What I learned yesterday

[mkcrawford]

This may be old news to some, but thought I'd post some information that I learned regarding tires, rims, and tranny.
I bought some directional rims to replace my ugly factory rims. I went to Tires Plus to have them installed and my current tires mounted and balanced. They did the work and balanced them to 0.25, which I am told is standard. Note: They reported that my shocks were original equipment and would need to be replaced soon (185K on the X). I found this hard to believe and thought that they were probably replaced before I bought it with factory shocks. Anyway, I took it out on I-35 and noticed a little shake at about 60-65 mph. I needed to take it back to have the lugs re-torqued, so I told them about the shake. They were very happy to put it back on the balance machine and see what the problem was. He called and said the steering looked good and they rebalanced it to 0.07. He said that the shake might be the shocks, so I told him to go ahead and replace them. He also said that the tires that are on it are two sizes to big, based on the door placard. It says tire size should be 225r15 and what I have on there is 235r15. He said there is a very slight chance this is causing the shake, but that what this does is make the truck shift gears later than normal. He said I should have my tranny serviced more often with the bigger tires. I'm not sure what all that means, but I had been noticing that the truck shifts at a high rpm.

Anyone have any suggestions or ideas to help clue me in as to what service to a tranny means? How much does that usually run?

 

[Fischer]

You'll just have to change the fluid more often as you are now stressing the transmission just a little bit more. No big deal. You can have someone drain it and use Mercon ATF (with that year it is probably best to stay away from synth.) to refill. People here usually don't take it to a Quick-Lube style place as they usually use a pump (flush) that may damage parts internally. Or you could do it yourself. Do a search on transmission service and I am sure there will be some information on how to tackle that job.

Also look up secondary transmission filters.

Good Luck

 

[Alec]

235 75 15 tires are a standard size for the Explorer. I've never heard of 215s from the factory, but I have heard of 225/70s. But the vast majority of Xs came with 235/75s/15s. The tire shake is most likely due to tire balance, alignment, or some play in the steering or suspension. That shake, as long as it's mild, is normal on early Xs.

After having my tranny blow early, I recommend tranny service fairly often. Ford I think recommends 30k, which is normal. I'm gonna do mine once a year. So for the average joe, 20-25k would be a good interval. However, on a tranny with 185k miles, service may actually cause failure. I'd call a reputable tranny shop, a chain such as Cottman Transmissions, and see what they recommend.

 

[X-1]

shake

My 93 came stock with 251-75-15's on a four wheel drive, and 3.27 gear ratio to boot!! Anyway about the shake, grease your frontend parts, a dry joint can give you a little shake. Your front parts may be okay, just worn, and the larger tires are pointing that out to you. Also check wheel bearings for play that will definitely give you a shimy at 60 miles per hour. I replaced all my bushing, which tightened up the front end, but showed me that my bearings were loose, or sloppy.

 

[rpenner54]

I have 215's on my 4-door 4x4. I also have 3.23 gears too! All the good stuff for off-roading!

I do have some 235's that I took from two-tone that I will put on eventually though.

 

[mkcrawford]

Thanks for all the info. I checked my door placard and it says 225-70-r15sl. The tires that are on it are 235-75-r15. I called that Cottman Transmission and made an appointment for their free trans 21 check. We'll go from there.

Thanks again

 

[X-1]

no problem

Hopefully that helped you.