Tranny noise and gear shift problems

[harddriver]

This is my first message on this board and I wish I could introduce myself as a proud owner of a Ford. Unfortunately, I have to say that buying my 91' Explorer XL (4x4 5-speed,170k)has been the worst deal I have ever made in my 27 years of existence. Let me tell you why.......


I bought the truck last week after having it inspected from AMA(Alberta Motor Association)who gave it a clean report saying it needed some work like lower ball joints, some paint chipping,leaking valve cover gasket etc... nothing really major! They also mentioned that the tranny was leaking(I was aware of the famous rubber seals in the Mazda trannies),and upon my initial inspection I had noticed the location of the leak which told me it was more than likely what I thought it was (The three monkeys!).The test drive was satisfactory, atleast that is what I thought at that time. Lets just say I wanted to own a 4x4 in a hurry before the famous norhtern winter of Calgary kicked into plough mode!


Today,I was driving around and noticed that when I came to a stop at the lights and tried to shift into 1st to go again I would have to force the gear to engage and I can hear and feel a muffled thud just before I shift into gear. Also, the clutch feels tight as hell all the time.
Another thing that is bugging me is that the push button 4x4 takes about 5 seconds to engage(I could live with that!) but the low range does not engage(the light does not come on)I am certain it worked the day I test drove.
I took the truck in to a transmission shop and the guy put it up on a hoist and put the truck into gear.What followed next really got me scared, there was an awefull grinding sound coming from the transmission as if something was loose and moving around in the tranny.He told me that the transmission needs to be taken off and examined and that he cannot say what the problem is unless he takes a look inside and that I am looking at
a 1000$ CND for this job at the very least.


I realise it looks like I have a big "L" written on my forehead but I would like to be better prepared this time(dealing with the mechanic,I mean!).So,if any of you nice people could give me some advice as to what could be wrong here, I shall be greatful.



[This message has been edited by harddriver (edited 10-22-1999).]

 

[Exploderman]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Mazda 5 spd trans. I bought my 94 new with extended warranty (and it turned out to be the best investment I ever made; it has more then paid for itself).
I believe you may have more then one problem. Your hard shifting may be due to a clutch problem, likely an internal fluid leak either of the two cylinders, or you may be low on fluid and in need of bleeding. This system is notoriously hard to bleed.
For the noisy trans, anything goes here. Mine was rebuilt at 75000 miles under the extended warranty, and again 3500 miles later because the dealer did not replace any bearings the first time.(The first rebuild was done due to loss of first gear syncronizer.)I firmly believe this was caused by improper clutch work done earlier, i.e. improper bleeding, bad parts, etc. The
transmission has been out of this vehicle 8, yes I said ***eight*** times, due to again bad parts, bad diagnosis, & poor worksmanship.
My advice? Get at least 3 opinions on the noise problem, from shops who have experience with this trans. Check the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder and bleed if necessary.
After the last trans rebuild, mine's noisy but I've put 18,000 miles on it. So far, so good!!!
It shifts great, and the clutch functions fine.By the way does the "L" stand for "loser"?

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[This message has been edited by Exploderman (edited 10-22-1999).]

[This message has been edited by Exploderman (edited 10-22-1999).]

 

[SCOTTC]

YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE TRANNY OUT OF GEAR TO GO TO 4 LOW, YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT. BUT COULD THAT BE THE PROBLEM WITH NOT GOING TO LOW RANGE?

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SCOTTC
93XLT 4X4 4DR.

 

[felsmann]

Hey, I have a '97 4WD 5spd and I have been having a hard time putting it in gear too. I have about 73K miles. No clue to what this may be. Any clue?

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Juan Felsmann

 

[harddriver]

"L" stands for "lovin it" dummy(lol)!Hey Exploderman,Thanks for the insight.I should have checked my post earlier.

I think I'll get a few opinions for the transmission before having it rebuilt (if I have to, that is!)

I still enjoy the ride the exlplorer has to offer - even though it feels kind of wierd negotiating those tight turns sometimes.

By the way, the low range works, I just wasn't doing it in gear!duh!

thanx for the input all

 

[PunkChild]

I've had the same problems, mainly blowing up my transmission twice. Anyway my shifting was improved by changing transmission fluid to B&M Trick Shift. It really works, it doesn't solve all of the trouble but it does improve shifts.