Took My 2012 XLT FWD in for Tranny Service Today - Clunking Drivetrain Issue

[JFUSION]

I have been having a harsh clunking sensation in the drivetrain occasionally. It usually happened after lifting throttle and allowing the truck to coast a short bit, then when re-applying throttle and I would sometimes get a real harsh clunk in the drivetrain. It happened intermittently.

I have 96,000 kms on the truck and I was getting concerned that the tranny might crap out on me as soon as the warranty expires. I took it in to my dealer and I asked them to do a transmission fluid change as a preventative maintenance service. They found a powertrain update that was available as well, so they updated the pcm/tcm at the same time. The update was done under warranty.

I didn't mind paying for the transmission fluid change. I see it as preventative maintenance even if Ford recommends a much longer fluid change interval, if any at all ?. I need this truck to last a few more years and I drive a lot of miles in a single year as you can tell.

Long story short the tranny is now shifting much smoother. It definitely feels better in all driving conditions, it was a very noticeable difference that I could feel as soon as I pulled out of the dealer lot. I think the update was beneficial, and fresh fluid can't hurt. Just thought I'd share the experience.

 

[Kiliona]

Awesome to hear, I may have to do this in my 2011 expedition. I hate that the auto tranny is only serviceable by the dealer, but atleast it's tough.

Just FYI, fwd=front wheel drive, 4wd=four wheel drive (has a transfer case meaning can be switched from 2wd to 4wd) and AWD=all wheel drive, all wheels, all the time, cant turn it off.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Mine has it too.. it is the 2-3 shift every time. You let of the gas, you coast down to about 20-24mph and step back on the gas and it slams into gear.

 

[aznkidlee]

I just had my vehicle serviced at 29721 miles and they reprogrammed the PCM. TSB 130318A

 

[JFUSION]

Mine has it too.. it is the 2-3 shift every time. You let of the gas, you coast down to about 20-24mph and step back on the gas and it slams into gear.

Yup that sounds very similar to what I had, it felt really bad. I hope this has been corrected, it will take some time to be sure as I only had it done 24 hours ago, but I have put on 300 miles today

 

[JFUSION]

Awesome to hear, I may have to do this in my 2011 expedition. I hate that the auto tranny is only serviceable by the dealer, but atleast it's tough.

Just FYI, fwd=front wheel drive, 4wd=four wheel drive (has a transfer case meaning can be switched from 2wd to 4wd) and AWD=all wheel drive, all wheels, all the time, cant turn it off.

Yup, my Explorer is front wheel drive.

 

[Kiliona]

Yup, my Explorer is front wheel drive.

Oh lord.... I never realized the knew ones came FWD... I have to rethink my whole opinion on those now

 

[peterk9]

Awesome to hear, I may have to do this in my 2011 expedition. I hate that the auto tranny is only serviceable by the dealer, but atleast it's tough.

Just FYI, fwd=front wheel drive, 4wd=four wheel drive (has a transfer case meaning can be switched from 2wd to 4wd) and AWD=all wheel drive, all wheels, all the time, cant turn it off.

You have the 4WD and AWD reversed. The 5th gen Explorer is an AWD vehicle. My Highlander which had all wheels driven full time was a 4WD. Just look at all the new SUV/CUV vehicles coming out. They are basically all FWD until conditions warrant the rear wheels to be powered. These are all called AWD. We went through this a long time ago.

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/1105_4wd_vs_awd/viewall.html
AWD
According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, an all-wheel-drive vehicle is one with an on-demand feature that occasionally or intermittently sends power to the non-primary powered wheels. The most basic systems often begin with a front-drive platform with some kind of power-splitting differential housed inside the transmission in or in a separate box.

Peter

 

[OKC_Explorer]

(snip) .. The 5th gen Explorer is an AWD vehicle.
Peter

Peter, are you saying that *all* EX's are delivered with AWD drive trains? Or are you clarifying the difference between AWD and 4WD?

Ford unfortunately calls it "4WD" on their website and in the owners manual. I agree with you its really AWD. So people who post here using "4WD" might just be staying consistent with Ford's terminology and/or marketing terms.

I do think its worthwhile to note that the 4WD (AWD) 5th gen EX will deliver power to all 4 wheels even while TMS is selected to the "normal" position if the system sees the need - presumably front wheel spin. The other TMS selections alter powertrain and braking behavior to better suit the selected condition.

What I see on the dealer lot and on Ford's website is the AWD drive train is optional and must be coupled with the 3.5L V6 engine. Most Explorers around here in OKC are FWD. The optional AWD drive train (which I do have on my Limited) costs an additional $2000 USD.

One way to distinguish an AWD car from a FWD car is by looking to see if there's a TMS knob in the center console. If the knob is there, its an AWD vehicle, otherwise its FWD (front wheel drive). The AWD cars also have a "4WD" badge on the rear of the car.

That's my understanding anyway...

 

[peterk9]

Peter, are you saying that *all* EX's are delivered with AWD drive trains? Or are you clarifying the difference between AWD and 4WD?

Ford unfortunately calls it "4WD" on their website and in the owners manual. I agree with you its really AWD. So people who post here using "4WD" might just be staying consistent with Ford's terminology and/or marketing terms.

I do think its worthwhile to note that the 4WD (AWD) 5th gen EX will deliver power to all 4 wheels even while TMS is selected to the "normal" position if the system sees need to so. The other TMS selections alter powertrain and braking behavior to better suit the selected condition.

What I see on the dealer lot and on Ford's website is the AWD drive train is optional and must be coupled with the 3.5L V6 engine. Most Explorers around here in OKC are FWD. The optional AWD drive train (which I do have on my Limited) costs an additional $2000 USD.

One way to distinguish an AWD car from a FWD car is by looking to see if there's a TMS knob in the center console. If the knob is there, its an AWD vehicle, otherwise its FWD (front wheel drive). The AWD cars also have a "4WD" badge on the rear of the car.

That's my understanding anyway...

I guess I could have been a bit more specific. They aren't all AWD. You are correct in that I was just attempting to clarify the difference. Thanks.

Peter

 

[FordServiceCA]

Yup that sounds very similar to what I had, it felt really bad. I hope this has been corrected, it will take some time to be sure as I only had it done 24 hours ago, but I have put on 300 miles today

Hi JFUSION,

Please let me know if the symptoms persist. If so, send me more information including your Explorer's year and odometer reading and I'll see which options are available to us.

Bianca

 

[JFUSION]

Hi JFUSION,

Please let me know if the symptoms persist. If so, send me more information including your Explorer's year and odometer reading and I'll see which options are available to us.

Bianca

So far so good, the issue hasn't repeated itself and I have noticed an improvement overall. Thanks for the follow-up. I have a 2012 xlt fwd 3.5L v-6, with 98,000 kms.

 

[blwnsmoke]

So far so good, the issue hasn't repeated itself and I have noticed an improvement overall. Thanks for the follow-up. I have a 2012 xlt fwd 3.5L v-6, with 98,000 kms.

I wonder if it is truly an updated calibration or if they had the tranny reset/relearn. My dealer did a relearn process when I first complained about it basically clearing all of it's past memory and that seemed to work for almost 2 years and now it is back. It doesn't happen often.. 3-5 times a month but it does happen.

I'm bringing up F250 in a week from Monday and I'm going to have my guy look it up and see what he tells me just to compare.

What does your paperwork say?

 

[Kiliona]

You have the 4WD and AWD reversed. The 5th gen Explorer is an AWD vehicle. My Highlander which had all wheels driven full time was a 4WD. Just look at all the new SUV/CUV vehicles coming out. They are basically all FWD until conditions warrant the rear wheels to be powered. These are all called AWD. We went through this a long time ago.

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/1105_4wd_vs_awd/viewall.html
AWD
According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, an all-wheel-drive vehicle is one with an on-demand feature that occasionally or intermittently sends power to the non-primary powered wheels. The most basic systems often begin with a front-drive platform with some kind of power-splitting differential housed inside the transmission in or in a separate box.

Peter

These new fords can kind of be thought of as both AWD and 4WD depending on how you look at it. Generally I personally look at 4WD as having a transfer case and AWD as having a center dif. Biggest difference between a transfer case and a center dif is that the transfer case is selectable to power all four instead of two, generally, where as a center dif always powers both, generally.

They are basically all FWD until conditions warrant the rear wheels to be powered. These are all called AWD.

These new cars are kind of a mix since you, the driver, can not select 4WD but they dont ALWAYS power all four wheels. The center dif is like a computer controlled transfer case almost.

Or atleast from what you guys have told me this is what it seems like to me. I'm just writing to say I didn't confuse AWD with 4WD since the generally accepted definition of 4WD is selectable or not (transfer case) and AWD is not selectable, always powering all four. But these new fancy drivetrains make their own way, they don't follow convention. Just like the new V8's that are actually V6's until you put your foot down, but that's another discussion entirely.

 

[JFUSION]

I wonder if it is truly an updated calibration or if they had the tranny reset/relearn. My dealer did a relearn process when I first complained about it basically clearing all of it's past memory and that seemed to work for almost 2 years and now it is back. It doesn't happen often.. 3-5 times a month but it does happen.

I'm bringing up F250 in a week from Monday and I'm going to have my guy look it up and see what he tells me just to compare.

What does your paperwork say?

I believe it is called a pcm update, so they download a new program, not just a re-learn procedure as far as I know. It has made a noticeable difference in all respects.