I have a 1994 with 200,000 miles and an automatic trans. I had the trans flushed about 2 months ago. Not a fluid change but the power flush system. In the past two weeks the first time I put in reverse it has taken 10 seconds or so to go into gear. After driving it for a little while the problem goes away and it shifts into reverse normally. The trans works fine in dive, shifts crisply with no delay. The torque converter locker works great. It's only in reverse and only when you first drive the truck after it has sat for a day or so. Any ideas at to what is causing this is it something I can fix?
You're problem sounds vaguely like a torque convertor drainback valve concern... I say vaguely since I am assuming that the problem occurs only because you back out of your driveway after about a 12 hour "cold soak" and you haven't tried to reproduce it in a forward gear position. Check the fluid level in the trans before you start it in the AM..... note the level on the dipstick..... start the motor and recheck the fluid level after 2 or
3 minutes of idling..... note the level on the dipstick. If the dipstick shows overfull on the first check and normal on the second, the convertor is draining back into the pan.... likely some crap caught in the valve.
Since the transmission has 200,000 miles on it, if it were mine, I would likely shy away from a stop gap repair. With this kind of mileage, the transmission has served you well and there are (more than likely) other issues that could raise their ugly heads during the repair process.
Dave, all automatic transmissions are equipped with some sort of torque convertor anti drainback feature. The fluid level in the torque convertor is much higher tha the fluid level in the pan.... without some sort of control, the fluid level in the convertor and the fluid level in the transmission. would equalize. Since the convertor is a fluid coupling in the purest sense of the word, no fluid means no drive - at least until the convertor fills again.
Jim, That sounds about right. The truck is parked on an incline in our driveway. At work it's parked level but the result is the same. I've never noticed a delay when the trans is put into drive after a cold soak. I'll run the dipstick test today and see what I get. Even with the high mileage I've taken good care of it and it runs and drives great so if there's a problem as you describe I'll look into replacing the trans.
One other little thing. Is the steering gear box in these things adjustable like they were years ago? I have all new parts in the front end, ball joints, links, etc... Do I unlock the socket head screw on the top of the gear box and turn it in until snug?
Jim, Fluid level is fine and it when I put it into drive after 12 hours (last night at 28deg) it goes into gear with no delay. Still delays with reverse. I'm warming the truck up to see what happens.
This puzzles me immensely... my tranny dipstick *always* reads much higher than normal... in every automatic I've ever owned! I have a 94 XLT; the stick always reads much higher than normal, until you start it. In fact, the owner's manual for the 94 explorer says you have to check the tranny
*after* running to warm it up. Doesn't the dipstick read incorrectly before that?
I'm very confused by your answer. You seem to suggest that the tranny dipstick should read at the normal level before starting the engine...?
The tranny fluid level needs to be checked with the engine idling, after running for a few minutes to circulate the fluid and let it warm up a little, and in neutral or park.
It says read the dipstick AFTER driving 20 miles! It says it has to get up to "operating temperature" - which it certainly doesn't after just idling for a few minutes.
There's even a cold-check procedure in the manual, which the manual says can only be used ABOVE 50 DEGREES (which it most certainly is NOT right now!)... you idle, and put the tranny in each gear (letting it engage)... then put it in Park and read the level BETWEEN THE TWO HOLES on the dipstick - NOT in the hashed area! Obviously, idling at -20 degrees for a few minutes is NOT going to give me an accurate reading! And, the reading after idling is obviously NOT going to be the same as after warming up the tranny - or it wouldn't be necessary to read it at a different point on the dipstick.
Worse, the manual says a whole lot about being LEVEL when reading the dipstick - and I can tell you from experience that it varies A LOT when not level, even on a very slight incline...
All of this made Jim's answer very puzzling to me... it seems to contradict everything the Explorer Owner's Manual says... and his statement about reading it before starting the engine was even more odd - I've never seen a tranny that could be checked with the engine OFF...
Odd, because Jim is usually a pretty good source of information. I just went back and read the original post:
"Check the fluid level in the trans before you start it in the AM..... note the level on the dipstick..... start the motor and recheck the fluid level after 2 or
3 minutes of idling..... note the level on the dipstick. If the dipstick shows overfull on the first check and normal on the second, the convertor is draining back into the pan.... likely some crap caught in the valve."
I understood that just fine... what he said to do still makes NO SENSE to me.
As I said, MY dipstick ALWAYS reads overfull until started - then reads WAY LOW until the tranny is warmed up. Always has. Perhaps it already had a bad check valve when I bought it? Oddly, I've never had the slow engagement problem described in the original post...
AH... now that makes a lot more sense to me. The stick has always read high not running in every automatic I've ever owned...
I had the "foaming" problem with my 85 Buick... The shop that did the fluid replacement after repairing a cracked hose to the tranny cooler put too much fluid in...
no dipstick? how do you know there's fluid in there?
it's always ticked me off that there's no temp gauge or fluid level gauge for the tranny. If it's so important (and it is) and so prone to damage if the fluid level or temperature aren't right - then why aren't there gauges (or at least idiot lights) to warn you? The only warning you get now is the failure... :(
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