Bought perfect, low mileage, cheap, 99 Expy...but.....4R100 hard 1st to 2nd

[aaronjohnston]

OK, been trolling here for 2 weeks and haven't found anything specific for my situation. We have another "crumb cruncher" on the way so the focus had to go (great car, I love Ford's). I did what any blue collar guy would do with another kid on the way and the wife quiting her job and staying at home to raise the fam damnily....... buy them the biggest damn thing I could afford so they would be safe no matter how the wife drove. Enter my new (to us) 99 Expedition XLT 4x4. Now these things hold their value very well and I was looking for months for the "diamond in the rough" to come about, well 2 weeks ago she came (please, no "your mom" replies). Let me start with the specs.

-99 XLT
-4x4
-5.4L
-120,000 miles
-clear carfax
-AC
-power seats
-power windows
-cruise
-ABS
-doesnt smoke or burn oil
-No dents fade or scratches on the exterior (beautiful)
-no tears, stains, smoke etc on the interior. Door panels, switches, etc all perfect (beautiful)
-Nice set of 1,100.00 toyo tires
-smitty running boards
-lund trimming for hood and windows
-tow hitch with trailer hookup and controller clean install inside
-3rd row

OH, did I mention the outside and inside were perfect? No scratches, no dents, no smoke, no saggy suspension, new high end tires, running boards, hood and window trim, clean under carriage, no stains, rips or smell's for the interior.............. AND IT ONLY COST $3,000.00 CASH!!!!!!!!

So now for the down fall of the vehicle and why it was so cheap...... The tranny has a rough/delayed/hesitant 1st to 2nd shift. Everything else works like a dream. Downshifts from OD to 3rd no problem and will even dump from OD to 2nd for a pass. I got this because even if I had to pay 1,600.00 to rebuild the tranny and have a shop put it in this vehicle was worth it. Now I do all the work on my vehicles so I know I can buy a rebuilt 4R100 for 800 to 1000 K and put it in myself but I have a hard time believing one of the 3 previous owners could have cooked a tranny that is also found in the F-Series Super Duty trucks. Planning on flushing the tranny and changing the filter, anyone else have experience with these symptoms?

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa99/benddualsport/IMAG0001.jpg

I havent taken my own hi res pics except the one above (which was taken from a cell phone and not the G11)

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa99/benddualsport/expedition/

These above pics are from the seller, sent to me via email, and the truck not even washed...... I have to say the seller did not wash the outside or even vacuum the inside for presentation (found it on craigslist). Almost like he didnt give an "F" what he got out of the vehicle. It looked like it had been parked under a tree for 3 years, and come to find out that is probably what happened due to the amount of pine needles I pulled out of the drain area that surrounds the back hatch when you open it. Either way we spent a couple hours detailing it and it shines like new now.

 

[tritonman5.4]

congrats on the expo,it do look good,whoever sold it to you evidently didnt look up the kelly blue book value lol.and i have the same problem with my tranny,is your expo a 5.4l?either way check the solenoids and yes do a flush and replace the filter.if problem persist take it to aamco and do a diagnosis.if your OD light began to blink on and off on its own,you will have to replace or repair the pressure lines in the tranny.i had this done already by ford.it was an expensive fix.

 

[aaronjohnston]

Thanks for the reply. I took it to a local ford dealership before I bought it and had them do a "pre owned vehicle inspection". Basically they check if for codes, check the undercarriage, and test drive it, all for $100.00. They said it is the same thing they put their used inventory through before they put it on the lot. Basically they said it was not throwing any codes (I have no CEL light or OD light flashing at me either) and the only issue with it was the tranny shift from 1st to 2nd, small header leak (I cant hear it), and the oil pan and tranny pan are showing signs of gasket wear but there is no leak as of yet.

 

[Stoned06]

Congrats on the purchase. As far as the tranny, the 4r100 is a fairly stout one. As you know the SD's have them, as well as the Lightnings. If you want to learn more about it, I would visit a Lightning forum like lightningrodder.com as they have a TON of info on upgrades, rebuilds etc.
It's possible your Valve body might need to be cleaned. If the only symptom is the 1-2 shift, maybe it is clogged in the passages somewhere. If the previous owner did not take care of it and never changed the tranny fluid, it very likely could be gunked up.
The shift solenoids could also need to be replaced as previously mentioned. I would first try a fluid flush/cleaning and a filter replacement and see where that gets you. If it persists, then I would investigate it further. Good luck.

 

[thePUNISHER]

a fluid change will likely not fix this....

if the shift is on time but harsh the likely cause is the 2 accumulator regulator valve is stuck open......

if the shift is delayed it may be shifting from 1st right to 3rd gear....if this is the case either the 2 clutch is worn or the 2 sprag is not holding.....

 

[aaronjohnston]

Yeah, I didnt think a fluid change would.... maybe a filter change with the fluid change? Fluid looks new and there is no "burnt" smell. I counted the gears and it hits all of them in sequence. Drops from 4 to 3 fine, even drops from 4 to 2 just fine (passing). Just that damn hesitation hiccup between 1st and 2nd. Still hell of a deal though, just wish there was a "magic fix".

 

[tritonman5.4]

take it to aamco,they will know what to do for sure.

 

[aaronjohnston]

if the shift is delayed it may be shifting from 1st right to 3rd gear....if this is the case either the 2 clutch is worn or the 2 sprag is not holding.....

The shift is delayed. Its almost like it wants and knows to shift but it just kinda holds the gear while it thinks...... then it will shift. Probably a good second after it should. It is enough to want to fix it, but not enough to raise any alarms to fix it right away. The valve body has been suggested...??????

 

[thePUNISHER]

The shift is delayed. Its almost like it wants and knows to shift but it just kinda holds the gear while it thinks...... then it will shift. Probably a good second after it should. It is enough to want to fix it, but not enough to raise any alarms to fix it right away. The valve body has been suggested...??????

if you let off the gas will it immediatly then shift 2nd?

 

[aaronjohnston]

No, weather you have your foot into it or you are just easing it along it has the pause. Letting off the gas a does not make it shift any faster.