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Normal or Not?

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  laminge 
#1 ·
ok smartarse, I know i am NOT normal, but...


If I drive off in D I have 100% power, if I drop it into another gear, its seems retard the tranny and power curve, is this normal on a 2003 Explorer
 
#4 ·
I may be misunderstanding what you're saying but I'll give it a shot anyway.

Assuming your gear selector has: P R N D 3 2 1 (Not sure on how the new Explorer's are setup)......

You should be able to start out in D or 3 and not notice any difference in the takeoff but if you drop it down into 2, you lock the tranny into 2nd gear and start off in 2nd from a dead stop. You're struggling a bit to get going because of the higher ratio of 2nd gear when compared to 1st. It's like trying to get a car with a manual tranny going in 2nd from a dead stop.....just doesn't have the gear reduction to get you going as quickly as 1st gear.

If you drop the auto tranny into 1, you should be able to drive off with as much yank as you do in D or 3 because you're still starting off in 1st gear. Locking it in 1st will just prevent the tranny from shifting to 2nd.

Not sure if that's what you were looking for, but I hope that helped.
 
#6 ·
Ok let me try to put it this way

In Drive, and the 4wd button on normal, if i floor it i get immediate throttle response, and a decent launch, which btw leaves many people at the lights.

If I take off in 3rd, with normal 4wd button control, it feels like a retarded engine and throttle response, very sluggish and just no up and go.

If i take off in 2nd or 1st, with 4wd in normal mode, its the same.

If i lock 1st or 2nd using buttons, then it full 4wd control

Not that it worries me, cause I normally drive in D

Weird
 
#7 ·
Wow, the new Explorers are a bit different than the one I had. I had a '91 with the 4.0L V6 for a while and it wasn't even close to as fancy as that setup.

Too new for me! Sorry I couldn't be more help.
 
#8 ·
i am pretty sure thay have a lockup type converter in them and that sounds like what is happening.
when you have it in some other gear other than D it isnt locking the converter.
but i dont understand why the throttle response is affected.
it has to be something with the computer controls.
i say put a shift kit in it.
 
#9 ·
I have a 2002 Ranger, same driveline. My gear selector looks like P R N OD 2 1, with the OD on/off switch at the end of the shift lever. If I start off in OD or D (OD switch off), it starts off in 1st gear, you just don't get to Overdrive if the switch is off. Now, on this and many other Ford automatics, if you put the gear selector in 2nd, you WILL start off in second gear instead of 1st. This is useful for starting off in snow and ice with less wheelspin, whether 4wd or not.
 
#10 ·
Rather than a shift kit am thinking of a small blower.

After the cruise this weekend I was most impressed with the stability of this thing, taking 45 and 90degree corners the nbody role was there, yes but I was able to keep the foot flat to the floor without fear of roll over.

Damm its a great thing to drive, but just a tad down on ommmph!
 
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