I have a 1994 Ford Ranger XLT xcab with a 4.0 engine.It will take off and drive in the freeing cold but when it warms up it will only go in reverse.Once in awhile it will go into drive.What seems to be the problem.I had also backed up over a railroad tie in an icy parking lot but still drove away.

 

Welcome to FTE.

I'm not a tranny guy but will see if I can get things started.

We don't have much vehicle history, just the cold/warm shifting scenario & the railroad tie happening you've posted, so a number of questions have to follow to try & help the forum get its collective mind wrapped around your current tranny shifting woes.

Did the problem come about slowly over time, or suddenly after some event, like after backing over the railroad tie???

Did you do a lot of wheel spinning getting back over the tie, or during your cold weather drive cycles?

Was any damage done to the drive line after backing over the tie?

Have you checked the tranny fluid level & condition? If its over, or under filled the fluid can become aerated & the tranny pump won't like trying to make proper line pressure with aerated fluid.
If the fluid has been overheated, or is dirty, it can muck up the valve body inner workings & cause shifting mischief, or mess with the clutches friction material that can cause slipping.

Does it currently have the Ford specified fluid & filter in it?

Has the tranny over its lifetime had regular scheduled Full fluid pump outs, pan drops & filter changes with the specified fluid, that said in writing on its container it's licensed to meet, or exceed Fords specifications???

How long in time & miles has the current fluid & filter been in there?

Have you had it to a tranny shop to have them scan the tranny computer for any trouble codes, if so post up All code Numbers as they can help focus your trouble shoot.

A bunch of questions, but if you can answer each one it'll help the forums collective minds suggest the next best step in your trouble shoot.

 

I'll give it to you short and sweet, the clutches are burned up. Failure to engage in forward gears is a HIGH percentage indicator of burned clutches, especially when you have good reverse.
Doing the fluid level and condition checks are a good thing, however, if this has been going on for a while, I go with my original thought. It will finally not move no matter how long you let it warm up.
You have the choices of new vehicle, rebuild, or wrecking yard replacement. You can do the rebuild, or a 'repair' if you have skills and can pay attention, REALLY pay attention to detail. Disassembly is not difficult, but getting the clutch packs taken apart and re-assembled takes some knowledge and skill. Re-assembly takes a good bit of attention to detail as O-rings can get cut, thrust washers installed backwards, and so one without a lot of thought.
Do some math on the vehicle value, and how long you want to keep it. If you plan on more than a few years, divide the $$'s by the months to see if payments for another vehicle would be more desirable than payments for the repair/replace.
tom

 

I had my '96 auto tranny rebuilt about 4 years ago. It cost about 3k to have it done.