My wife was backing out of our drive and said she heard a "twang" noise and now there is no reverse.All forward gears are fine.By reading here I have found that the tranny is a 5r55e.Other posts have led me to believe the problem is serious.It is an automatic tranny and not 4 wheel drive.
I have located a tranny w/ 10K on it and a 45 day warranty.Can't afford to pay for the tranny AND have it installed.I am mechanically inclined but not a mechanic.Gave that up long ago when cars were easier to figure out and fix.
I'm going to have to change it myself so I need to know if theres anything I might run into that will start the cussing and dumbfounded look that my wife has come to "love" me for.
I have changed my share of tranny's in the past,but always the old ones when they weren't electrically powered.Any help will be appreciated,wrote down,and kept with me while I attempt this test of my patience.
Any ideas on what happened to the bad tranny and if I can do something to prevent it in the future? Thanks to all,this is a great place that helps me to keep my sanity.
Rick

 

I would suggust getting one of the Ford Service CD's of e-bay. That will give you a good step by step guide on how to do it and the kind of tools you need.
Also the fact that your's is a 2wd will make it easier than if it were 4x4.

 

Rick, you need to have the old one looked at first. NORMLY, if you lose reverse you lose 1st gear. So if you have 1st something needs to be look at. Get it check first. Most trans. shops will check it for free.You could get lucky.

 

If you end up pulling it, pull the flex plate as well and replace the engine rear main seal. It will go soon if it hasn't started to leak already and it's cheap and easy to replace once the tranny is out. Hope it'something simple but doesn't sound good.