gcsprayjr
Member
Hi, We have a 2001 Expy XLT AWD with the 5.4 engine and 4R100 trans. It has the off road package and tow package. 3:55 gears, 17 inch alloy wheels and such. The vehicle has 101,000 miles on it. I bought the Expy as a winter car from the original owner in 2008. It had 77K miles on it at that time. the SUV has always been garage kept, and to this day has never been in a body shop. it still looks new. The service records came with the SUV. It had been serviced at a Ford dealership at recommended intervals. They used the SUV as a second car, occationally towing a tent camper.
The first thing I did after purchasing the Expy was to take it to our local Ford dealer for a good check out and any needed maintenance. The transmission had been serviced the first time at 36K, and was due. Everything else was up to date. The Ford dealer performed a transmission service, and serviced the transfer case at the same time. I noticed when we bought the truck that it would pick up a lot of speed when decending a hill. The transmission would shift down with throttle pressure, but coasts freely when the engine is at idle. I asked around and found that the coast clutch is locked out if the vehicle is in OD. This one does not work at all in any gear. We live in the Smoky Mountains and accending/decending grades is part of our daily driving.
Once when the grandchildren were visiting, I drove everyone into the National Park for a day hike. Decending the long grade back out of the park, the only way I could control the speed was to use the brakes. 1st gear, 2nd gear, and the SUV free wheels down the hill. So I questioned the Service Manager at the Ford dealer. They did not have an answer, but refered me to a local transmission shop. The shop owner drove the Expy and told me that the coast clutch had failed. He said that the 4R100's in the Expy"s and F-150's don't have steel parts like they would if installed in an F-250. He said that some of the parts are plastic. He told me that the only way to fix it is a total rebuild. He also said that the trans could run a long time like it is, however it could fail without warnng. The shop owner said that the plastic parts can break up and plug up the valve body interupting the flow of the trans fluid.
According to the shop owner, the coast clutch is locked out in overdrive, and he said that the best way to drive the SUV in the condition it is in is to leave it in OD. That way the parts are not wearing more then they already are. The transmission operates flawlessly in every other way. The truck will tow our 3500 lb boat like it weighs nothing. The boat trailer has electric brakes, so stopping is not too scary.
Does anyone have any experience with this issue, and is the information I have been given accurate?
I have to decide if I a $3800.00 transmission rebuild is feasable for this vehicle. The dealer says it is worth about $4500.00 wholesale and $6000.00retail. The Expy is in very nice condition, and everything works. We live in an area that sees some winter weather, so we do deal with road salt. Every year, I put the SUV on jack stands, go from front to back and clean any surface rust that is trying to form on the undercarriage, or the body. I pressure wash the underside, then let it dry. Then I primer it, and paint it with black chassis paint. So far there is no sign of any serious rust. The rig is also parked in a heated garage, so the ice melts off of it every night. I wash the undercarriage at least once a week and more often if we have had bad weather. I know that rust cannot be stopped completely, but it can be slowed down some.
During the summer, the Expy gets driven occationally, as I have a 2007 Crown Vic and a 2008 Crown Vic that we use as DD's. The Expy averages 4K miles per year.
What I don't want to get into is to have the transmission rebuilt, and then have to have the engine rebuilt in six months. We did that once with a Dodge Ramcharger, and ended up spending more money on it then it would have costs to upgrade vehicles.
Our Ford dealer says that the SUV is in perfect condition, and should have another 100K trouble free miles left in her. If that is the case, the transmisison rebuild makes sense, regardless of the book value of the car.
Anyone have any thoughts on this subject?
Thanks in advance. Sorry to write a book.
Charles
The first thing I did after purchasing the Expy was to take it to our local Ford dealer for a good check out and any needed maintenance. The transmission had been serviced the first time at 36K, and was due. Everything else was up to date. The Ford dealer performed a transmission service, and serviced the transfer case at the same time. I noticed when we bought the truck that it would pick up a lot of speed when decending a hill. The transmission would shift down with throttle pressure, but coasts freely when the engine is at idle. I asked around and found that the coast clutch is locked out if the vehicle is in OD. This one does not work at all in any gear. We live in the Smoky Mountains and accending/decending grades is part of our daily driving.
Once when the grandchildren were visiting, I drove everyone into the National Park for a day hike. Decending the long grade back out of the park, the only way I could control the speed was to use the brakes. 1st gear, 2nd gear, and the SUV free wheels down the hill. So I questioned the Service Manager at the Ford dealer. They did not have an answer, but refered me to a local transmission shop. The shop owner drove the Expy and told me that the coast clutch had failed. He said that the 4R100's in the Expy"s and F-150's don't have steel parts like they would if installed in an F-250. He said that some of the parts are plastic. He told me that the only way to fix it is a total rebuild. He also said that the trans could run a long time like it is, however it could fail without warnng. The shop owner said that the plastic parts can break up and plug up the valve body interupting the flow of the trans fluid.
According to the shop owner, the coast clutch is locked out in overdrive, and he said that the best way to drive the SUV in the condition it is in is to leave it in OD. That way the parts are not wearing more then they already are. The transmission operates flawlessly in every other way. The truck will tow our 3500 lb boat like it weighs nothing. The boat trailer has electric brakes, so stopping is not too scary.
Does anyone have any experience with this issue, and is the information I have been given accurate?
I have to decide if I a $3800.00 transmission rebuild is feasable for this vehicle. The dealer says it is worth about $4500.00 wholesale and $6000.00retail. The Expy is in very nice condition, and everything works. We live in an area that sees some winter weather, so we do deal with road salt. Every year, I put the SUV on jack stands, go from front to back and clean any surface rust that is trying to form on the undercarriage, or the body. I pressure wash the underside, then let it dry. Then I primer it, and paint it with black chassis paint. So far there is no sign of any serious rust. The rig is also parked in a heated garage, so the ice melts off of it every night. I wash the undercarriage at least once a week and more often if we have had bad weather. I know that rust cannot be stopped completely, but it can be slowed down some.
During the summer, the Expy gets driven occationally, as I have a 2007 Crown Vic and a 2008 Crown Vic that we use as DD's. The Expy averages 4K miles per year.
What I don't want to get into is to have the transmission rebuilt, and then have to have the engine rebuilt in six months. We did that once with a Dodge Ramcharger, and ended up spending more money on it then it would have costs to upgrade vehicles.
Our Ford dealer says that the SUV is in perfect condition, and should have another 100K trouble free miles left in her. If that is the case, the transmisison rebuild makes sense, regardless of the book value of the car.
Anyone have any thoughts on this subject?
Thanks in advance. Sorry to write a book.
Charles
