trouble shooting automatic trans problems

[adctp13]

hello my name is alex...i have a stock 93 ford explorer xlt my transmisson went out or so i thought went to the junk yard pulled another replace the bad wit the used and ended with the same result, i then replaced the t.c. ended up in the same spot. so a friend of mine mentioned the transfercase...i was under the impression that the transfluid flowed threw the trans to the transfer case so when i reatached my transfercase to the transmission originaly when i first changed the trans out i did not fill the transfercase...is this the root of my problem? if so remedies please...i appricate the time taken to read my post n await yourr responses.

 

[vq5speed]

When I had to drop my TC to remove my tranny I never drained any oil out and no oil came out. I just put it back on never added any oil never had any problems with it. I think you just got another bad transmission. Unfortunately it is a big pain to drop a tranny but your just going to have to keep trying to find a good one from the yard. I would try to find a Explorer that is wrecked smashed. At least you know it was running before it was junked. Pulling one out of X that is not wrecked you don't know if its there cause the tranny is gone.

 

[adctp13]

Now when u say tc are u talking tourq converter or transfer case? Because both have fluid in them...and if none came out and you put none back in I dnt understand how u wouldn't have blown your trans tourqe converter or transferca
se to pieces running it unlubrecatted.

 

[vq5speed]

Transfer Case. you said Transfer Case That's not what your talking about? The Torque Conventer yes oil does flow through that from within the tranny.

What were the symptom of your original transmission?

 

[natenkiki2004]

You need to have fluid in the transfer case. But, if you didn't drain it then you shouldn't have to fill it. That's probably not the problem though, I can't remember seeing anything where someone actually broke the transfer case in their Explorer, just the electric shift motor has issues.

With that said, it would be a good idea to drain out the transfer case, just undo the drain plug (also undo the fill plug first) and let it drip out while you get the transmission out/in.

 

[adctp13]

Ok so if the shift motor were out what would replacing it intail cost and labor? could yhou burn that motor up by trying to use the tranny while the transfercase were empty of all fluids?

 

[adctp13]

Ok so if the shift motor were out what would replacing it intail cost and labor? could yhou burn that motor up by trying to use the tranny while the transfercase were empty of all fluids?

 

[natenkiki2004]

The shift motor is external and has no fluid. It wouldn't know if the transfer case was full or empty, it wouldn't care either. All it does is turn a dial on the transfer case to switch from 2H to 4H or 4L.

Take a look:
http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/ae203/jds3403/bw 1354/1354transfer.jpg

There is no neutral on the Explorer's transfer case so either the shift motor got stuck halfway (even then, it may still find a gear?) or the transfer case is blown.


All this aside, I don't think you have a transfer case issue. You would probably hear some clunking/grinding or some other nasty sound if it started failing.

You've not mentioned the symptoms you're having. Does the trans fail to work in all gears, even manual 1 & 2? Have you checked the fluid level while running?

 

[adctp13]

All fluid levels are good, tource converter is new, engine turns over and runs fine sounds great but will not shift into any gear. No noises or funny clunks or clanks engine simply revs up likes its going to shift and then idles back down with no results

 

[natenkiki2004]

If it stays revved down while in gear, it must mean that you're pushing fluid and engaging some of the clutches at least. I drained the ATF fluid in mine and found that I had to add a lot more fluid than anyone says. Mine would lower the revs for a few seconds while in gear and then rev back up again, indicating that it ran out of fluid in the pan to keep the clutches engaged.

What kind of condition was the vehicle in that you pulled the used trans from? As mentioned on here, you gotta find one that was wrecked, not one that has a perfect body. You could have just pulled the short straw and got another problem trans.

If I were you, I would rebuild one. They don't seem insanely difficult. There's some excellent how-to's on here and there's the ATSG manual that shows breakdowns. Getting it off the engine and out from underneath the car seems like the hard part to me, especially if you have 2 of them now.

 

[vq5speed]

All fluid levels are good, tource converter is new, engine turns over and runs fine sounds great but will not shift into any gear. No noises or funny clunks or clanks engine simply revs up likes its going to shift and then idles back down with no results

What you mean New converter, Brand new? Did you fill the converter up with oil before you installed it. It can hold almost 5 qts by itself and just putting it in empty will take awhile to pump the oil into it. How many qts of oil have you put in. With a empty converter the tranny can hold as much as 9 quarts! You just might need more tranny oil..