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Follow up regarding 2000 Explorer Sport Vibration at 65+mph

Hello, I had posted some time ago with a high-speed vibration complaint with my 2000 Explorer Sport 2wd. I had BF Goodrich 30x9.50 tires on the vehicle at that time. Replaced the rear shocks and the vibration went away for a bit but then came back about a month later worse than ever. So I got the tires replaced though they looked new; should have listened to Jim Warman when he suggested that first but it was too tempting to spend $40 on rear shocks than a few hundred on tires. I got the tires replaced with Michelin LTX M/S 275/75R15 (stock size i.e.) and the truck is now back to being smoother than ever. It rides way better, is much quieter than before, and does not seem to have any noticeable vibration at any speed. As a bonus, the fuel mileage has improved a bit and it is no longer prone to violent bump steer as before. So thanks for the tire recommendation, Jim :).

I must also give kudos to Discount Tire. They had sold me the BFG tires originally and they took em in for trade cause they had barely worn out; with 40k miles on em, the tires looked as good as new. I got a pretty good deal on the Michelins and it all softened the financial impact a bit. I also learnt about "high flotation tires" though I am still vague on what that term means so any explanations appreciated :).

Once again, I am happy with my Explorer though I was seriously thinking of trading it in because of this issue. Sanity took over and I realized that the trade-in loss would be much worse than taking a final gamble on the tires. Changing the tires and the tranny fluid (manual tranny was getting hard to shift with 42k on the truck) has really helped the truck a lot; I went with Redline D4 ATF since it met the Dexron III requirement that Ford has for the manual tranny.

Hope this helps someone else out there dealing with a similar problem.

Regards, AB.

Reply to
AB
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I also started out with 30x9.50's when I got my 96 XLT back in 2000. They rode rough, and had a howl on them at speeds of over 50 MPH, no vibration, but it was uncomfy. I went with Michelin LTX A/T's and it was 100% better.

I have 125k on the car right now, original tranny/engine/clutch and notice a hard shifting lately, usually when it's (temp and car) hot but not always. I'm thinking with the mileage it's the synchros, since I've changed the tranny fluid a few times now with Synthetic Dexron III but I might try the Redline stuff next time I change it.

Does anyone know the typical life of the 1996 era trannies, A4LD I think, can't remember (manual shift) ? And clutches as well. I've heard good stories of 130k miles on an original clutch, and also heard of 50k as well depending on use/abuse.

TIA,

-IanCT

Reply to
IanCT

Hello, When I began looking at Explorers 4 years ago (coming from compact imports like the MR2 and the CRX), I looked at a 91 Sport that the original owner was selling: 180k with original engine, manual tranny (Mazda MT1? A4LD is the automatic I think), and clutch. Now that was pretty impressive and I have been an Explorer-head since :). My 2000 Sport is about as basic a truck as you can get these days until the Crosslander

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gets here.

I have read in various other auto groups that synthetic tranny fluids without some sort of friction additive are too slippery for most manuals, esp. in the cold weather. Redline seems to indicate that they have these additives and speaking anecdotally, most experiences I know of have been very positive when the right oil was chosen for the application. YMMV of course. BTW, I bought the Redline D4 from Summit Automotive

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$40 for a gallon jug and my Explorer tranny used a little over half of it.

I was rather disappointed at how bad the state of the existing tranny oil was in my truck at only 42k (factory manual says change at 60k): brown, sludgy, and the magnetic drain plug had about a ladybug-sized clump of metal attached to it. The improvement in my tranny after the oil change was immediate and amazing with all the hard shifting (esp. into third) pretty much gone. A little trick: I let the old oil drain and then pumped in a bit of the new oil to flush stuff out before replacing the drain plug and refilling the tranny proper.

Hope you get to figure out a way to extend the life of your Explorer's tranny.

Regards, AB.

Reply to
AB

How can a tranny fluid be "too slippery" in a manual? If it had a wet clutch, I could understand.

Reply to
bill

Up to this point, I thought you were yanking my chain!

I wonder if this is actually a problem?

Reply to
bill

I've heard that different transmission oils can have very different results. From silky smooth to notchy shifting to total transmission failure. This is all from different people with the same type transmission using the same brand of fluid.

As has been mentioned before, the manufacturer does do a considerable amount of research into making sure the fluids recommended for the vehicle works properly, for most situations. The consumer can use most any fluid that meets the specifications. Depending on driving style, the chosen fluid may or may not give satisfactory performance.

Reply to
rakster

Maybe it depends on what type you had in the transmission before hand (a little mixing going on) causing the different results... FWIW...

:)

Reply to
IanCT

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