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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
My son has a 2000 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0 V6 Automatic. Currently when he first puts it into drive, it will not move until he gets to about 3K. He limped it the 3 miles home and parked it. Unfortunately I am about 150 miles away. Could this be caused by a vacuum leak? I knew it had the codes read about a month ago and it showed vacuum leak but there were no issues whatsoever and I have not been able to assist him with troubleshooting due to my traveling for work. (He is a full time student 4.0 freshman who plays D1 sports and works, this is his first car and knows very little about all things mechanical.)
My son has a 2000 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0 V6 Automatic. Currently when he first puts it into drive, it will not move until he gets to about 3K. He limped it the 3 miles home and parked it. Unfortunately I am about 150 miles away. Could this be caused by a vacuum leak? I knew it had the codes read about a month ago and it showed vacuum leak but there were no issues whatsoever and I have not been able to assist him with troubleshooting due to my traveling for work. (He is a full time student 4.0 freshman who plays D1 sports and works, this is his first car and knows very little about all things mechanical.)
I second the vacuum not being the problem, these trans have no connection to the vacuum system.
Lots of things could go wrong with those transmissions, but first check the fluid level. In park, engine running, with the parking brake set let him pop the hood, pull the dipstick, and see if the fluid comes up to the cold mark (if the car is cold, or warm it up, check the owners manual to be sure). He seems smart, let him read the owners manual either in the car or you can search for it an download from Ford.
Also, dab the fluid on a towel an note its color (red excellent, pink good, brownish pink tired/needs change, black very bad)
Beyond this there are lots of valve body issues, some already mentioned. In layman terms, the trans relies on building up pressure to push gears in place, and if that don't happen you don't move. Adequate fluid level is important too. Bad gaskets in the valve body can cause pressure loss. The transmission may need work.
I second checking the fluid level. Could be low pressure from an internal leak, or worn pump.
However if it was shifting fine and just had problems all the sudden. I'd bet low fluid.
