Hello everyone,


I have a 2004 fx4 5.4l with a 4r75e


the other day i was cruising up a steep hill and i noticed the rpms climb a little bit, then lost all momentum and the engine revved. i moved over to the shoulder, by that time i had slowed down and gave it a little gas, second gear engaged and i limped home. during the short (5 min) drive home everything seemed fine unless i went too fast then it would slip/feel like neutral.


I got a little excited, pulled the tranny and took everything apart....


i thought id find a broken band, burnt clutches or some kind of carnage. but everything looked pretty good. Only problem i found is the 2-3 accumulator piston is missing half the moulded rubber seal from the top and a gouge in the side. this really chaps me because i should have found this after i took the vb out and possibly could have saved a ton of work.


I didn't open the vb yet because i ran out of time yesterday, im going to go look now and ill report my findings.


od band looks ok and all the frictions look ok too


could the accumulator piston cause the symptom i described?


any ideas?


thanks in advance for your insight, wisdom and experience.


Zach

 

Possibly if it was bleeding off enough pressure to keep the direct clutch from applying. Are you sure the directs are ok? They are in the drum under the planetary.

 

thanks for your response.


i don't know how to get at those clutches, is the planetary pressed onto the rear drum?


if so i do have a press im itching to use.

 

The planetary lifts out, no press needed. How far is it torn down? Pics would be nice.

 

wait... you say the clutches look good, but you haven't even pulled the rear half of the transmission apart ?!


you will need to remove the center support snap ring and take out the anti-clunk spring thats wedged between the center support and the case. after that the planetary gear, should come out to expose the low/reverse band and direct drum.


If the 2-3 servo is cut then I can guarantee the direct clutches are cooked

 

they lifted out together and would not come apart. i gently pressed and it is now apart. Clutch pack is hooped.

 

thanks a lot guys! any tips on rebuilding?

 

i plan on keeping the truck for a while, is it worth it to get red frictions and Kevlar bands or just get the oem stuff?

 

Don't waste your money on red clutches and Kevlar bands... factory spec clutches work fine, the black high carbon clutches will last a long time as long you don't lose pressure.

update the OD band to the high carbon style band, ford # 7L3Z-7F196-A

Make sure to use the one piece Teflon seals on the out put shaft for the direct drum, you will need a special tool to install and re-size them. also use the one piece Teflon seals on the input shaft inside the forward clutch drum, use the front pump stator with no sealing rings as a re-sizing tool.

order this kit and it should have all the correct seals and gaskets you will need, you will have to order the 2-3 servo and band separately
4R75W Transmission rebuild kit 4R75W Transmission

 

Get a new direct snap ring, whenever the clutches get smoked like that the snap ring gets hot and it looses its tension. Its also a good idea to replace the #9 bearing (the one under the output shaft), I have seen a lot of those fail and you will get a whining noise while driving. Make sure the case does not have grooves where the output shaft sealing rings ride. +1 on the one piece direct seals and OEM clutches, the latest ones are black. Inspect everything very carefully and replace anything with excessive wear. There are a few trans guys on here so if you run into trouble someone will help.

 

Thanks you!

 

So here is a groove, do I need to get my case machined and a sleeve put in?

 

^this groove is from the last output shaft seal.
I don't know what to do now, shop says he will sell me a case for $225
Or send it to his machine shop to get honed and a sleeve for $250
Are these prices in the right ball park?
It's too late now to call any other shops, I guess I'll have to wait till next week...

 

I have never had to have a case sleeved, so I cant tell you if its in the ball park. $225 seems a bit high for a case to me.


what about buying a good used transmission? rebuild it and have spare hard parts.

 

Good call, pretty sure I can get one from a wrecker for $500. I wonder if the will let me take it apart and make sure it doesn't have the same problem and I would like to know what caused the groove. The metal bushing/seal or whatever it's called on the output shaft was badly worn too... It's a 4x4 with an extension housing between the t-case, could my t-case cause this damage to the seal and case somehow?