98 expedition trans

[SubAlpine]

Wife called me frantic today. She was about a block from the house and the Expedition started to give her some issues.
She was describing a 'clunk' related to engine rpm. The clunk seemed to 'stall' or slow the truck when it happened.
She got the truck home. When I got home I jumped in.

It was shifting really hard between P, N, R, D. So hard that with brake applied, it would lunge a bit. It did this for three cycles through the gears. The fourth time, it started to grind in R. I shifted it to neutral, and the grinding stopped. Started again when I put it in D, for a few seconds. After the sound went away, I gave it some throttle (in drive) and no love. Shifted to R, no love. Put it in park, and boom, it was as if it was in neutral.

98 expedition 5.4l with a 4r100 auto trans. 170k miles

So my guess is trans is toast. Is suppose it could be the shifter cable, but I doubt it.

I am currently looking at used/rebuilt transmissions. Seems like $750 is average.
Is a trans swap something doable in the driveway? I am guessing by the size, it is heavy. So renting a trans jack seems like a must.
We are down to one running car from three.
70k jetta down
170k ford down
246k Toyota still going strong. knocking on wood

[Patrolman]

I am not sure that I would blame this on the tranny yet. Was it in 4wd? Were the roads snow covered or just wet? The t-case could be binding. It is also possible the t-case got stuck in neutral. Just because the indicator/button doesn't show 4wd, it is possible the t-case is in 4wd or neutral. Lastly, possible it is a u-joint. They make thumping/clunking sounds when they start to go. They are probably more likely to show problems in cold weather since the grease will be stiff.

[javaman34]

You know, I had the exact same thing happen to me on the spring clean up run. All of a sudden there was a clunk and my Bronco had no forward or reverse gears. Even in park it would start rolling. After a quick check, we found out my knee hit the shifter for the 4wd. It grinder a bit to get it back in but after it finall went back in, no more issues. Check the 4wd shifter to makes sure it isn't in neutral like Jeff said. I'm almost willing to bet that is your problem.

[spectre6000]

What's the state of the fluid? Level, age, wear?

[SubAlpine]

Found it, Just been busy. It is the transfer case shift motor. The Expedition has fancy switch activated 4x4. The shift motor is a common failure when they get old. Will be replacing in a few weeks for about $100. Got her on the road, I think the cold was keeping her from getting into gear. She will shift into and out of 4x4 and auto 4x4, but it has to be at a stop. Thanks guys.

[88Toy]

Good find. Is that motor a big deal to change?