1998 Explorer XLT and transmission

[ixoxoli]

Hello. I have a 1998 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0 SOHC 4 door. It has 150K miles, of which 50K are mine. I bought it with around 100K. I did not get any paperwork regarding the work done to the car. For the past 10K miles the transmission has been slipping and kicking a bit. Should I do a transmission flush or just drain the flued and replace the filter or not touch it at all due to such high milage. Would like to hear opinions on pros and cons. Thanks alot.
FYI - I have never done transmission fluid change on this vehicle.
Thanks

[Dr98]

Hi

Do not flush it at high mileage and unknown maintenance history. Drop the pan and change the filter.

If a trans hasn't been flushed on a regular basis, what could happen is some debris get's knocked loose inside and blocks something. End result $3,000 flush including total trans rebuild.


******* Most important is that, you put Mercon V (5) transmission fluid in it.**************

Do not use any other type of fluid in it. Mercon 5 is different from the old Dex 3 trans fluid.

Dean

[denisb]

I agree. There are alternatives to using Mercon V . There is an aditive that you can add that will be the equivalent to Mercon V but I guess why not just use Mercon to start of with. I guess thia is for people who did not use the Mercon and then start getting problrems. I think it was mentioned in a previous post on this site.

[ixoxoli]

Originally Posted by denisb

I agree. There are alternatives to using Mercon V . There is an aditive that you can add that will be the equivalent to Mercon V but I guess why not just use Mercon to start of with. I guess thia is for people who did not use the Mercon and then start getting problrems. I think it was mentioned in a previous post on this site.

Thats the thing, i heard those additives are not that good for long run, they help for very short time but overall they make it worse. A lot of mechanics told me that flushing at this stage is very risky so i am thinking what if i just drain the fluid and fill it back up with new one, pretty much like oil change. So doing that is not that risky, correct?

[denisb]

I wouls say you're safe to go in that direction. Remember that your torque probably holds close to half of your fluids, so depending if there's a plug or you have to drop the pan, you might want to empty a couple of times. Not sure if there's other ways around this, but it's still cheaper than a tranny.

Denis

[gorno]

I had trouble with O/D light flashing periodically and decided to drop pan and replace filter and gasket from kit. Did it twice as I forgot to use o-rings on new filter and put in DexIII/Mercon the first time. Second time used o-rings and MercV, but the problem didn't go away and is worse as it now slips in drive and reverse only works when the car is cold. Are there any more non-invasive measures or checks I can make? I've heard other areas (voltage regulators, emissions) can affect shifting, is that true?

[shorod]

Your best bet would be to get the transmission computer codes scanned and see which direction those lead you. If the OD light is flashing, there should be codes. Depending on the codes, you may need to find a scan tool capable of scanning the transmission specifically rather than just the PCM via the OBD-II port.

Are you able to tell if the transmission actually is going into overdrive? Also, what year (I suspect also a 1998), engine, and transmission does your Explorer have?

-Rod

[Dennis D]

I would drop the pan change the filter fluid .