I have a 2002 Ford Explorer and besides the seemingly oh-so-common annoying crack in the tail gate, I have another issue I consider to be major. Recently, on a short trip to the store, I hit an incline in the road of a slight degree. At this point I noticed the RPMs going wildly up and down and ultimately the truck died. I tested this out on a few drives and what I’ve noticed is that if I’m on a flat surface, the truck seems to be okay. OR if I do hit an incline, either lifting of the gas or powering through it seems to help…although neither of which is a long-term solution. I just lost my job a couple weeks ago and the idea of taking it to a mechanic scares me as I’m very limited on savings. I don’t really know where to start. Any ideas?
When’s the last time you had the transmission fluid changed?
Is a Check Engine light on?
Have never had transmission fluid changed. I’ve been told that after a certain point, changing the fluid could be a bad thing. And there’s no Check Engine light on…except when the truck dies.
Sorry to say this…but that could be the problem…You could be looking at a serious and expensive transmission problem.
Yeah, that’s kinda what I was hoping it wasn’t! Time to get the motorcycle up and running. 
Tranny fluid should be changed on a regular basis. Even if it hasn’t been done in a long time. Try Seafoam Trans-Tune (1/2 can) in your tranny fluid. Drive it a little bit. Change tranny fluid. Add the rest of the Trans-Tune can.