92 4x4 Explorer auto tranny prob

Thought I had a serious oil leak but obviously it was trans fluid. It looked and felt like dirty oil. Tightened the pan bolts and the leak stopped...temporarily. Drove it 100 miles and ran fine but next day it does not find any gears. Did I just run out of tranny fluid and none of the gears work... by adding new fluid will the tranny come back? Or am I wasting my time by changing the filter, gasket & fluid.

Put fluid in there ASAP!!! Thats why you have no gears. You may do irreprable harm if you try to drive it. I would suggest doing a filter and gasket also if it looked pretty dirty and was leaking too. Make sure everything is in good shape in there while your at it. Keep us posted. Good Luck, Mike

Mike, boy, was I lucky... Added 3 quarts and got the gears back...then changed the filter & new fluid and back in business. Lesson, check for leaks frequently and check fluid levels regularly...know your car. Don't you think most big tranny places would've not been fair?

Welcome to the quirky world of Ford Transmissions. Keep an eye on your fluid because the transmission modulator is a common problem on these also. If you start to notice fluid disapearing and don't know where its going, you've found your problems. Hope everything stays right with you Explorer.
Mike