I have a '97 XLT 4x4 automatic. I have no engine braking in 1st gear regardless of transfer case position (4Hi, 4Lo, 2Hi). Regardless of speed--even if I start from a dead stop--as soon as I take my foot off the gas in 1st gear, the tach goes to idle and the transmission goes to "neutral". I do get some engine braking in 2nd and 3rd gears. Others have noted the same "problem".

Some have suggested that overdrive has to be turned off ("O/D OFF") in order to activate engine braking in 1st gear. However, the suggestions seem to be anecdotal and not based on any written fact; it didn't make a difference for me.

Am I supposed to have engine braking in 1st gear? Or, is the Ranger transmission not designed to provide it?

 

I looked it up in my Ford manual and there are many things that could cause this problem, I suggest getting a manual and going through all the possible causes. Besides the fluid level / condition & the shift cable adjustment all the other possible causes are internal.

 

so when your driving the ranger, (94 in my case) and its in first gear, the transmission SHOLD NOT go into neutral and coast when say approaching a stop sign? Is that what your saying?

 

I had a 99 ranger w/3.0l and never got any engine braking at low speeds, and it hardly ever happened even at higher speeds.

 

If I manually place the Ranger auto transmission in 1st gear, I expect to get engine braking. Every other automatic transmission I've driven provides this feature in all gears (when selected manually). However, I've heard several others complain that they don't have engine braking when manually locked into 1st gear...almost as if the Ranger transmission is not designed to provide it.

If I know that I'm supposed to have engine braking when manually locked in 1st gear, then I can start looking for a problem.

For example, you're on a long steep hill in the woods and you want to use engine braking instead of riding the brakes. You come to a stop, manually drop the auto transmission down into 1st gear, and let engine compression keep you at a reasonable downhill speed.

Does anyone else know for a fact that his/her Ranger provides engine braking while manually locked into 1st gear?

 

Usually on these when you have no engine braking in manual 1st it's because the valve body gaskets inside the transmission have split and the fluid isn't going where it's supposed to.
The cure is to replace the valve body gaskets.

 

Yeah, i dont have that in my ranger. or either its broken. I know my f150 has it though, even when its in drive and it shifts down into say first or second if i'm approacing a stoplight

 

I drove many new rangers when I was a car salesman and they all had engine braking in all gears but I have experienced this with F350 diesels. My dads 95 F350 quit doing it after about 180,000 miles but once the transmission was replaced at 230,000 miles it worked again. Some sort of bug in the ford tranny design. My father also has a 2001 F350 PSD and it does not nor has it ever had any kind of engine braking in drive. Overdrive, 1st, 2nd all do but drive itself does not. Never have been able to figure out why.

 

Umm...there is NO such thing as engine braking in a Ford Ranger regardless of year or engine size. My Peterbilt 739X has an Engine Brake (made by Jacobs), but not my Ranger. I believe it to be important to realize this, and even more important to use the correct terms.

I have noticed that the University Vans here in Oklahoma are Chrysler products, and you can put the transmission in 1 (or Low) and drive down the highway at 85Mph. It seems that they (Chrysler) have started to "dummy-proof" their automatic transmissions...maybe Ford has done something similar with theirs!

 

That's not what he's talking about. He means downshifting like a standard to slow his truck down. But since it's an automatic, his in particular won't do it. Mine does, and it doesn't have a Jake either.

 

From the 2000 Ford Ranger manual....

Overdrive

Overdrive is the normal position for most forward driving.

The OVERDRIVE position provides:

l Automatic shifts.

l Apply and release of the torque converter clutch.

l Maximum fuel economy during normal operation.

l Automatic shift 1-3 with O/D canceled.

l Engine braking in 1-3, R. with overdrive cancelled.


Second Position—2nd Gear

The 2nd position provides:

l Second gear start and hold.

l The torque converter clutch may apply and release.

l Improved traction on slippery roads.

l Engine braking.


Manual Low Position

If this position is selected at normal road speeds, the transmission will shift into second gear, then into first when the vehicle reaches a speed below approximately 48 km/h (30 mph).

This position provides:

l First gear operation only.

l Engine braking for descending steep grades.

------------------------------------------------

Coast clutch

The coast clutch is a multi-disc clutch made up of steel and friction plates.

l The coast clutch is applied with hydraulic pressure and disengaged by return springs and the exhaust of the hydraulic pressure.

l The coast clutch is housed in the front brake and coast clutch drum.

l The coast clutch is applied when the TCS switch is on, and 4th gear is inhibited.

l The coast clutch is hydraulically applied when the transmission is in 2nd and 1st position.

l When applied, the coast clutch locks the input shaft to the front planetary carrier, thus preventing the one-way clutch from overrunning when the vehicle is coasting.

l This allows the use of engine compression to help slow the vehicle and provide engine braking.

 

will this hold true to the A4LD trannys? I'll check out my ranger manual and see what i can find.

 

For the A4LD the coast clutch is engaged in 1st and 2nd gear with selector lever in positions 1 and 2. It also engages the overdrive sun gear and thereby the input with the intermediate shaft. In this case the O/D one-way clutch is disengaged and on coasting engine braking takes place.

 

Thanks for the inputs. It appears that my truck will provide engine braking in 1st gear when the motor is warming up, but once the motor (and transmission, presumably) are at operating temperature, the transmission no longer provides engine braking while in 1st gear.

I've got some more research to do and will try to post a solution here if I find one.

 

Strange.....never heard of a 739X....I have however heard of a 379X. And the engine brake/engine retarder/ Jake (Jacobs) brake is pretty well a standard feature in most over the road trucks these days....hasn't always been the case though. Not what this particular question was about. He was inquiring about engine drag being produced through the transmission. Direct injection diesel engines do not produce engine braking because they are controlled by the amount of fuel injected into the cylinders. Therefore there needs to be a restriction in the exhaust to create a backpressure in the engine to slow it down. Nothing more than a simple butterfly valve in the downpipe from the turbo to the exhaust. A gasoline engine on the other hand has a throttle body which controlls the amount of air allowed into the engine. When the throttle body butterfly valve is closed it creates a vacuum in the engine there-by slowing it down. Since a automatic transmission is basically a hydraulic pump and not mechanically locked into gear like a manual there must be something awry in the way the transmission is being controlled. Just my 2 cents and a little ribbing thrown in for fun!