Ford Explorer Tranny - Driving Me Crazy

[f-x-d-w-g]

I'm about to shoot the thing.  It's still dripping fluid.  I replaced the pan gasket (and filter) and the fill tube which had two holes rusted through it.  Now I'm wondering if one of the cooling lines could have sprung a leak or if there's an internal seal leaking.  I know nothing about these things and I'm not equipped (or inclined) to remove the thing from the car.

It's a 2000 Explorer with a 4.0L SOHC and 4-speed OD automatic.  The car has 115K miles and is 10 years old so I'm not interested in paying someone to fix it.

Can anyone tell me about the routing of the cooling lines and if there are replaceable flexible sections?  It's so tight under the car that I don't think anyone bigger than a 10 year old kid could reach any parts.

Very frustrated...

[f-x-d-w-g]

Any Ford tech out there who could post a picture of the cooling lines and their routing?

[motorplex88]

You might have a shift shaft seal leaking, or possibly the front pump seal. Not sure without looking but the shift shaft seal might be able to be replaced externally but the pump seal requires trans removal. If you can get things cleaned up enough {brake clean and blow dry with compressed air} use baby powder on all suspected leaking points and it will show up quick where it's coming from. Good luck.

[f-x-d-w-g]

Thanks, Motorplex.  I didn't think of the shifter shaft seal (and I've replaced that part on my Wide Glide... )  I'll give those it a look-see.

If it's nothing I can replace externally, the car gets traded in.

[f-x-d-w-g]

Well, it's not the shifter shaft seal or the cooling lines.  It appears to be coming from the pan/gasket area.  I just replaced the gasket and torqued the bolts to 108 inch-pounds (9 ft-lb) using a criss-cross pattern starting at the middle of the pan and working towards the front and back.  I threw in  bottle of transeal and plan to go out and drive the car a bit and hope for the best.  I really don't want to remove the pan again but, if I have to, I'll pull it, clean it, and slap it up against a window pane and see if a feeler gauge will slip under it.   

My Dad suggested possibly a warped pan.  Any agreement or further suggestions?  I did replace the derby cover on my brother's Evo due to leaking primary fluid.  It was warped.  (Does the previous statement make this bike related?)

[motorplex88]

If the pan gasket you replaced with your filter was one of those cheesy ultra thin types, these will give problems. I prefer cork style personally but the other composites seem to work ok but use a gasket that's 1/8 in. thick. You can check your pan surface for flatness but I can't imagine it being so bad that the bolts would'nt pull it up.  Also install with all surfaces dry and no RTV gook. Don't give up yet.

[f-x-d-w-g]

I talked with a local garage mechanic and he's betting the rubber gasket is torn.  It looks like it's squished out between the tranny and pan a bit at the front even though I was very careful with the torque wrench.

I went to the Ford dealer and ordered a cork gasket which has metal inserts which they claim can't be cruhed.  Also went to Sears for some tools.  Since I had to remove the front driveshaft to drop the pan, and the bolts are too close to get a socket on, and they're torx, that's what I used.  My torx bit broke off in one of the bolts and I had to remove it with an open end wrench.  That took a lot of time...

I'll keep trying.

[ULTRADOG]

i work for ford parts get the new style gasket it should stop the leak if it still leaks its probably the front seal and like said the trans has to come out

[motorplex88]

Cork gasket, metal insert 

[bikerdude57tx]

Make sure the vent on top of tranny is not pluged

[f-x-d-w-g]

Vent on top of the tranny?  I didn't think of that but I'll look.  Is it jut a short L-shaped tube like on the Magna transfer cases or is it that open ended tube that extends down the left side of the tranny?

Too cold here right now to lay in the driveway so my wife will continue driving my car until I get it done...  I'll post the final result and, as always, I really appreciate the suggestions.

[northbrun]

when replacing the gasket, after you remove and clean the pan remember to "releave" the bolt holes. they get pulled in towards the trans when being tightened, and if not releaved they are closer to the trans than the rest of the sealing serfice. place the lip on a 2x4 trans side up and using the ball end of a ball pein hammer gently tap the holes back into shape. it's ok if you go a little to far, as when tightning the pan thay will "crush back into shape. good luck

[f-x-d-w-g]

Great idea, Northbrun!

I'm concerned now that the vent might be plugged and, if it is, how to upen it up and where it is.  Can anyone post a drawing or picture that shows the location of the vent?  I know there's an open metal tube which hangs down the left side of the tranny.

[motorplex88]

The vent will be located near the top of the trans  just to the right or left of center and a little towards the rear. The metal tube you are speaking of is probably what your after, maybe a couple of inches long. Some are a swedge fit into the trans and some screw in. Others have a plastic vent that is very short and is threaded. If it's threaded, take it out and clean it. If it's a pressed in tube it would probably be easier to simply take a piece of small wire lightly coated with grease and run up the tube gradually grabbing the dirt until you reach the end. Then shoot a little brake clean to make sure it's not blocked. I use alot of brake clean, can you tell. You might get a little crap into the trans, but not enough to hurt. Glad somebody thought of the vent cause I damned sure forgot .

[hawwk]

On that transmission there are 2 round covers on the right side just above the pan. They are prone to leaking and will make it look like the pan gasket, seen this happen quite a bit. If they are leaking they are a pain to change if laying on your back. they have a o-ring that goes around the cover and they get hard and leak .You might need a mirror to see if that area is wet. The oil from these will seep on top of the pan and run around it making you think the pan is leaking. Fixed three different vihicles this past week like this

[motorplex88]

Sounds like hawwk and others has  good ideas and hands on duties to me. I'll bow out and quit speaking in generalizations as I can't remember working on that specific trans  {55R55W OD or someting like that}. Good luck and let us know.

[f-x-d-w-g]

Hawwk, I saw one of those near the front of the tranny.  How is that thing removed/replaced?  And as long as I have your attention, what's that fiberglass thingy clipped to the right side of the tranny?  It's shaped like a heat shield and it is between the pipes and tranny but I've never heard of fiberglass being used as a heat shield.

I did some searching yesterday for a drawing of the tranny.  I was unsuccessful but one site said the tranny is vented through the fill/dipstick tube.  Comments?

[hawwk]

F X   That piece you are talking about is a heat shield to try and keep some heat away from the tranny. To change those o-rings on the cover is a PIA. there is a steel ring that holds the cover in that sometimes seizes in the groove so you have to work at it to get it out with some small screwdrivers and hooks. You might have to tap the cover in a bit to make it a little easier. To get the cover out after the clip is removed I drive the vehicle with the rear wheels off the ground and when it shifts into that gear the cover sometimes will blow out far enough for you to get it.When it comes out you should have 3 peices the cover, the servo piston and the spring, nothing will fall out of place in trans when you do this. You will see the o-ring on the cover and it will probably be hard and flat or else you will see a cut in it.Whike the cover is out try and clean the corrsion out of the snap ring groove and just behind it where the seal rides on. When installing it back in trans put the piston in the cover and put the spring on the shaft, put some kind of assy lube on everything and install everything together,this is where you need 3 hands sometimes. You a pry bar and maybe a socket against the cover and push it back into the hole while holding it in you will need to put the snapring back in and make sure it is seated in the groove all the way around,then let the cover come out against the ring..After it is all together you can run it through the gears again and make sure it 's not leaking.This job  is much easier if you have use of a hoist doing it on the ground on yoyr back it is to hard because there is not to much room.You also might have to drop the exhaust hangers or loosen trans mount to give youself some more room

[hawwk]

Sorry I forgot about the vent. It is at the rear of the case on the top. On 2wd drive vehicles it will have just a vent cap on it and most 4wd will have a hose on it that runs to the front of the trans

[f-x-d-w-g]

Oh, joy - that sounds like a lot of fun.  I've got a set of ramps which will lift the truck about a foot but that's it.  I've been dragging my feet due to the 10-20 degree temperatures but it's supposed to get up to about 40 tomorrow.

BTW, it's a 4WD and, being in upstate NY with all the salt, there's a lot of rust on the exhaust and such.  This is really a pain to work on.  I'll check those plugs out tomorrow.

[f-x-d-w-g]

I replaced the gasket yesterday with the Ford cork gasket with steel inserts to prevent squashing the gasket.  I was unable to move the front side cover on the tranny due to lack of room.  Both ends of the snap ring are out of the groove and the cover is cocked in the opening with the rim bout flush with the side of the tranny where the snap ring ends are free.

I tried moving the cover using a tire iron and prying against the exhaust but it wouldn't budge.  So today I'm going to try to make a tool to get at it.  My plan is to use some scrap steel and weld up a "C" shape.  I'll drill and tap a hole in one of the legs of the "C" for a bolt.  I'll try to fit the "C" around the exhaust pipes and against the frame and use the bolt as a jack to push the plug back into the tranny enough to clean the groove and reseat the snap ring.

I'm laying on my back to do this and it's really a cluster-fu(k but I hate to give up.  If it appears I can move the cover but can't remove it to replace the o-ring, I'll gob it up with high-temp silicone and hope for the best.  I'm tired of the smoking and the mess in the driveway not to mention the constant checking of the fluid level in my wife's work car.

[hawwk]

If the cover is cocked the oring is going to be cut, probably corrosion put the ring out.As I said before it is a PIA job to do on your back, you might have to take it to a shop to get it done. You probably have some independent tranny shops in your area that should be able to fix it at a resonable price for you. This is a pressure area so silocone won't work there

[f-x-d-w-g]

Thanks for your input, Hawwk.  I made a screw jack out of some scraps I had in my garage.  Braced it against th frame and turned it with a wrench.  I got the plug pushed in and the retaining ring popped out and immediately fell into two pieces.  Yes, t was rusty.  Too bad the silicone won't work...  There's a local garage I trust so after I get the new ring (Tuesday), I'll pop it in and go talk to the garage.

[hawwk]

Fx That's good you found the problem hope your friend can help you

[f-x-d-w-g]

AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I found the proper retaining ring and o-ring at a Ford dealer about 40 miles to the north.  It was a nice ride except for the wind-blown sand stinging the face and the ice on Oneida Lake.

Thought I'd take a chance and not install the new o-ring.  Surprisingly I was able to work the snap ring into the groove with a common screwdriver that I'd notched the blade of to keep the ring from slipping.  Went out for a test drive and everything was great!  It was no longer dropping out of overdrive.

Then, after about 10-12 miles the OD Off light came on.  Dammit!  I went home and got out to look to see if the cap had slipped again.  Tranny fluid was literally pouring out on the ground!!  The ring had popped out of the groove and the cap was crooked again.  Fortunately the heat shield prevented anything from falling out.  Sure am glad I took a long test drive before giving the car back to my wife...

It snowed last night and the car's outside so I won't likely be working on it today.  My final try before taking it to the dealer will be to replace the o-ring, CLEAN the groove, and pop it back together.  But first I'll see if I can get an inspection mirror up in there with a flashlight and see if the groove is damaged.  I really don't see why a brand new retaining ring would pop out like that.

BTW, the dealer quoted me 3 hours at $88/hour plus new exhaust hardware to do the job.  I figure around $400.  I've got about 3 weeks into this and am about ready to throw in the towell and let the pros have a shot.