Hi all and thank you for having this group for discussion. My wife has a 2002 Explorer and at 65k we are having transmission problems. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd you here a slip (motor rev) and going into over-drive it chatters. I have talked with several people and I also had my next door neighbor drive it as he works for Porsche and previously worked for Ford. My question is it worth breaking the tranny apart and replacing the bad clutches and the torque converter or having someone else put a news tranny in with a new torque converter. I have also been told this could have been caused by the transmission cooler being clogged in the radiator and I plan on installing an external cooler. Thanks for any advise you can give. Jimmy

I guess you already have completely flushed the transmission? If not, I thing you should do that first. People drain some, but if not completely flushed and the filter changed it will do the same. This isn't caused by the transmission cooler as much as it is burning out the fluid. Yes a larger or additional cooler will help, but flushing the cooler every 50-75k or just when the fluid gets very used. I can't tell you have to determine that other then looking at new fluid and looking at the fluid in the transmission. Good luck with the rebuild. Oh make sure to the the transmission place that warranties or gauarantees it the longest. They will be the most expensive, but the cost is more desireable then another rebuild down the road.   CR

Jimmy

I took it to one place when it first started. Mr. Transmission. I will mention their name because I don't think they did what they said they would do. The reason I get this feeling is when I went to pick it up I had to ask for an receipt of the work. :(   I checked with Ford Performance and they will rebuild for around $3000 with (I can't remember) 30K or 60K warranty.   I have talked with my neighbor and he's thinking if we rebuild ourselves it might be around $500-800 depending on parts and some tools that we will have to buy.   Thanks for the information.     Jimmy
The Falls HOA
Traylor Head's Digital World

Jimmy, which transmission is it? My kid has a 97 explorer with the 4R55E  transmission in it. The hard problem is getting that sucker out of the vehicle if it has the transfer case (ie 4x4). Lots of work. I am right in the middle of repairing his tranny. I am about 1/3 of the way through it. I bought a manual and a complete rebuild kit through ebay. So far nothing hard but I am jut=st tearing it dowm. The only special tool needed was replaced by a C clamp. I think just about any of us who are reasonable competent with a wrench can do this. I hope so. Because I don't have the money. Oh, the manual was 15 or 20 bucks and the repair kit with all the clkutch disks and steels (as they are called) in a kit was about 150 bucks. So lots cheaper if you can doi this your self..   And if you have 4x4 it may not be the tranny at all. It may be just the torque converter or xfer case    mayf, out in Pahrump, NV

Thanks for the information.   Ours is a 4x2 and like I said this one will need the torque converter as well as the rebuild.  I've got to get some things ordered and I'll get started on it.  Guess I will leave my Dodge our in the rain  :(   My wife's Ford... Jimmy
The Falls HOA
Traylor Head's Digital World

Jimmy, today I fabricated a simple stand to hold the tranny vertical for disassembly. So far there have been no special tools that I absolutely had to have. I am almost finished with the teardown, only the final reverse system to take out. I think it is reverse, but certainly it is the last itemleft in the case. A couple of transducers to remove and it will be done. Then I start piece by piece cleaning and reassembling. The kit I bought has all new bands, new clutch disks and steel plates as well as a million o-rings and seals. Again, I think the hardest part is getting the tranny out from under the car. With 4 x 2 it shuld be easier than what I had to do. I'll keep you informed of my progress. I have never rebuilt one of these but I need to learn because my race car uses a hopped up AOD for a tranny. So far the only tools have been a 17 mm end wrence, a 17 mm socket, a 5.5 mm sllen wrence and a #30 torx bit. Oh and a couple of screw drivers and a c-clamp.   mayf,out in soggy Pahrump...

no pressing gears? I got a manual about completely done, but then I couldn't get a gear pressed off. I tood it to a tranny guy I know and let him finish it up. Ring pliers, allen wrench, torx bits (big ones for a 1/2 drive normally) Like he said. 3,000 is a lot, put paying 3,000 later for it getting redone is worse. I have done this type of work, but after getting it out and the pain, I can say I won't do it again. I think a lot of people that can do it.  

No doubt you can do it cheaper yourself just buying parts / kits. But unless your friend has experience rebuilding an auto trans - I wouldn't get into it myself. Lotta basic mechanic shops won't do em because theyre tricky things. A rebuild shouldn't cost more than around $2000 maybe 2300. I'd ask around a little see if anyone can give you a recommendation on a worthwhile independent. Ford dealer is going to be high no doubt. > >

You know what's interesting here, and specifically the 2002 Explorer, is that the question doesn't even address the fact that the transmission failed at 65,000 miles. That doesn't seem to be a very good transmission. Is that typical for transmissions for other vehicles? And if not I wonder if Ford is going to help people out like me, who had to spend $2,500 for a transmission that failed at 55,000 miles. The issue here is that I am not alone. I have been to a website, where there are hundreds of people complaining about the same thing.

I guess if Ford isn't going to stand by their product, then I would suggest that people not buy a Ford product.

I would be very interested to hear a response.

My 2002 explorer lost 2nd gear (so I was told) at 57000 miles, and 7 months later one of the bands failed. It was still covered by the overhaul 12000 mile 12 month warranty, so the additional $1400 was not charged. 2002 was anespecially bad year for the explorer transmissions, and Ford is not the least interested in accomodating what I am convinced is a lemon. I plan to write a third time to their CEO to ask what additional damage I can expect. It is pretty clear that they knew about putting defective transmissions in these vehicles, but just like mny of our politicians, will not assume any responsibility.

One thing I forgot to ask. Is there a class action lawsuit against ford for this obvious deliberate defective transmission installation in 2002 ford explorers? If there were, I would be very interested.

Just had the front band replaced on my 2002 red lemon ford explorer and discovered something very interesting. Until this latest repair, the vehicle cruised 60 mph at ~2200 rpm and 50 mph at ~1800 rpm. Since this most recent repair, it now cruises 60 mph at 1800 rpm and 50 mph at 1500 rpm. So far as I could tell, it was always in 5th gear. Does this mean that something in the transmission was slipping all the time, and now whatever it was is not slipping? Did I also mention that the trans went out at 57K and failed again just over 5K later?

Ford's CEO will be receiving another letter from me.