal to accelerate, it will jerk slightly (feels like a light misfire) as it changes gear. If I accelerate harder it's not as noticable. It's a 2008 V8, pretty sure it's got the 6R60 transmission and has just over 130k miles on it.

In searching I can't accept this thread 2008 Explorer transmission shifting issues but the OP never posted what the fix was.

Just over a year ago I replaced the valve body, so the thought of having to spend more on the transmission this soon is pretty annoying, and as much as I like the vehicle, has me considering dumping it. I believe there is a transmission software update that I need to get done, but am not sure what that covers.

Any ideas on what the problem might be? And more importantly, what is the fix?

Thanks

 

[07EddyB]

You mention that it feels like a misfire - it may very well be a misfire. How are your plugs and coils? Ever been changed? Don't discount that it might simply be a misfire - especially if it occurs in the 40 to 50 MPH range while in top gear and OD. Why did you have the valve body changed?

 

[naiku]

Plugs were changed right around 100k, might have been 110k. Never changed the coils though. I never really paid attention to the speed, but I would say the fastest it does it is about 50. Yesterday driving on some winding roads, it would typically do it accelerating out of a turn, up a hill. Is there a way to test the coils?

Valve body was replaced as I had a hard clunk pulling away from a stop light, P0770 code and it would not change gear.

 

[07EddyB]

You pretty much have described a misfire problem. It's hard to determine which one is at fault since they don't really like to throw codes but my advice to you would be to replace all the coils before you let anyone touch your transmission.
I'm serious - don't let anyone touch your transmission until you are sure that all your coils and plugs are good.

 

[naiku]

Any recommended coils to swap them with? I know typically OEM is the way to go, just wondering if there are any that are a good deal out there worth using. Certainly worth a shot and a whole lot cheaper than any transmission work!

 

[GeorgeH]

Change coils and plugs. Not just coils. - whoops, missed that you already changed the plugs.

 

[gdgiordano]

Any recommended coils to swap them with? I know typically OEM is the way to go, just wondering if there are any that are a good deal out there worth using. Certainly worth a shot and a whole lot cheaper than any transmission work!

Everyone I’ve seen says to use OEM for coils. I would.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Yep, like Eddy said don't let anybody touch your tranny yet.
I paid $ 140 at a major Ford dealership to be told by a certified, trained mechanic that I need a new tranny, something like $ 4900.

I did not follow that recommendation and after installing new Motorcraft coils, 60k miles later I am still puffing on the original tranny.
And I had no CEL or misfire codes, go figure.

 

[naiku]

Thought I would bump this back with the solution, sure enough, it was the coils. Installed a set of MSD coils and the Explorer is running perfectly, feels like it picked up a little power as well, no doubt from the failing coils that were in there. Of the ones, I took out it looked like at some point in time at least one was rebuilt with a new boot. I would not have been surprised if that particular one was the culprit.

 

[gdgiordano]

Thought I would bump this back with the solution, sure enough, it was the coils. Installed a set of MSD coils and the Explorer is running perfectly, feels like it picked up a little power as well, no doubt from the failing coils that were in there. Of the ones, I took out it looked like at some point in time at least one was rebuilt with a new boot. I would not have been surprised if that particular one was the culprit.

That is awesome to hear man. These V8s sure seem to have a LOT of ripple effects from bad coils compared to a lot of engines. As you saw it doesn't even always shoot a misfire code either. It is amazing.

 

[naiku]

It not throwing a code was the strangest piece, especially when driving it in damp conditions where it was really prevalent.

Can't believe it took me 3 months to get it sorted, especially with how easy of a fix it finally turned out to be. Now to decide whether to keep it or sell it (wife wants a wagon, explorer is her daily driver).

 

[gdgiordano]

It not throwing a code was the strangest piece, especially when driving it in damp conditions where it was really prevalent.

Can't believe it took me 3 months to get it sorted, especially with how easy of a fix it finally turned out to be. Now to decide whether to keep it or sell it (wife wants a wagon, explorer is her daily driver).

If it’s in good shape keep it dude. Those v8s are on the rarer side. Not as rare as a 9 or 10 but still.

 

[naiku]

With how much they are worth, it's likely we would keep it. It's pretty much loaded (Limited) and like you said, the V8s are not so common anymore.

Not to mention it's a nice vehicle that does many things well!

 

[michael loibl]

Bro’s before Ho’s
And Coils before Trans

 

[gdgiordano]

Bro’s before Ho’s
And Coils before Trans

HAHA omg that’s way more funny than it should be.

 

[gdgiordano]

With how much they are worth, it's likely we would keep it. It's pretty much loaded (Limited) and like you said, the V8s are not so common anymore.

Not to mention it's a nice vehicle that does many things well!

Yeah. I sure would keep it. Thank you for updating your post. It’s nice for others to have it.

 

[naiku]

Thank you for updating your post. It’s nice for others to have it.

Happy to post the solution, another member posted a thread as well with the exact same issue and his being resolved with coil packs. Hopefully, it helps someone who may be experiencing the same problem in the future.

I hate researching a problem, finding a thread and then there being no resolution.

 

[thebrakeman]

Just as a follow-up:
Glad you found the cheaper solution (and the real problem).
For those that find themselves in the same situation, know that these coils are usually either good or bad, not somewhere in-between. With a slight flutter like this, that was not enough to throw a CEL, it's likely only 1 of the coils needed to be changed. Most vehicles (these included) with store "Pending Codes" even before a CEL is lit. Pending Codes are stored when issues begin, but they won't throw a CEL until the issue has happened enough times, within a certain amount of time. If you suspect a misfire (or any other issue), ask the shop to put it on a scanner, and look for pending codes. The code will tell you which cylinder to check. You can then swap 2 of the coils to determine if the problem is the coil, or the plug.

 

[MNgopher]

To locate which cylinder has a misfire (and if you are only wanting to do 1 coil at a time) an option is to use the Torue app and cheap bluetooth dongle. Torque can run the Misfire tests and display the info cylinder by Cylinder. I replaced 4 coils on an F150 using this method and 2 on the current explorer. Works like a charm... I got frustrated when my F150 took 3+ months before setting a code... This is the easier way when you can feel the issue.

 

[Mart1n]

I just got myself a obdII wifi dongle, and am at the stage of deciding on the ios app. I'll take a look at Torque, tx