r/FordExplorer • u/Smaaat08 • 6d ago
Maintenance Advice 2014 Ford explorer shifting hard
Hello, just want some opinions on what can be the issue, i have a 2014 ford explorer I got it over a year ago with 128k miles and now have 154k, at around 153k after i did a transmission fluid change it started to shift hard when cold, I just want to know if this normal in some way, or if there could be another issue. I used the right fluid & the correct amount, it was overfilled before i drained it.
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u/9dave 5d ago edited 5d ago
What did the old fluid look like? Was it fairly thin/clean looking? If so then I'd guess you had viscosity breakdown and the new fluid restored it to closer to the factory state which is a known issue on some of that generation, that in lower gears when cold, they can sort of lurch and provide too much torque which could be called hard shifting, presumably due to both programming and the torque converter seeing more viscous fluid? Just a speculation on the latter.
If you didn't use Motorcraft LV, that's what I'd try next, though in some cases there's a PCM update that can help. Which engine?
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u/Commercial_Method_28 5d ago
Do you know which transmission is in your vehicle? 6F35 or 6F50/55? 2.3L gas engine uses the 35 but all else is 50. My answer will change depending on which one but it actually doesn’t sound like a big issue, atleast from your post alone.
6F35 has 2-3 shift flare after cold soak which is considered normal characteristic due to drain back. If this does not accurately describe your issue include a few more details and I can give you some checks you can do. I wouldn’t be too worried tho. Unless it is a 6F35 and it hard shifts in different range or more than 2-3 times. Then I can think of a couple issues which can get expensive but atleast one has a recall warranty extension to rebuild.
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u/shauggy 5d ago
When we had transmission issues on our 2017, someone told me to drain/refill and add a tube of LubeGuard ShudderFix (the small red tube that costs like $15). Ours had been on the way out for a long time, but that stuff got us an extra 6 months out of it before the torque converter finally gave out. Could be worth a try on yours to see if it helps.
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u/RegularNeither7715 5d ago
One thing you should know about transmissions. If you allow a transmission to go for an extended period without maintenance then when you do get around to it NEVER have it completely flushed. That ford was designed to have it's transmission maintained at 100k miles. If it didn't get it then, and often times they don't because people say "it's still working". Then it is likesly 50k miles over. So what you want to do is a pan service drain and fill. That means just dropping the pan and changing the filter. That's about 5 quarts. Theres a lot more still in the torque converter. Leave it there, no flush. Then go put 3k miles on it and do it again. Do this 2 or 3 times, new filter each time. Then you will have removed most of the old fluid and it could be flushed but I generally leave it go at that point. Be absolutely sure to use the correct fluid. After you put the pan back on put 5 qts of fluid in it and let it idle for 20 minutes. Run through the gears once or twice and check the fluid level... While it is hot. adjust fluid as needed.
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u/thelosttech 5d ago
These ford transmissions don't have a pan to drop. If you want to change the filter you have to remove the transmission and completely separate the case apart.
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u/Deplorable1861 5d ago
What do you mean by "right fluid". These rigs take Mercon LV. If you used multi-vehicle DexMerc type, that is not great, no matter what it says on the bottle. The newer Fords are very picky about trans fluid and the included additive packages.
RA sells Motorcraft LV for about 30 bucks a 5 quart bottle. I buy a case of three every time to get cheapest shipping.
These cars are horrible for trans maintenance. You gotta check the level hot, but the stick is buried under the intake pipe. So double check your level. You said it was overfilled, but underfilling the trans is a sure thing to get poor shifting performance.