What's the deal with 1st gen Explorer Trannys?

[sirhk100]

I'm looking to get a 91-94 Explorer and it seems like a majority of them have rebuilt trannys if they have over 100k on the odometer. Is this common for them to only last this long or am I looking at the runts of the Explorer species? My Honda has 200k plus and runs awesome but I guess it is a honda. Our CJ7 had 160,000 when the tranny went out but that was only cause we flopped it on it's side and failed to check the fluid level once she was righted. Blew up on the drive home. (Expensive mistake!)

 

[914x4sport]

Why thats simple my freind , the A4ld is the WORST TRANNY EVER...They love to explode, Im on my third, dont get me wrong I love the fact that I have to continually replace/rebuild trannies...Its just a fact of life...The interior of the A4ld is extremely small in comparison to the rather large 4.0 thats crankin down on it...The parts are weak and they just dont hold up

 

[2mrchio]

True. I just sold my 93 XLT, over 170,000 miles, on its original tranny. I said a prayer before it left my driveway...

 

[Ray Hutchinson]

A4LD: Maintenance is Key!

While I wouldn't argue that the A4ld is a great transmission, there are some things that can be done to extend their life. You might want to check if the truck you want to buy has had or has the following things:

Primarily, heat and dirt are the enemy of all automatic trannys, and since the A4ld isn't exactly the most trouble free of trannys, it is even more important. First, I reccomend you look for a truck that has the factory towing package. This gives you a tranny cooler that the non tow units don't have. (also gives you 3.73 diff gears for more power off road). If no tow package, at least an aftermarket cooler. Also only get ones that you have access to the maintenance records that show frequent trans services.. at least every 30K mi.and preferably a full flush, not just a pan drop/ filter. A full flush also gets the fluid in the torque converter (over half of the capacity of the trans). If the vehicle has towed or done much O.R., it should have been serviced more often. I do a full flush on mine about every 15K mi.

 

[01EB5.0]

Brian, You sold your truck? What happened?

 

[2mrchio]

Travis, I sold it to my father-in-law, and bought a 97 EB in February.

 

[01EB5.0]

Ahhh. Hows the 97 been for you? I really wish I had an eddie bauer model..oh well

 

[2mrchio]

Very sweet. Every option for that year but the v8. I got it at Carmax in Schaumburg. My 93 was getting up there in age, but was otherwise running great. I just wanted a newer model with a warranty, among other things.

 

[Jason94sport]

How about the manual trannies?? How do they hold up?

 

[John Kelly]

I'm running my 93 XLT now at 179,000, but I've had two trannies at approximately 80,000 miles each. I have also had to put in a factory rebuilt engine (4.0). Engine went at 152,000. Can't say I'm totally dissatisfied with the vehicle though. Just had the rear rocker panel gone over to clean up the rust. As far as the trans goes, I'm still having problems with shifting from 1st to 2nd when its cold. It seems to require additional pressure (shifts at 25 MPH) until the trans warms up. It's the most difficult in the winter when you need it most. I've had it to three different shops including AAMCO, but no one seems to be able to correct the problem. I suspect there's a design flaw in the modulator, possibly a bimetal situation that prevents shifting until the metal warms. But what do I know!!

 

[Maniak]

John,
Here's a link for a fix for the slow 1-2 shift when cold..

Dead Link Removed

 

[John Kelly]

Thanks Mark,

I'll look into this service immediately. I don't understand why the professionals can't figure this out.

 

[Lamah]

i have a 91 explorer which had its trans replaced once. the odometer is at 171k.

how can you tell if you have a towing package? anything that i can look for that would tell me ?

thanks,
Jeff aka Lamah

 

[espnfreak]

brian whats up man? we both live in south elgin. what mods do ya got for your truck and where do ya live, maybe we could work on mods together

 

[2mrchio]

Even though it is an EB, and has every available option already in it except for the v8, it is relatively stock. As of right now the only thing I have done is change the oil to Mobil 1, which resulted in a noticable MPG gain.

I live near the intersection of Spring St. & McLean Blvd.

 

[Lamah]

that could just be because it needed an oil change