Slipping - Clunking

[JKB2]

Hello,

I have a '99 4WD 2 Door Explorer "Sport" package with the 4.0 SOHC engine and 4 speed automatic transmission. The unit now has 187,000 miles, mostly highway. The wife uses it for work.

The truck has been great. Other than the timing chain rattle issue, and new front hub bearings on both sides, it's been a solid performer.

About two weeks ago, when shifting from drive to reverse at a dead stop in a parking lot, I heard a "grinding" sound, exactly like you would hear if you tried to force a manual trans into gear without depressing the clutch pedal. I flipped it into neutral, then back to reverse, and no problem.

Then, about two days later, we were crusing at speed (70 mph with cruise control engaged) when the same noise happened, and I quick hit the brake pedal to kick off the cruise. A loud "thump" from the trans, and away we went with no further incident.

Saturday, this past, we are headed over to Port Huron Michigan, from Kalamazoo. Cruising again, at 70 when the thing just revs like crazy as if the trans went to neutral. I hit the brake again to kill the cruise, and no thump this time, just back to drive as if nothing happened.

Well, all was well until the ride home tonight.

I started noticing a little surge on the highway. Like, the thing was slipping out of gear for a 1/4 second. Little "thump" sounds from it. All the way home, it gets worse...and worse. Only under load. Accelerate, or climb a hill, it's bad. Decelerate, or coast down a hill, nothing. No symptom.

By the time we get it home, it's very bad with loud under floorboard noise and thumping. You can feel it in the driveline, but the transmission is shifting fine through all gears (even into O/D) and I tried engaging the 4WD high to see if it made a difference. It didn't, except I now could feel the impact to the front as well as the rear. The symptom is sporadic, not timed to engine or vehicle speed. It might do it twice in 2 seconds, then not again for 4 seconds, then once...ect. I manually shifted all gears, and it does it regardless of what gear I am in. I tried turning off the O/D with the button on the column shift stalk, and it didn't matter. There are no lights, blinking or otherwise from the dash.

If I could describe it accuratly, it sounds / feels like a spline slipping and catching, or perhaps what a clutch slipping and grabbing might feel like.

But I really have no clue.

Your ideas would be helpful. I have no experience fixing 4WD as this is the first I have owned. I'm betting it's the transfer case, but really don't know.

Anybody else experienced this type of failure?

Thanks in advance,

JKB2

 

[chriswells78]

It's kind of funny, I did a search because I have the same issue, only to find out that someone else had the problem yesterday?

My mounty AWD is doing the same thing. cruise set @ 70 on the interstate...going up a slight incline...clunking/quick downshift-upshift keeps coming from the transmission and doesn't sound good at all.

Is this something that a flush and fill will take care of?

 

[Glacier991]

Grinding and other forms of mechanical noise from an automatic trabnsnission are NOT good things, and not something a flush and fill are going to take care of. They usually indicate some internal part has failed and is in the process of being ground up. On a high mileage transmission this almost always means a rebuild.

 

[chriswells78]

Does it sound like maybe something that I can bolt/unbold and replace? I don't know sh!! about transmissions. I would probably never attempt a rebuild of one on my own but I hate to take it to a shop and it be something stupid that I coulda done myself and have paid 5x what I could have paid if I'd done it myself. The truck only has 98k, that seems a little early to need a rebuild?

 

[Glacier991]

well depending you could have transfer case issues... sometimes difficult to distinguish between them.

 

[JKB2]

Hey guys,

We limped it into my local, trusted mechanic's garage this morning. He took it for a test drive, and called me saying: "It wasn't too hard to figure out, since I got about half a block and turned back because it was so bad. In fact, we barely got it into position for the hoist before it froze up! Your damn lucky you got it home, let alone here on the short trip!"

It's the transfer case. It's toast.

I guess 188k will do that!

$880 for a good low miles used transfer case, tranny flush and fill with new filter and all labor.

It's not cheap, but it's not $2,000 either.

I thought I would let everyone know what it ended up being.

JKB2

 

[chriswells78]

Thanks for the info. I am gonna have to get mine looked at too.

 

[greg s]

Did you get a look at what was bad inside the transfer case? I have had a sporatic issue that working on the transmission has not changed. Recently when I shifted to reverse it made a similiar grinding sound with no movement and I immediatley shifted it to neutral. When I shifted it back to reverse it worked fine. My main problem from the begining has been a delayed reverse engagement and sometimes a loud bang after it moved back a few feet. I assumed the transfer case was a direct connection and would only shift or change when I turned the switch. Does anybody have any more information on the internals of the transfer case? Maybe a parts diagram? Thanks

 

[JKB2]

Hi Greg,

I didn't get a look at it, or in it. I was told that several parts "just fell out" when they opened it up.

I don't know if the gear grinding sound was related, but I suppose it could be. I will say that very early on, when we got the unit (35k miles) I put it in 4Lo without it in neutral! It wasn't a pleasant event, but...didn't seem to hurt it that one time. (I didn't know better when I did it...)

Anyway, it's been driven yesterday and today, with the new transfer case, and everything seems well. Shift points are a bit tighter, with the fluid and filter change and so far, no noise or slipping.

I think, (from limited knowledge about the 4405 Borg Warner transfer case) that there is an electric clutch in there? Some kind of parts that detect rear wheel traction loss that engages the front drive (when in Auto on the dash) It could be that the transfer case starts acting up when these parts wear out, either disengaging or engaging at an in opportune moment. At least that makes sense to me.

I'm no driveline mechanic, I used to turn a wrench a lot when I was a kid, hottrodding small block chevies. Now, it's brakes or tune ups or little fixes. I don't have the time, tools, shop (garage) or inclination to deal with the big stuff. Not that sometimes I would like to, but often just can't. That's what happens with a wife and kids, a mortgage and car payments ect...ect...

So we take it in...

Good luck!

JKB2

 

[greg s]

Hi JKB2,
I have been trying to solve a problem with my xplr for a while now and when I came across your post the symptoms matched. I have not had the problem at 70mph only when shifting to reverse it will grind every once in a while but ususally just makes a bang after backing up several feet. The other problem is sometimes the truck will roll foward in park a foot or so while making a clicking sound which I thougt was the parking pawl but now think its inside the transfer case. I have done all the mods to the tranny and even installed a used valve body but nothing has changed so I am leaning towards the transfer case and am going to drain the fluid and see what comes out (metal?). I dont know what kinda of failure rates there are with these transfer cases but I noticed several for sale on ebay. I am still looking for a parts diagram or something that shows whats inside one so I can get a better idea of what the problem could be. I am with you on the time / money situation but just cant give in untill I figure this problem out. Luckily I work at a business that has a shop that I can work at. Thanks, greg

 

[Glacier991]

This isn't exactly yours, but here is a link to an exploded view of a Borg Warner 1356... which is a close approximation of the 1354.. and at least an approximation of the 4405.

http://www.drivetrain.com/bw1356transfercasesillust.htm

Great seller for transfer case parts as well.

 

[JKB2]

Greg,

Now that you mention it, the Explorer did roll down the driveway a foot or so (about a 5% grade) just before the fatefull trip home. I didn't really remember it 'till now, it was right after I backed it up into the driveway to load the family's belongings from Christmas at Grandmas'.

I think you have a similar problem from the details we share. I couldn't tell you what failed in the xfer case, unfortunatly, but it sure sounds like the same symptoms!

I really hope you figure it out. I seen rebuilt xfer cases for about $650 online. Ours was $450 from a yard, and had (I'm told) 40k miles on it.

JKB2

P.S. I have two brothers that live in the sunny state of FL. One in Ft. Lauderdale, and one near Orlando. The Orlando bro is a stunt driver in the Disney show called Lights! Motors! Action! He drives one of the black villian cars, and can even drive on two wheels!
Here's a link...