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I have a 2006 ford explorer xlt 4.0 2wd with 171,000 miles. I was driving down the road and i began to notice a bunch of white smoke coming from the tailpipe. Eventually i got to the stop sign and the car would not go any farther. It was then i realized that the transmission would not register when i put the car in any gear but the engine still runs. No coolant in oil and no overheat condition. With this being a newer vehicle, does it have a modulator valve on the tranny? If it is bone dry does that mean the tranny is toast?
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I’m not finding a vacuum mod valve listed on the parts site.
If I had to guess? And this is only a guess.
I think your transmission may have blown out the front pump seal. That would spew almost all of your fluid onto the exhaust. And it would smoke like there’s no tomorrow.
The good news? Quite a few times all one needs to do is drop the transmission and replace the front seal. Sense you’ll already be needing all new fluid (I think yours is all over the highway) Might as well do the pan gasket and filter while it’s out. At this point it’s not going to hurt anything.
hummmm….You did check the transmission dipstick first?!? Because that will tell us a great deal more.
In fact I would check that first!!
(sorry I got this backwards. Give me a break—it’s 6am here LOL)
You’ve got probably a 40/60 chance the transmission is damaged if that happened. Usually the fluid dumps so fast that all line pressure “vanishes” including the torque converter’s ability to spin the input shaft. It’s not exactly healthy for it—but I’ve had that happen on my Bronco II, and it’s survived. If you tackle this job yourself? Be aware of special methods needed to install the front seal-if any. And specs for filter/gasket torques.
good luck with it!!!
S-
They took away the transmission dipsticks on the Explorers. I don’t know when they started going without a dipstick, but I haven’t seen a dipstick on any 03+ Explorer yet. There’s a fill adapter that gets plugged into the access at the bottom of the pan. 6604 is the OTC part number for that fill adapter. It’s something like a Volkswagen transmission where you have to fill it from underneath until it starts to drip back out.
[quote=”Tedybear315″ post=111033] Usually the fluid dumps so fast that all line pressure “vanishes” including the torque converter’s ability to spin the input shaft. It’s not exactly healthy for it[/quote]
I think this is spot on. If you didn’t rev or idle the engine for any extended amount of time without transmission fluid, you have a good chance of saving the unit. If you did, the front pump was running dry and the story will likely be different.
Heat would be the main issue. The longer it go run without fluid, the more heat would have been created. More heat=more damage. That said, I’m at a loss to figure out where the fluid went. Perhaps the front seal as suggested.
Please keep us updated as I’d love to learn more about this issue.
I’m still gob-smacked they didn’t use a dip stick on the transmission?!?!?
:angry:
Might pay off then to do some under carriage checking with a clean shop rag or paper towels.
Wipe down the area of the bell housing, and the surrounding areas (I hope they at least used a bell housing LOL)
See if you get a lot of redish oil stuff that is coating the under carriage. Blown seal will get transmission fluid all over EVERYTHING around the bell housing.
Sense it isn’t “Water” it won’t just vanish or dry up. It’ll leave a coating.
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[quote=”wysetech” post=111440]+1 for no-common-sense.[/quote]
Me, Ford, or Both LOL :silly:
Actually the wife’s car–if it had the auto? Fills with the oddball method. I can’t imagine why..and I still can’t fathom why in the world anyone would claim a “LifeTime” fluid or filter.
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You’ve got to consider how the manufacturer defines the word “lifetime”. It’s not necessarily just a definition of years, but more so a definition of mileage. I know a couple manufacturers specify a lifetime for their vehicles/powertrains as 250,000 miles. Ford recently released an “extended warranty” for lighting control modules on 03 through 05 Ford Crown Victorias, Mercury Grand Marquis, and the Marauders for 15 years, 250,000 miles; whichever comes first. That’s probably about the same “lifetime” of your Explorer. It’s practically measured in dog years. 😀
You should let your car for repair because there are many possibilities of error in your car which related to your car’s transmission. I had a discussion with my friend who is working at an auto repair shop and you may find it online by tiremania.net. He advised me that if there is any trouble in-car transmission you should not take it easy because it will may cause a risk for your life. So let your car to a car mechanic.
Well it turned out that i had a busted transmission cooler hose and it ran the transmission dry.. Cut the bad section and replaced it with rubber Line and hose clamps and topped off the fluid, now all is well!
Times like this I’m glad I’m wrong!!
I tend to go “Worst Case” which is the front pump seal. Cracked/broken cooler line? Yep, that will drain things out wicked quick!!!
I’m glad it was a simple fix!!
Best Regards!!
S-
We had a 2003 Mountaineer 4.0 automatic, and no transmission dip. I asked my brother in-Law(he works for Ford in Kentucky,19 years) about the no transmission dip. He said ” Ford didn’t want DIY folks to worry about checking the fluid, because it is a sealed unit:D ) I have always wanted to keep an eye on tranny fluid, it tells a story about what condition of the internals are in…go figure. I still own a Ford:DD
Awesome. Sounds like a good, simple, inexpensive fix. The best kind in my opinion.
Thanks for the update and for using the ETCG forum.
[quote=”Tristan” post=112766]Well it turned out that i had a busted transmission cooler hose and it ran the transmission dry.. Cut the bad section and replaced it with rubber Line and hose clamps and topped off the fluid, now all is well![/quote]
good to hear that you had an easy fix:)…I like those:):)
now I have to ask, how did you top off the fluid?
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