Transmission Woes

[locosol96]

AAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Sorry, had to get that out. OK, so to bring everyone here up to speed....

'99 Explorer XLT 4x4 w/4.0 SOHC. Bought truck for $3,000 "as is". I figured, even if I have to put some work into her, no biggie. Passed MD State Inspection needing only new tires. So, after a few weeks, the dreaded shift flare appeared and the light was blinking. That's what brought me to this awesome forum. Thanks to the advice here, I decided to try a new VB instead of just dropping a new tranny in. Well, it didn't work, so I needed a new tranny.

So, bought a remanufactured one from Phoenix Hard Parts in AZ. Seemed to have friendly service, and the price was right. Gave them my vehicle info, paid them, and waited. Was told it would take 7-10 business days for tranny to ship. This was 3/12. Finally, on 4/3/07, it arrived at my mechanic's shop, but without a torque converter (unbeknownst to either of us, as we both assumed it would be there). So, truck has been in the shop now for a week, I'm paying for a rental, and now there's a new issue- The tranny they sent it the wrong one!!! When I ordered it and gave the guy all my info, he said that I needed a 5R5EE. Well, my mechanic said that when they went to put it in, the one from my X has 1 speed sensor. The one that got shipped has 2. WTF?!?!!? Is this normal? I know that Ford makes umpteen gazillion different trannys, but I would have thought that ordering one for a '99 XLT 4x4 4.0SOHC would be an easy matter. Am I just an idiot and missing something here???

 

[BrooklynBay]

Don't worry about this issue. Some of them have an extra sensor. Just plug your wiring harness into it. If your harness required the extra sensor, and it didn't have one, then it would be a problem.

 

[locosol96]

OK, I see what you're saying. But, my mechanic said that the trans they sent is a "real naked" one, and that since my truck only had 1, and the new one has 2, there's an extra hole. So, if they go to put it in, fluid is going to come out since there will be a hole? I'm so confused. I'm fairly handy and can fix some basic to moderate things, but this is all beyond me. The expertise/advice of you all is greatly appreicated!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Don't remove the sensor from the new one. It will leak without the sensor. Is the mechanic saying that they shipped it without the sensor?

 

[locosol96]

Yes, that is what he is saying.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The easiest thing to do is to contact them, and tell them to ship you a sensor. The other alternative is to send the transmission back, and get the correct one. Try the sensor idea first.

 

[locosol96]

OK, I called the shop (Phoenix) and the guy there told me that it's the correct tranny, and that all I have to do is have a "dead sensor" put in the hole, and just plug mine into the correct sensor.....

 

[BrooklynBay]

Where do they expect you to get a dead sensor? Maybe the guy installing it might have one. I think they should send you one. Price how much a new one would be if you can't get a used one. You might be able to get one in a junkyard from a bad transmission.

 

[locosol96]

I had my mechanic get one from a junkyard.....

So, got the X back on Wednesday night. Right away I noticed a total difference, just shifting into reverse. Everything is nice and tight. Shifts are perfect. Truck runs great. Now that I have it running right, I see why everyone here likes them so much.

So, after all is said and done- Price was good-$769.00, plus $230 shipping (both ways), and the $350 core charge which I'll get back. Customer service was average. Took a long time to get Dewayne on the phone whenever I called. Communication was poor. They never bothered to call and tell me that the torque converters were running late.

All in all, I think I got a good deal. I didn't want to put a $2,100 Jasper in this thing, since I bought it for $3,000. If I get another 100,000 out of this tranny, I'll be very happy. We'll see.....Thanks to all for your advice!