Firehawk Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Guys I am curious about what I should expect in regards to the transmissions life expectancy. 93 V6 with an auto 110K miles. It's never ever been beat on and serviced properly. I will be taking it to the beach to do some light wheeling on the sand and north for light dirt trail wheeling as well. I say light b/c I don't want to beat on the truck, just use it for what it was designed to do. What should I expect out of the transmission mileage wise? Also, are they known to just go out or anything I.E. leaving me 90 miles from home? Thanks for any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 You will be fine. 110k miles is nothing. For these vehicles or any vehicle really. Even if they were serviced terribly, they USUALLY fail around 190k miles I think I've seen around here. Hopefully you changed all the fluid you could and filled it to the proper level. From now on, you might want to invest in a Magnefine in-line filter. The transmission filter really doesn't help you much for small particles. Just make sure it's not getting too hot. That was my mistake. I would put my phone in the center console and after 20mins of driving, it was blazing hot. I didn't even think that the transmission was severely overheating. I thought it was just the summer heat and my phone sucked a lot of battery power. If your trip isn't for a little while, then you want to snag an aftermarket trans cooler and be extra safe. Some Fords have pretty good ones. Hit up your local junkyard. Even if your transmission does start failing on your trip, it won't leave you stranded. Most of the time, reverse stops working or works very slowly. All forward gears still work. In my case, I had shift shock from 1st to 2nd gear. All my other gears still worked just fine. I was using it with the shiftshock for a few weeks until it broke completely due to something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thanks for the info. I have not done the trans cooler bypass yet but it's on my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Even if your transmission does start failing on your trip, it won't leave you stranded. Most of the time, reverse stops working or works very slowly. All forward gears still work. In my case, I had shift shock from 1st to 2nd gear. All my other gears still worked just fine. I was using it with the shiftshock for a few weeks until it broke completely due to something else. Ask MY1PATH about that and he'll say you're wrong. He stayed a week with his wife and baby at my house because his transmission suddenly failed on a trip down to California, thankfully it failed right around the corner from my house... 170 miles away from home with another 500 to go. It was a matter of pulling off the highway to get gas. It drove fine on the way in but it was toast when they tried to leave. This was at 218K miles so you still have a long ways to go before even worrying about a transmission failure, especially if it's been taken good care of like you say. Run an aftermarket transmission cooler, at least 16K LBS, a filter, and for good measure drop the pan and make sure there's no particles of clutches. You should be good to go for a long time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Trannys can fail at virtually any age/mileage. Some people have 250,000 miles without problems, and the tranny in my 1995 was rebuilt with less than 90,000 miles on it. The stock tranny cooler is the #1 cause of failure if it clogs but driving styles influence it also. IIRC the overdrive can cause a lot of heat with hilly driving and heat is bad. The steps to help your tranny last are to keep the fluid in good condition, bypass the stock cooler and use an aftermarket one, install an inline filter and a temp gauge so you have some isea of what is going on in there. All of this can be done for about $100 so there really isn't any excuse... B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Don't mind 1994SEV6, he vomits from the keyboard way more often that he should. Sometimes when the transmissions fail, they just do not go anymore. It seems that it happens most commonly around 170-180k miles. Get a transmission cooler on that bad boy ASAP, it will definitely help prolong the life of your auto! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Ask MY1PATH about that and he'll say you're wrong. He stayed a week with his wife and baby at my house because his transmission suddenly failed on a trip down to California, thankfully it failed right around the corner from my house... 170 miles away from home with another 500 to go. It was a matter of pulling off the highway to get gas. It drove fine on the way in but it was toast when they tried to leave. That's crazy. I didn't mean it can't happen, because it obviously can, but this sounds like a scary fluke accident. I'm sorry, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know how to cover my ass like an expert. I have come to trust what MY1PATH has to say, so I do believe this situation was sudden failure and not a long-time overlooked component. Trannys can fail at virtually any age/mileage. Some people have 250,000 miles without problems, and the tranny in my 1995 was rebuilt with less than 90,000 miles on it. The stock tranny cooler is the #1 cause of failure if it clogs but driving styles influence it also. IIRC the overdrive can cause a lot of heat with hilly driving and heat is bad. I thought the stigma about rebuilt WD21 trans is that they don't rebuild well? Just curious, did you have a trans cooler and take all the necessarily steps to prevent the damage and it still happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) I put a transmission in an '88 because it suddenly lost third and fourth gear pulling on to a highway. Shifted into third then boom back in to second and almost red lined the engine. Reverse still worked beautifully. Reverse failing first is a good indicator of the transmission starting to fail as it requires the most line pressure to engage. But it's definitely not always the case. Edited January 21, 2012 by Kingman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 They can fail at any mileage. It all depends on how you drive them and how you take care of them. Automatics wear out during shifts, not during drive time. The less you have to shift back and forth, the longer you can use it for. A well cared for and well driven transmission will last over 300,000 miles. An abused and neglected transmission will fail at less than 80,000 miles. If you have the older 3 speed then that will last even longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) Run an aftermarket transmission cooler, at least 16K LBS, a filter, and for good measure drop the pan and make sure there's no particles of clutches. You lost me on the 16K thing.. Edited January 21, 2012 by Firehawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) There is a rating on the coolers, either in BTU or in GVWR. You will need a cooler that is rated for 16,000 lbs GVWR or around like 13,000 BTU at the minimum. The bigger you can get of a cooler the better but beware of the amount of space that you have to use. Edited January 21, 2012 by Tungsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 If you decide to use a Magnefine in-line filter, you'll need one with 3/8" fittings. Otherwise, I have nothing to add - the info above is very thorough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Very cool. I have never shopped for any type of external cooler and had no idea how they were rated. ty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle94 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) mine has 208,xxx miles with original trans. but mine is slipping into second... need to start saving for that one. ha. has a 22GVWR external transcooler as well, with the stock cooler bypassed (some may say overkill, whatever) after it started slipping. Edited January 21, 2012 by Kyle94 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Trannys can fail at virtually any age/mileage. Some people have 250,000 miles without problems, and the tranny in my 1995 was rebuilt with less than 90,000 miles on it. The stock tranny cooler is the #1 cause of failure if it clogs but driving styles influence it also. IIRC the overdrive can cause a lot of heat with hilly driving and heat is bad. The steps to help your tranny last are to keep the fluid in good condition, bypass the stock cooler and use an aftermarket one, install an inline filter and a temp gauge so you have some isea of what is going on in there. All of this can be done for about $100 so there really isn't any excuse... B some good auto trans preparation right there I thought the stigma about rebuilt WD21 trans is that they don't rebuild well? they don't rebuild CHEAP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I thought the stigma about rebuilt WD21 trans is that they don't rebuild well? Just curious, did you have a trans cooler and take all the necessarily steps to prevent the damage and it still happened? Yes, I have heard the same. The PO bought the Pathy from the first owner with a failed tranny and rebuilt it himself, installing a shift kit IIRC, at somewhere around 85,000 miles. He sold it to me with 96k miles and it has 106k miles on it now, 2.5 years later. I bought it because I wanted a WD21 with low miles to mod and if the tranny fails I'll either take it apart (I have a repair manual for it) or put in a HD version. So far so good though. No, it did not have an aftermarket cooler, filter or temp gauge like it does now. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Personally I would not get one from a junkyard ford because you don't know how filled with crap it is...Just buy a new one they aren't that expensive. For what it's worth, I bought my pathy with 210,000kms and now has 380,000 (around 230k miles). Tranny had intermittent reverse issues, but resolved that with a few good flushes. I got lucky. I added a cooler and filter. I've beat the crap out of my transmission (towing heavy loads) and it is still working fine. Though the shifts aren't as nice as they used to be I just attribute it to age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Personally I would not get one from a junkyard ford because you don't know how filled with crap it is...Just buy a new one they aren't that expensive. Actually, I disagree with that. If the fluid for the vehicle looks good the cooler is probably fine inside, and they are pretty easy to flush. True, coolers aren't that expensive and maybe someone doesn't want to mess with it, but they are a robust plate design and just about the right size. Let me post a picture of one. You figure a B&M from Summit is about $50 for the same design (tube and fin is not comparable) + shipping and I paid $16 for this one. That's enough of a difference to matter to many people. It even comes with hoses and hose clamps!! Oh, make sure to bring an 8mm wrench to remove the mounting bolts. Yes 8mm (.3149") not 5/16 (.3125") on a Ferd. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 OK guys what about fluids now? Specifically the front and rear diffs, transfer case and ATX fluid. I want to check all of them before I put her in 4x4 so I am working on that today. So if any are low what grade do I use? The rear has an LSD and I know from the Neon's that had LSD's they require an additive that the non LSD transmissions did not require (for the clutches). So basically I don't want to mess anything up. : ) Also...... When I went to get the truck this morning and move it over to my house my aunt mentioned that the dash mat that is on top of the dash had been placed there when the truck was new, not to cover damage like a lot of them are used for but to protect it from the get-go. I was like wow! It keeps getting better. I lifted the mat up and the dash looks as good as new. Totally impressed!! Then as I am about to leave I mentioned to her how I was going to order a Chiltons/ Haynes or a FSM in hard copy for the truck. She says hey, wait a second.. Goes into the garage and produces a Haynes repair manual! Woot! OK I am going to start checking fluid levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Fluid capacities: Transfer gear oil: 2.32 quartsUse Genuine Nissan ATF or equivalent Type Dexron II. Dexron II and III are no longer being licensed; use a Dexron III fluid, preferably synthetic for better cold-weather performance and lower operating temperatures.75W-90 gear oil is also usable (it is not specified which GL rating fluid is usable; I would use GL-4 to be on the safe side), but do not mix ATF and gear oil in the transfer case. Differential gear oil:Use GL-5 fluid, preferably 80W-90.Rear:H233B: 2.95 quarts [*]Front: R180A: 1.37 quarts R200A: 1.58 quarts [*]Automatic transmission fluid capacity (with torque converter): Use Genuine Nissan ATF or equivalent Dexron III/Mercon fluid. 2WD: 8.34 quarts 4WD: 8.98 quarts Torque specs: Transmission drain plug: 22 - 29 ft-lbs Front differential:R180A & R200A:Filler plug: 29 - 43 ft-lbs Drain plug: 29 - 43 ft-lbs [*]Rear differential: H190A, H233B:Filler plug: 43 - 72 ft-lbs Drain plug: 43 - 72 ft-lbs As for specific fluid recommendations, Mobil 1 75W-90 gear oil can be had for cheap if ordered from Advance Auto Parts online. Use discount codes to save a ton. I'm using Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle in my transmission and have no complaints (I also bought the fluid with discount codes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Towcivilian is spot on the capacities, but to clear up any confusion, your 93 V6 will have the R200A front differential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Towcivilian is spot on the capacities, but to clear up any confusion, your 93 V6 will have the R200A front differential. Thanks guys. Ya I read that and thought ok cool, now I need to know what diff I have up front. : ) Thanks for all the input gents. Going back to the garage : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 your 93 V6 will have the R200A front differential. now I need to know what diff I have up front. : ) What? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Read the whole sentence. I was referencing the original post with the vehicle specs but that question was answered in the post after that. Sorry if it came out to "wordy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 In the Garage section, there is a pinned thread called FSM (Factory Service Manual) or something. Go there and download your own copy of the 1994 FSM; the dash won't be the same along with a few other things, but 95% of the important stuff is there including fluids and levels. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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