2003 Exp eb 4.6 Transmission problem my fault

Ok, so last weekend I took the radiator out thinking it was leaking again. Turns out it is the Water pump

Put it all back together and got everything re-filled. Yesterday morning the wife heads out to work and calls me in a panic. The expo is smoking like crazy and will barely drive. She managed to get turned around and get it home.

I get out and crawl under it to see what is going on and discover the driver side transmission line had poped out of the rad. These things click when they are properly engaged, so not sure what happened. So that line was pumping out the tranny fluid the whole time it took her to get home.

I had replace the filter and fluid about 8 months ago. I still have atf in the shed. So in went aproxmatly 7-8 quarts. it goes into reverse and drive fine. The problem is in shifting into 3rd. it just does not go. I have to leave the O/D off so that it dosen't drop out of second when it tries to go into third.

This morning i check the dip stick and it was not registering, so i added 3 more quarts more, to now read at the full mark. I drove it to work and could still not get it to shift into 3rd. 1st and 2nd are fine, as is reverse.

I have 3 more quarts in the back to check it again tonight when I am about to head home.


Any ideas?

You may have killed it

not sure if you expy is like mine, but I disconnect the trans selector alignment indicator from the trans housing, and if the alignment benchmark is not just right when bolted back together it does the exact same thing. other than that, did it completely bilge itself empty, i.e. the torque converter too? and if so, did your fluid level correspond when hot or cold? what does it actually hold compared to what you put in.

Capacity is about 14 quarts including the tc. Good bet it is cooked. The transmission snake oils are a waste of money, not worth the time. Rebuild or replace.