my 98 ford ranger overdrive light starts flashing usually when i drive on the highway. when i get off the highway and drive in town with o/d light flashing the truck downshifts hard when slowing down at stoplights.,also when almost to stop i hear ticking sound in tranny until i come to complete stop. my ranger is 4wd 4.0 and automatic. any ideas on this.
The transmission in my now-gone Ford Explorer was doing the same thing. It’s not a good sign. In additon to your symptoms, it would upshift hard as well. Local indy transmission shop looked at it, and said it would need a rebuild. With the miles on the truck (215,00) he actually advised against it. He was right, the vehicle wasn’t worth the cost. Good luck.
The flashing O/D light means the transmission control module, TCM, has detected a problem. Any transmission shop can pull the codes and give a diagnosis. Sometimes it could mean a rebuild, but other times a solenoid pack replacement, which is far cheaper and doesn’t require the transmission to be removed.