Sweet and Sour XLS

[S7]

Well I came to this site a little over a month ago...the proud new owner of a blue 2002 XLS 4.0 I am still pretty excited but my excitement is slowly turning to horror as I realise more and more problems begin to mount. I have wanted this car for years and I plan to keep it. The list of problems so far is my recent check engine light...an ABS light...having to override the lock the abs lights put on me shifting from park to drive every time I want to drive to work...a door ajar signal...a whining rear end and now a transmission that delays shifting from park to drive or from park to reverse ( seems to shift fine while in drive? no jerking motions) I have read all about the whining rear end but this transmission thing...im really hoping its not the whole transmission going bad. Any ideas? I am going to try and find a place to have the differential fluid drained and replaced along with transmission fluid and filter...think that will help?

 

[MrQ]

The 2002 model year for the Explorer seems to be full of issues like this. There were a lot of errors made on that first model. The 2nd gen (95-01) has its roots in the 1st gen (91-94) with the live rear axle, body on frame design and generally most of the same body work and interior. When the 3rd gen came out on '02 it was completely redesigned with IFS and IRS, a new body on the frame, a new interior, a new exterior, new features, new transmission, new everything. With so many design changes, its not surprising there were several issues in its first year of production.

You can do the differential fluid yourself and save yourself some money. The tranny has to have special tool to drain it and refill it. (Ford brain fart for not including a tranny dipstick/fill tube) I suggest you get the codes pulled. The whining in the rear end is due to worn bearings. It's annoying, but not potentially harmful. The fluid will help a little, but if you want it to go away it will require a full service.

 

[sethmorgan]

...and now a transmission that delays shifting from park to drive or from park to reverse ( seems to shift fine while in drive? no jerking motions) I have read all about the whining rear end but this transmission thing...im really hoping its not the whole transmission going bad. Any ideas? I am going to try and find a place to have the differential fluid drained and replaced along with transmission fluid and filter...think that will help?

There's a TSB that might pertain:

TSB 04-22-12

11/15/04

GEAR SELECTOR LEVER - INCREASED EFFORT TO
SHIFT FROM DRIVE TO PARK

FORD:
2002-2005 Explorer

MERCURY:
2002-2005 Mountaineer

ISSUE

Some 2002-2005 Explorer 4dr/Mountaineer vehicles, may require a greater effort to move the gear selector lever (shift lever) from drive to park. This may be due to a time delay with the brake shift interlock (BSI) pin retraction.

ACTION

To service, replace the BSI switch.

 

[S7]

Thanks guys...and yea im more or less just worried about the transmission...that can be pretty expensive. I need to know if its just a solenoid or if its the actual transmission. I still have money to pay on the car itself and idk how id manage to replace the transmission let alone get it done right so I dont have to bother with it again. Does anybody know of a performance company that makes an invincible 5r55w replacement thats built for high performance? If I have to replace it I wanna make sure its gonna last years and take a ton of abuse.

 

[sethmorgan]

I would think as long as it isn't slipping and it's shifting fine you're ok (as far as major work). Even if you had the infamous solenoid pack issues, replacing it isn't that hard or expensive. Call around with the TSB number to some shops and feel them out to see if they know what they're talking about or if they might try to milk you.

I have never heard of an aftermarket replacement for the 5R55W. There are a couple of aftermarket hard part items like the Transgo shift kit, but I don't think they are geared towards performance (pun intended).

 

[S7]

Do you by any chance have the TSB number? So im thinking from what ive heard ill likely need to get the ABS fixed...fix a vaccuum leak to clear up the check engine...deal with the whining noise...get a solenoid fixed on the transmission. To get it ready for its first winter with me. I have a girl and baby girl that will ride in it I want it to be strong and reliable.

 

[sethmorgan]

It's in my earlier post: TSB 04-22-12.

If it's shifting fine, I wouldn't suspect the solenoid pack.

 

[S7]

But it has a delayed shift from park to drive or reverse or from drive to reverse...only when its in drive is it fine.

 

[BigRondo]

a door ajar signal...

As far as the door ajar issue goes:

I had a similar issue with my 02 xlt. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, etc.

A lot of issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the door. I found a broken wire and repaired it and all is back to normal!

Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

Here is a great thread for removing the door panel and checking/replacing the door ajar switch, thanks to borland for the awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249253

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Hope this helps out.

 

[sethmorgan]

Ok, you're saying a delayed engagement from P to D, not increased effort from P to D. I'm tracking now. Do a search on here and see what comes up.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Some 3rd gens are good and some don't hold up as well.

My '02 is now past 80k mile mark and I have never had any repairs done to the drive train. My 5R55W and SOHC have never skipped a beat. Never had a slightly delayed shift, rough idle or whiny rear diff. I contribute this my vigilant maintenance.

I run full synthetic oil in my engine, which reduces start-up wear almost 10-fold compared to convention oil (more than 90% of all engine wear happens during start-up). I do an entire flush and filter change to the 5R55W ever 15-20k miles and change my rear differential oil ever 15-20k miles with Amsoil heavy gear oil. Or once every year, which ever comes first.

With my proactive regimen I hope to reach 200k miles before having to even touch my SOHC or 5R55W. Only time will tell I guess.

There are a few people on this forum that have claimed to achieved well over 100k miles on their original 5R55W. here, here, here, here and here.

I think the secret to these years explorers is just vigilant maintenance. I just think the deal is that you just can't get away with the same maintenance on these 3rd gens as you could on the previous years.

My 3rd gen has taken me all over the state of Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada and the mountains of Colorado in every weather extreme you could think of and wouldn't hesitate to take another expedition across the states again if I had to right now.

Perhaps the previous owner of your ex abused it through lack of maintenance/knowledge. But know you know how to maintain yours after you get it all fixed up!

I just had the door adjar issue. There is no button in the door jams, it is in the latch of the door. I just had to spray some oil in all my door latches to fix the problem. I do this yearly and have never had the door ajar issue come back.

Just wanted to encourage you that these can be made reliable through proactive maintenance. Good luck!

 

[zerodevil]

level 10 makes a bulletproof transmission that is custom taylored to your wants and needs, they start at about 3500 and go up from there. Mines going to run about 5 and a half grand with a custom tuned stall converter to boot.

Get your codes read. If i had to guess id say either low hydrolic pressure in the trans (unlikely) or a dieing sylanoid pack.