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1983 - 2012 Ranger & B-Series All Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series models

another trans problem.

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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 12:16 AM
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another trans problem.

i recently purchased a 95 ranger with a 4.0 and an auto trans. i was told when i bought it that the trans didn't work. It does actually shift but on occassion it doesn't like to shift into drive. But if you put it in first then into drive it will catch and shift just fine after that. Could this most likely be caused by crap in the vb or is there some sort of electronic bs causing this? Just looking for a few pointers. Ive been around autos for awhile but am not familiar with this one. If my research is correct this should be a 4r55e. Feel free to correct me if i'm out of line. Thanks for the help in advance.
 
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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 08:02 AM
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Seeing as how it'll shift ok if you go through your discovery routine it does suggest that deposits may belong on your suspect list.

So what does the tranny fluid condition & level look like???? Do you know the service history of this tranny, like if its had regular pan drops, filter & fluid changes, What does the pan & magnet deposit loading look like, any sludge, gum, varnish, or chunks of gasket, seal, or metal in the pan???? Any varnish or other deposits on the tranny dipstick????
 
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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 05:30 PM
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i discovered it is actually a a4ld trans. the truck was an old city vehicle and didn't come with a maintainance record. I did in fact do a filter and fluid flush today. The fluid looked dark red and smelled used but definately not burnt. there was junk on the magnet but nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. No heavy metal shavings or clutch material. The flush did help the shifting into drive problem. And i also noticed that the 2-3 upshift is sluggish at times. But not always.

Being a city water depot truck it didn't get drivin much on the highway but i'm sure it wasn't babied either.
 
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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 08:15 PM
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Ok, so did you continue on with a full tranny fluid pumpout after the pan drop & filter change, or did you just refill the tranny & go????
 
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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 10:11 PM
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i just refilled it and took off. I figured since the fluid looked good and their wasn't any major particles in the pan i figured ill do a full out later. Would a complete flush help take care of the sluggish 2-3 upshift? Like i said its a hit and miss thing. could there be a sylnoid doing this? I know it could be a clutch pack slippin but i would think there would be definate sign in the pan when i dropped it.
 
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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 10:30 PM
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Originally Posted by thunder74-79
i just refilled it and took off. I figured since the fluid looked good and their wasn't any major particles in the pan i figured ill do a full out later. Would a complete flush help take care of the sluggish 2-3 upshift? Like i said its a hit and miss thing. could there be a sylnoid doing this? I know it could be a clutch pack slippin but i would think there would be definate sign in the pan when i dropped it.
Ok, so with just a pan refill you only got about 1/3 of the old fluid out.

SO, since you can detect some improvement with the new fluid, so you may have some sludge, gum, or varnish mucking something up. Since you now know the pan, magnet & filter are clean & no untoward deposits or debris were found, maybe consider adding 1/2 can of Seafoam Trans Tune & driving it until it stops acting out, or doesn't get any better, then do the full fluid pumpout listed at bottom of the Tech Info thread, with the other half can of Trans Tune & new fluid & see how it goes.

Napa has TransTune on sale for $6.25 this month.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know how it goes.
 
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Old Jun 10, 2012 | 10:51 PM
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ill probably get it in there tomorow. Ill keep progress posted. Thank you for your help
 
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Old Jun 28, 2012 | 04:20 PM
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update

so i've ran some seafoam trans tune through the trans for a little over 2 weeks now and it seems to still be sluggish from the 2 to 3 shift. The fluid hasn't changed as far as color or odor. I do have some blotter paper and am thinking maybe i should check the fluid out a little more in depth before i come to any major conclusions. Do you think this is a good idea or a waste of time at this point? Any ideas?
 
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Old Jun 28, 2012 | 06:49 PM
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Originally Posted by thunder74-79
so i've ran some seafoam trans tune through the trans for a little over 2 weeks now and it seems to still be sluggish from the 2 to 3 shift. The fluid hasn't changed as far as color or odor. I do have some blotter paper and am thinking maybe i should check the fluid out a little more in depth before i come to any major conclusions. Do you think this is a good idea or a waste of time at this point? Any ideas?
If you've noticed any improvement since adding the 1/2 can of Trans Tune, drive it some more, (I've had to go as long as six weeks to get positive results), or add the other half can (don't overfill) & drive it more, watching the fluids condition with the blotter test & see how it goes.

If the problem is deposit based, you should be able to notice a shift feel difference. If its an electrical or mechanical problem, you won't fix the problem with a detergent additive, but the tranny will likely be cleaner inside.

Did you ever have a tranny shop scan the tranny computer for trouble codes, if so, post All of the code Numbers found, as they can offer up good trouble shooting clues.
 
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Old Jun 28, 2012 | 07:14 PM
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that was one of the first things i did when i bought the truck was pull the engine and trans codes. only code that came out of both was a po401 and i fixed that.

I've done a little digging around and noticed that it appears that these transmissions have a problem with hard 2-3 shifts and sluggish 2-3 shifts. Is this caused by worn clutches or merely a faulty shift solenoid? I'm just curious if this may be an option?
 
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Old Jun 28, 2012 | 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted by thunder74-79
that was one of the first things i did when i bought the truck was pull the engine and trans codes. only code that came out of both was a po401 and i fixed that.

I've done a little digging around and noticed that it appears that these transmissions have a problem with hard 2-3 shifts and sluggish 2-3 shifts. Is this caused by worn clutches or merely a faulty shift solenoid? I'm just curious if this may be an option?
Hard to say which could cause a shift problem, as both could, along with sludge, gum, or varnish deposits.
 
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