Transmission Woes

[XplorerKid]

So I've been having this problem for soem tiem now, but its not always there. We let my Transmission builder know a few months ago, around March i think. I can go a Couple Feet, like says 15, or down to the stop sign at the end of my street, only 1 hosue between it and me. And than all of a sudden it loses all gears. No Drive, OD, 1, 2, or R. Well it stopped doing it for a few months, gave me a problem maybe once the whole month, Now its starting to do it again. So i called my trans man yesterday to talk with him some more. He siad the symptons leave him to believe, low fluid, since after it gets its gears back, it usually takes 45secs - 1min. it drives fine for the rest of the day. He said if it kept acting up it sounds liek it was self destructing. He told me to add some fluid, that even though my dip stick is Reading Full it can still be low. So i did. Also earlier that day, i changed out my External Tranmssion Cooler, Just to make sure it wasnt clogged, and that would give me a better idea of the COndition of the Fluid. I replaced the fluid i took out. I also drove it around fine last night. It was this morning, around 10:30 when i was headign to the Good Year store to have a screw removed from my tire that it did it. I lost it right as i was pulling on to the road, so i slam on brakes, through it in nuetral, and push it back behind the stop sign. Wait aroudn 45 seconds and wala it starts to go again. Durign this tiem i do run it through all gears and none of them will work. I am woundering if any of yall might havea suggestion of whats up. My transmission dude is great, but he told me the last thign he wants to do is tear down and have to rebuild the trans again. Mainly for the reason of me being out of a vehicle. But if ide need to get it rebuilt i rather do it now, than when schools in. I go back Aug 5th. He also told me if it does puke out outta warrenty for say 3 or 4 months out, that he wil lstill fix it for free.

Thanks for the help guys!

-Caleb

 

[jgilbs]

hmm - maybe your filter is clogged? was this a new or rebuilt tranny? if rebuilt, amybe it wasnt cleaned out enough inside and there was a lot of crud circulating that couldve messed up your filter. im not a trans guy, so i really dont know, but if i were u, thats what i would suspect.

 

[XplorerKid]

hmm - maybe your filter is clogged? was this a new or rebuilt tranny? if rebuilt, amybe it wasnt cleaned out enough inside and there was a lot of crud circulating that couldve messed up your filter. im not a trans guy, so i really dont know, but if i were u, thats what i would suspect.

Well last time this started happening back in oh bout Februaury March, we changed the fluid and filters and all that. So i doubt its a clogged filter. And i chanded the external again yesterday, i was guna ndo it all, but i didnt couldnt see spendign the Money to do it, but if enough peopel chime in sayign its the internal filter, than i guess ill do it.....

THanks for the help

 

[cjbarron5]

any noise out of the transfer case ? it could be a tcase problem if it is 4x4

 

[JTX]

any noise out of the transfer case ? it could be a tcase problem if it is 4x4

Just curious, But how is that possible?

 

[XplorerKid]

No Noise from the T-Case, but i dotn see how the T-Case can be causing this


A4LD tranyy

if the Conversion kit wasnt so expensive right now i would slap a 700R4 under there.....

 

[Cali' Explorer]

I think what he's getting at is that it could possibly be the Transfer Case slipping out of gear and the transmission is actually working. If the Transfer Case were slipping out of gear, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference unless you were looking at the output shaft from the Transmission.

Might be worth a look.

 

[XplorerKid]

I think what he's getting at is that it could possibly be the Transfer Case slipping out of gear and the transmission is actually working. If the Transfer Case were slipping out of gear, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference unless you were looking at the output shaft from the Transmission.

Might be worth a look.

So how would i go about looking at this? Thanks for the help Guys, Keep it coming

 

[Cali' Explorer]

Well, I guess the first step would be to play around with the Transfer Case when this happens.

Also, this seems to happen immediately after you leave your house every morning. Does it also happen when you leave work or whatever on your way back home? Does it happen at a specific spot in the street or is it just a rough amount of time after you start driving? Have you tried letting it warm up longer to see if that makes any difference?

The real key here is to figure out what is causing the problem by eliminating other possibilities.

 

[XplorerKid]

Not nessecarily In the mornign when i leave, happens at all different times, all different places. Yes i do try and let it sit for a minute or two to warm up.... I cant exactly look at the t-case when this happenes as im usily more tryign to get outta traffics way, like this mornign i had to put it in N and push it back outta the street. It also happened the other nite around 11pm as i was leaving all stars. So its not a time ordeal. Like i said this isnt an everyday orrcurnace either, only when it seems liek it wants to. And usily when i happenes im about 15 - 30 feet from where i was parked......

 

[Cali' Explorer]

Ok, well my first suggestion would be to eliminate the Transfer Case. So, next time it happens (and your at a safe place that you can do this), try putting the Transfer Case in a different range (2 lo, 4 hi, 4 lo, whatever). If you do that and it immediately starts working, that's probably your problem.

Also, if you just leave it in gear for 45 secs to a minute, does it come back, or do you have to shift it into neutral and wait for it to come back?

 

[XplorerKid]

Well ive been running it through all gears to see if i can find oen that works after i cant, i put it back in park and wait, how i know it goes back into drive is i can feel a light jolt in it.....

 

[Cali' Explorer]

It almost sounds like one of the solenoids is not fully engaging/disengaging. Almost like when it shifts it gets stuck in between two gears and until it loosens back up (from heat expansion), its stuck in between. I don't know a ton about the 4.0 Trannies, but isn't there a solid that is known for causing a problem with it getting stuck partially in/partially out?

 

[XplorerKid]

yea, i dont know about any silenoids that are nitorious, but i also dotn know alot abotu transmissions, and havent done as much research as i shoudl have. I jsut know that the A4LD sucks and everyone has problems with them.... im ready to sell this thign and get a jeep, but problem is, every vehicle has a certian problem.... Trans jsut happens to be this one...

 

[Premier]

Would a manual trans from a 3.0 ranger work or no..?
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112725

 

[XplorerKid]

i Doubt a trans for a 3.0 would work, and right now i dont want to swap to a manual.....

 

[Premier]

You dont know how to drive manual?

 

[XplorerKid]

You dont know how to drive manual?

Never said that

But yea also thers alot involved in swappign it over, But yea im thinking bout it, but i just rather deal with drivign i nthe mud than havign to drive and shift in the mud...

But yea i doubt that 3.0 one would bolt up.

 

[XplorerKid]

BUMP!!!!

went to go and leave this mornign and no less i back out into the street and goto put it in drive that it looses all gears :fire:

How hard is it to swap a 5spd in? what ll do i need? i know ill need a 5spd pedal assembly, the trans, a cluth, what else?

Im really startign to hate this truck, everythign is addign up on it and its becoming a pain. :fire:

 

[Cali' Explorer]

Ok, last question, I know you say it doesn't happen all the time. Could you say that it happens at least once a week?

My suggestion still stands that the best bet would be to let it fully warm up and see if the results change. What I mean by fully warm up is go start the X, go inside, get your stuff together, grab a glass of something to drink, head back out and then go.

Another thing you can try, the mechanic should have electronic Diagnostic tools that can be hooked up to your tranny. Maybe you should bring it in, and let him have at it for a day or something... if it is something related to solenoids and what not it should be pretty easy for him to see.

I know that getting a new vehicle sounds like a good idea, but if this one's paid off and runs, I would say its better to put a few hundred into a vehicle that you know the problems on than to spend thousands on something with a whole new set of unknown problems (talking from experience here, trust me).

Good luck man, keep us posted.