Austin,

I made a mistake. I had the transmission fluid changed in my 2000 Ford Explorer XLT w/4.0L V6 and automatic transmission and now the transmission is slipping badly. Since I have been to your site today (which I found through Google and I see that you are in Houston as well), I have read your advise on high mileage transmissions that have not been serviced not to change the fluid at all.

Your reasoning for not changing the fluid makes perfect sense to me as a mechanical engineer. I should have left well enough alone. My vehicle was operating fine before but with the high miles that it has I wanted to perform preventive maintenance and changing the fluid was not something that seemed counterintuitive until I read your advise just now.

My question, and this is taking a long shot, is there any way the grittiness can be returned to the transmission to remediate the loss of friction with the new fluid? In other words, could shaving-sized metal pieces (The idea sounds crazy I know) be put back into the new fluid to restore friction?

Asking this question makes me think of the Bar’s Leaks radiator repair fluid which has metal shavings. And actually, since I’ve started writing this email, I’ve visited the Bar’s Leaks website and it appears they make a transmission repair fluid. They don’t say specifically how it works but knowing how the radiator fluid works I think I can make the assumption. Would this fluid help and would you recommend it?

Thank you,

Stephen

Yo Steven,

Wish I had better news for you man…..but its time to buy a transmission or another vehicle. If you like this vehicle and want to keep it another few years, I would HIGHLY suggest you buy a rebuilt transmission from your local Ford dealer and have your local mechanic install it. It will cost a bit more than getting yours overhauled, but you will get a nationwide warranty and it will be installed in a day.

If you just want to get it running and sell it, you might want to start calling junk yards and find a used one and get your local mechanic to install it for you. You can sometimes buy an extended warranty from the junk yard…if you care to.

I have not seen or used any type of fluid additive that will return the transmission back to its pre-flush state…..sorry!

I sold my shop years ago and now am just working on line, other wise I would like the job.

Call Tommie Vaughn Ford parts department and ask for Sal or Craig Cook, and tell them Austin from Master Auto Service said to give you the best price possible for a rebuilt AER Ford transmission.

You can also sell this vehicle “as is” on craigslist and use that money you would have spent on a nice down payment on a used vehicle.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

I recently purchased a 1998 Ford F-150 with about 110,000 miles on it. When I bought it the owner said it was accident free and had not been driven very often. I was wondering if you have any tips for maintaining the car in good working condition? Should I bring the vehicle into a shop for an evaluation? What should I be worried about or have checked since the car is used? I bought from a private owner not a dealer.

Hi there

I would use this pre purchase checklist and see what you can do yourself and hire your mechanic to do the stuff you can not. Although you already bought it, you can still get a good idea of the current condition and needed repairs.

Used Car Check List

you can also use this maintenance check list I put together in conjunction with the manufacture check list to stay on top of your maintenance and reduce unexpected repairs and break downs.

Vehicle Maintenance Schedules

–
Blessings, Austin Davis

I have a 1999 Mercury Cougar which did not pass smog in the state of california. It was diagnosed as a gross polluter. I have replaced oxygen sensors several times and still the check engine light comes on. The check engine light came on several years ago when I heard something fall down through the bottom of the car.

No one seems to fix it so the check engine light does not turn on again. I have been told it may be a cataylic converter and that the car has 2 to 3 of them. I would like some direction as to what could be the problem. The following I got off smog test:

Fault code P0420
P1131
CO (%) 4.15

Gloria

Hi there Gloria,

I would suggest you look in your local phone book for a muffler shop in your area. Most muffler shops will install after market catalytic converters relatively inexpensive….or at least they do here in Texas, not real sure how your smog laws differ from ours. The muffler shop can test your converters to see which one is not working properly, I would assume it would be the driver side converter ( you have two of them) that has a problem.

You did not mention anything about the engine running badly, lack of power, engine missing etc. etc. etc. so I can only assume this is an emission system problem and not an actual “engine” problem. If the engine runs badly, you could have something wrong with a spark plug wire, injector or other engine control sensor.

Make some phone calls to muffler shops and get their opinion over the phone and get quotes for testing and replacing converters. I can get a converter replaced for about $175 here in Houston from a local muffler shop, and you might have to just take the plunge and replace one and see what happens.

Keep me posted as to what happens please, your response can help the next person.

Have a great week and keep your chin up.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Hi,
I have a 1996 Ford Explorer 4×4 Eddie Bauer automatic transmission, just a few months ago this started. The gear shifter will not move from Park into anything except when I turn off the truck and move it into (neutral, drive etc) if vehicle is on, shifter will not move at all.

The first 10 times maybe it did, after about 10 mins of trying, I finally realized to move it into gear while off. Any ideas whats wrong or the price it will cost to fix?
thanks!
Joline

Hummmmm Joline,

OK…..I think you stumped me. I think my best GUESS would be to try a new brake light switch, located under the drivers side dash area. These switches are pretty cheap and can usually be purchased at your local auto parts store. There is a shifter interlock mechanism located inside the steering column that prevents you from shifting from park if you are not stepping on the brake pedal.

I would first check to see if your brake lights are working, and I would check to see if the switch is sending power to this shift interlock mechanism. Sometimes swapping out a cheap part is cheaper and faster than trying to properly diagnose the problem. I have also seen bad brake light bulbs cause a similar problem, but that was on a newer model vehicle, but it still would not hurt to check all your brake light bulbs FIRST and replace any that are out or suspect.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader Follow Up

No my brake lights dont work and have went out sometime ago, probably around the same time, if I remember correctly

Hey there again,

Go buy two brake light bulbs from your local auto supply and replace yours…..if your brake lights still dont work replace your brake light switch under the driver dashboard.

Fix your brake lights and your shifter problem should go away

Blessings
Austin Davis

Austin,

My son recently purchased a 1996 Ford Explorer 4Dr, 4WD Limited with the 6 cylinder engine and automatic transmission. The vehicle has about 130k miles on it and appears to be in great shape. It is overheating. We have read a lot of articles from you about overheating. The low engine temperature sensor came on and we have replaced both of those sensors at the top front of the engine (one wire and 2-wire sensors). We get the same check engine code even after the sensors were replaced and the codes cleared.

We have changed the thermostat. We flushed and refilled the radiator with new antifreeze because the antifreeze looked kind of a dirty brown. The radiator hoses appear to be in good shape and there is no discernable temperature difference and the lower hose is not collapsed. There is no smoke or moisture from the exhaust. It runs fine, but VERY hot. No sounds or leaks from the around the area of the wate! r pump. You don’t smell antifreeze when you check the oil dipstick.

Our friendly neighborhood mechanic says that the overheating must be caused by a cracked head gasket, but there are no leaks and we don’t appear to be loosing antifreeze. I don’t understand how a cracked head gasket cause the overheating without other symptoms. Wouldn’t you expect to see some loss or a mixing of the antifreeze with the oil if it was cracked bad enough to cause this problem.

Should the 2-wire sensor be installed so the metal threads on the sensor are in direct electrical contact with the hole to provide a ground for the sensor? The replacement single wire sensor came with Teflon thread tape, but the 2 wire sensor did not. Does the 2-wire sensor communicate with the computer for control or is it just indication?

Should we consider changing the radiator and/or water pump even though they may be fully functional?

It’s almost as cheap to install a new (used) engine as it is to replace the head gaskets and machine the heads. What would you recommend?

Mikel

Hi there Mikel,

Since you have read my overheating articles, you already know that the first step is to get a cooling system pressure test to see if you have a coolant leak. If you can open the radiator cap and see coolant at the very top of the radiator neck, you probably do NOT have a leak and can skip the pressure test. If you cant see or touch coolant with your finger (with the engine cold) then get the pressure test FIRST.

Are you POSITIVE that this engine is really running hot and this is not just a dash gauge problem? The dash gauge gets a temperature reading from the temperature sending unit not the two wire coolant temperature sensor…that sensor tells the COMPUTER how hot the engine is, I think you are focusing on the wrong sensor. The temperature sending unit is cheap, and you can buy it at any auto parts store if you want to just make a quick GUESS and see if that corrects the problem.

In my shop I would use a laser thermometer to check the engine when the gauge says it is HOT to make sure the engine is actually HOT. Anything over the normal operating temperature of 210 degrees is too hot. Since this vehicle has 130K miles on the clock and is 12 years old AND you said there was dirty/rusty looking water in the radiator I would be highly suspect of a restriction in the bottom of the radiator….and “flushing” does nothing but remove the dirty water not the actual blockage only a new radiator will do that.

A restriction in a radiator will usually cause freeway speed overheating…just like trying to sprint a 100 yard dash with your mouth closed!

From what you tell me I do not suspect a blown head gasket or an internal engine problem. Any mechanic who just comes to a “…..must be a head gasket” conclusion without testing and checking is NOT much of a mechanic in my opinion and should be avoided.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader Follow Up

Wow, thanks for the rapid response. We know that the engine is “boiling” the antifreeze in the expansion tank connected to the radiator and the engine compartment is unbelievably hot, hotter than any engine I have ever experienced. Both of the sensors have been replaced. The cost for both was $28. The gauge on the dash reads pretty close to the H when its this hot, but doesn’t look pegged. The computer display on the center console says engine coolant OK, even when the liquid is boiling in the expansion tank. I know the engine should not be as hot as it is, regardless of what the gauges indicate.

We may replace the radiator and radiator hoses this weekend because the vehicle is of an age that if he keeps the car and it probably wouldn’t be a wasted effort and the cost is still low enough to be worth the gamble. The only other cooling system component to change is the water pump and it has no apparent signs of being defective. Thanks for your input. I may get back to you if the radiator and hoses doesn’t work.

Mikel Kline

Hello Again Mikel,

I would lean toward a restriction in the radiator then. You can get an aftermarket replacement radiator pretty cheap at your auto parts store. Would be a great idea to replace the thermostat again, they don’t like to overheat like your “new” one has already done.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader Follow Up

Austin,

Today we replaced the radiator, radiator hoses, thermostat and re-replaced the engine coolant sensor. The aftermarket replacement radiator also claimed to provide 20% more cooling than the original. The replacement sensor cleared the check engine light and the new radiator appears to have solved our engine overheating problem.

The “stock” thermostat is a 198 degree thermostat, so the engine is supposed to run a little hotter than what I am used to but is no longer what I would call crazy hot! Thanks for your advise…I’m glad we followed it and I thought that you might like to know that you were right on the button with our apparent solution.

Mikel

I recently hit something on an Interstate Highway (don’t ask me what it was since it was 1:30 in the morning and I all I know it was black as the road) that caused some damage to the frame of my 2008 Mustang GT. I pulled over to check if there was any damage but thankfully there was no exterior damage and the car continued to run fine.

I didn’t notice the damage until I brought my car into the dealer to fix a squeaking noise I kept hearing everytime the weight shifted on the car (which I mistakenly took for a damaged coil spring from the accident) and they told me of the damage to the frame and subframe of the passenger side of the vehicle. Whatever I hit actually punched some holes into the frame and punched the traction bar into the frame as well (which explains the squeaking noise).

My question is what should I be asking for at the body shop? I’ll probably be going to a body shop referred by my insurance company since I won’t have to deal with the hassle of having the shop drag out the time to repair my vehicle just because they need to get more money from my insurance…

How can I tell if the work is good and that the frame is perfectly straight? What about the risk of rust getting into the frame?

Any help would greatly be appreciated… By the way, I liked the book and found it informative…

Kris

Hey there Kris,

Sorry to hear about your run in with the mysterious black object. From what you told me, I don’t think this is going to be a major repair…or will have any depreciation on the resale value. Depending on your insurance deductible, I would visit a few bodyshops in your area and get their opinion and an estimate before I decided on one particular shop.

Even though your insurance will be involved and will pay for damages OVER what your deductible cost is….it is still YOU who will be dealing with the shop during and after the actual repair period.

To insure you get the frame straightened properly I would ask the repair shop to give you a copy of the 4 wheel alignment print out, those alignment machines are very good and anything with the frame and subframe that is out of whack will show in that print out. They should also rust proof any part of the body and frame that is showing bare metal.

You can also buy a can of undercoating from your local auto parts store and cover any bare spots that you might see (or your oil change place might see on your next oil change). I would also get a copy of the insurance estimate and keep it for your records.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

My boyfriend is truck illiterate, he has a 2005 Ford Ranger. Yesterday he drove to the store and the truck seemed fine but a couple hours later it wouldn’t start. He said it was trying really hard to turn over but wouldn’t. then about 45 minutes later when I got home it started, but was blowing white smoke.

Do you think it was flooded from him crankin on it or are we lookin at some serious cash like a blown head gasket or worse? Oh oil looked good but he drove it from Colorado last June and has only changed the oil since…which i pointed out wasnt smart.

thank you sooo much
Desiree

Why hello there Desiree,

White smoke usually means antifreeze has entered the combustion chambers of the engine, which it is not suppose to be in. This usually happens because of extreme engine overheating, so I would definitely get a cooling system pressure test done at your local mechanic just to be sure you dont have a blown head gasket or engine damage.

This is a simple and cheap test that can be done while you wait. It would give me peace of mind that there was no real serious internal engine problems.

But since you did not mention anything about overheating….there could be a chance that there was too much fuel inside the engine from him cranking on it for a long time…..but I would have expected that smoke to clear up pretty quickly after the engine was started.

Keep me posted
Austin Davis

Hello Sir ,

I own a 1997 Ford Mustang 3.8L with a Manual Transmission,

I am having 2 problems that I can’t seem to identify.

The first problem I’m having is that when I start to drive everything is fine the needle stays in the center of the oil pressure gauge,
but after about 15 mins of driving, when I prepare to come to a stop and down shift, the needle on the oil pressure gauge starts to fluctuate.
When I come to a complete stop the oil pressure gauge takes a nose dive to show no oil pressure at all. When I start to drive again the pressure
returns to normal and stays normal while up shifting the gears.

I’ve Recently had the oil changed, and have checked the oil level. I’ve replaced the the oil sensing unit. What could be the problem?

The Second issue that I am having is that the odometer has stopped, I had the clutched replaced and it was functioning perfectly prior to that.
I returned to the auto shop where they had done the work and questioned them about the issue, they checked it out and they stated that
all the cables were connected correctly. They did not go back into the transmission to recheck all of the cables. Could they have not reconnected the cable that controls the odometer?

Hi there,

I would have the mechanic check your oil pressure with a manual screw on hand held gauge at the engine. You could have a dash gauge problem or you could actually have an oil pump issue or restriction at the oil pump causing low oil pressure.

If the speedometer is working….the cables are hooked up properly, and the odometer issue is probably due to a dashboard “speedometer head” internal problem. You might want to call a few junk yards and buy a used instrument cluster to replace the speedometer head with a used one.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Hi, I have a 1996 ford aspire,bought it for a fairly cheap price. For I thought all was wrong was the cam shaft seal and timing belt . So I took it too a mechanic I always found really good.and he did the work and I took the car on the highway and the seal went again oil every wear. I looked myself to see if it wasn’t some wears else because of the built up presser.

So I took it back he did it again and had said someone used a screw of some kind to keep it from breaking the seal .So then I took it on the highway again same thing.

So I took it to this other shop and he did the repair. Wonderful, It stayed . So then I decided to go for a drive ,The engine light comes on. Not noticing any changes in performance then it seems to less power . So I had it looked at again oil everywhere couldn’t tell from wear Except the hose on top of the engine was lose towards the dash of the car.

So I’m thinking some kind of built up presser some wear. And check the oil and radiator. Rad is fine and clean and full .Then try to take off the oil cap and its very hard to remove and hot. No over heating though , surprising or maybe just lucky.

THen the oil level is merely empty. Thank God not all of it. No missing or clanking of the engine but still oil. So clean it up and start to use it, and its doing it again not leaking or losing oil around town ,but higher speed than 50 60 km an hour yes , the presser I suppose. and around the top of the engine valve gasket seal is leaking and down the other side ,drivers side .

Just a thin stream I’m thinking same place.So could this be the only thing it could be or could it be the cam shaft seal again . If four to five mechanics can’t fix a camshaft seal, What next to do?Kim

Hi Kim,

A few things come to mind here.

1. There is a problem with the camshaft or the cylinder head which is not allowing the cam seal to seal properly. I have seen camshafts that had a “burr” (basically like a sharp hangnail) on them and this sharp burr on the end of the camshaft would cut the camshaft seal. We took some sandpaper and filed down the burr. I would also make sure the camshaft is not “out of round”. If the camshaft has a wobble to it because it is bent and out of round…it will wear on the seal and the seal will leak.

There also could be a problem with the cylinder head itself, this is basically the top part of the engine where the camshaft is located. The cylinder head is made of soft aluminum and can warp, which will not allow the seal to seal the space between the camshaft and the cylinder head.

Since there was a screw in the seal area, I would assume the previous owner knew of the problem. A used cylinder head from a junk yard, or used engine might be the answer to this problem.

2. is there really a pressure problem inside the engine/cylinder head? I would remove the valve cover and make sure the “drain back holes” inside the cylinder head are not plugged up with sludge which would not allow the oil to drain back into the engine. This condition would increase the oil pressure at the top of the engine thus putting too much pressure on the seals. Your mechanic should also check the PCV system, this Positive Crankcase Ventilation system removes excess engine pressure and should be checked and cleaned periodically.

3. is there an oil leak elsewhere that appears to be from the camshaft seal? Oil leaks can be tricky to locate. The make a dye you can add to the engine oil that will help you locate the leak. You have to use a black light to activate the dye…but you can usually rent the black light from an auto supply store.

Keep me posted, and best of luck to you.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

I have been all over it with an electronic leak detector for 134A and cannot find the leak although after recharging it with freon it seems to be gone within 3-4 weeks. It makes me think the leak is on the high side because after most of the freon is gone and for months after if I connect gauges to the system, it actually shows a small amount of pressure, which makes me think that the leak is not large enough to take the system to zero without

So obviously we have a leak somewhere, maybe on the high side of the system and my question is do these vehicles have any suspect areas or inherent problem points that always seem to fail so I can check them? The only other alternative is to break open the system and vacuum or pressure check each individual component and fitting.

Also, I have seen vehicles where the compressor shaft seal fails and gas will leak from the seal although they never leaked that quickly and the leak detector will usually pick it up if you can get the tip close enough to the compressor.

Thanks for your help!

Best,
Gary

Hey there Gary,

Finding a small Freon leak can be tough, even my best mechanics will have times when it takes 2-3 customer returns and 8-9 cans of refrigerant to finally locate the leak. This vehicle is VERY notorious for leaking evaporators and high side compressor hoses.

In fact, we had so many people come to my shop between 93-97? that we made a special hard copy quote page for evaporator replacement that we could hand to people when they came in our shop.

The evaporator is the hardest to leak test because it is inside the dash and hard to reach with the test probe. They make a fluorescent dye that you can inject into the system and use a black light to find the trace of the dye….thus find the leak.

You can sometimes rent these leak detector systems from a local auto parts store. This might be a good place to start. Add the dye and top off with refrigerant and a shot of compressor oil to keep the compressor lubricated, then drive the vehicle until it leaks out.

Then use the black light to look for the leaking dye. You can look inside the evaporator drain hole to see if any dye is present inside the evaporator case. If you don’t see any dye under the hood, I would highly suspect an evaporator core leak.

Yes, the compressor shaft seal can leak, but the dye will make that leak pretty obvious. You will usually see a “sling trail” of compressor oil on the compressor clutch if the shaft was leaking…because not only is the system leaking refrigerant it is also leaking compressor oil. Dust and road dirt will usually stick to this compressor oil at the leak area over time.

Keep me posted as to what you find out will ya?

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader Follow up

Thanks for the tips Austin! One other person speculated on the evaporator and I was hoping that was not the case. Let me ask you if this makes sense.

I topped off the freon, then closed up the car and ran the air conditioning for a while and put my electronic leak detector right in the air duct flowing from the evap. Since it suposedly can detect 1/4oz per year. I thought if I had that big of a leak I would have gotten something in the cabin after running the unit for 15-20 minutes but did not.

Are the evap leaks you have seen at a sweated fitting or does the core fail? Thanks again for your help and I will let you know what we find!

GK

Hey Gary,

Shoot just a quick shot of Freon from the can inside the cab of the vehicle and close the doors and let the A/C run for a few minutes, then retest. Most “cheap” (under $300) leak detectors that I have worked with only really pick up leaks if the probe is basically sitting on top of the leak itself.

I would say its 50-50 core leak and fitting leaks. Those long high side compressor hoses under the hood take a real beating and undergo a lot of pressure. Make sure you have thoroughly checked it and all condenser fittings.

Blessings,

Austin Davis