My 98 Ranger's original 4R44E transmission lasted 87,000 miles of normal driving, no racing, hauling of any kind, just city driving. The first rebuild lasted 61,000 miles. The second rebuild lasted about 16 miles and 1 day these rebuilds done by Ford. Then the whole transmission was replaced with a Motorcraft remanufactured unit done by the Ford dealer and it lasted 75,000 miles. I also added the external cooler that didn't really make it last longer. I also changed the fluid and filter every 15,000 miles instead of 30,000 as recommended by the dealer. The first transmission I went by the maintenance guide that came with the truck when I bought it new and it stated to change fluid and filter at 50,000 miles. Bottom line is it didn't matter how often it was serviced it still is crap and it failed. This time I bought a custom built 4R44E supposedly with kevlar bands, extra clutches, boost valve, 4WD pan, and external cooler. Had some intial problems with the clowns that did the upgrades on it. So far it has 15,000 miles on it and it's been better than the transmission when it was new. So maybe the HD upgrades were actually done. Of course I have no way of knowing since I wasn't there to watch them build it. Only thing I know is the 4WD pan because I argued over it since it was intially not delivered with it on. It does however already have a leak, very small, around one of the servos. I also kept my last transmission so I can get it rebuilt and keep as a spare because I know this one won't last 100,000 miles either.

 

I have a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. It has a 5r55e transmission.Sometimes when i'm driving home from work and I stop at the stop sign the vehicle starts to shake and dies.What used to work all the time was shift to neutral , coast to a stop and shift to reverse- put back in drive and then no problems for the rest of the trip.Now I have to coast to a stop and put it in park turn it off and restart and its good to drive again.I have not seen this problem on any other website.It doesn't do this everytime.It only happens if I go 35/40 mph then when I slow down to around 20mph is when the shaking happens. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

ringx4 the torque converter isn't unlocking on your truck. that is done electrically on your truck and is controlled by the ecm. That is why you are having to shutdown and restart you are resetting the system.

 

Is there anything I can do to fix it?The o/d light doesn't flash either.So I don't get any codes.

 

Not sure there is a card pack on the side of the tranny that has something to do with the operaton of this tranny. I could be a bad solenoid in the tranny they are replaceable by just taking the pan off. You need to find some one more educated on auto-trannies than I am to answer that question. I have run a small shop for nearly 40 years but I never got into fixing the auto-trannies. I did replace the valve body on an 5r55e in an explorer, due to the blown out gasket problem that went real well. Just a lot of stuff to keep track of.

 

Alright. Thanks for your help.

 

I serviced my automatic transmission on 9/13/09. I installed the blowoff kit, new sparator plate with bonded gaskets (mine didn't have a blowout), EPC solenoid, and solenoid bracket. I changed the filter and it took 7 and a half quarts of Mercon V. This however did not solve my problem. I can still drive it all day it seems with no problems unless I shift out of drive into park for a short stop, then when I start to drive again the shift from 1st to 2nd gear slips. If I shift past drive into 2nd or 1st then back to Drive before driving it doesn't slip. I didn't test the shift solenoids while I had it open. I guess I was in a rush to get her buttoned back up before more rain set in.
Any thoughts?

 

Well, to update, the trans let go back in March. Had it rebuilt and it worked great until tonight....I have no 3rd gear. No indication prior that trouble was coming. No '2-3 flare', no hard shifts, all seemed well.

When it tries to shift into 3rd, it feels as if I downshifted to 1st, and the engine races upto 4000 rpm.
I have read how the trans operates, 2nd gear is actually 1st with overdrive. When 3rd is needed, the solenoid that controls the 'overdrive' drops out and then the 3rd gear solenoid takes over, then the 1st gear solenoid drops out.
This makes me think that the 3rd gear soleniod is to blame, but I have no flashing 'OD' light, no 'Service/Check Engine' light.

Does the lack of lights indicate there are no codes to be retrieved?

What would cause this 'no 3rd' problem to not trip a trouble code?

The fluid is fine, no burnt smell, and the level is fine.

Help.

 

It might help if you started a new thread for this.

My 1999 Service Manual has a 4R44E and a 5R55E but no 4R55E so this advice might not apply but:
Do you have reverse?
The electrical routine suggests PCM and refers to the Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis Service Manual, which I don't have.
The mechanical routine suggests
Shift Linkages (Internal/External)
Incoreect Pressures
Filter and Seal Assembly
Main Control Assembly
Overdrive Band
Intermediate Band

Long Story Short, Take it to Ford and have them Diagnose. No point in having the trans fail a third time.

 

Broken intermediate band..... see these bands break all the time, it has nothing to do with who built it, its just a failed part.

 

Thanks jk080. I hope it's not a band. I'm going to try to adjust the intermediate band. I figure, if I can't reach the required 10 ft/lbs for adjustment, that will indicate what I'm afraid of.

I'll post back with results.

 

hello, are band adjustments something i can do myself or is this something best left to the professionals ?? i have the second to first bump (hard downshift) and the two to three slip, but i have no codes at all and it definitely brakes in first and second, especially 1st gear its like putting on the brakes !!! the 2 to 1 bump does not happen all the time and seems to happen more when a/c is on. i really dont think it is the gasket issue, i am leaning towards a bad selonoid or band adjustment, 134000 miles, serviced every 35000 miles, filter and fluid, by me, this started sometime right after i turned 100,000, never got worse than what it is, but the 2 to 1 bump seems to be getting more pronounced. changed abs sensor, speed sensor, tps sensor, and all o2 sensors in the last 4 weeks. all original so i figured why not !! cant hurt. any suggestions on the band adjustments. ??

 

I think band adjustments seem to be straight forward, but I haven't done them yet. I went to try and adjust the intermediate band Sat. morn and couldn't get to it. I have to remove the front driveshaft, and shift cable/linkage.
If you have the clearance, it should be pretty easy.

All the while water is running down on me because it's been raining here since Friday.
Having had enough of stupid engineers and their lackluster designs, I put the truck back outside in the driveway.

I then called the guy who rebuilt it and we're gonna try to get together today and see what he thinks.

 

Welcome to FTE.

You might check out this tranny band adjustment link & see if you want to attempt it.
If you do it, let us know how it goes.
Transmission Band Adjustment Specification Chart - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

 

1994 ford ranger XLT 4.0 2 wheel drive , after sitting in uphill incline driveway for 2 weeks my truck does not want to shift gears,,after sitting at idle for a few minutes you can slide it from gear to gear but if you drive down the road and come to a stop it does not want to shift into any gear easily. was told to check the fluid levels- ok drained the transmission oil in the Manuel transmission, could not get fill plug of so took the shifter off to fill it and when we did the the shifter bushings were in pieces. so we took a shot in the dark and replace them , there is still no change in the shifting i drove it down the road thinking maybe oil needed to circulate, but still no change have to fight it to shift it. if you are just sitting still it will shift from gear to gear but if you let it roll backward about 3 inches you play hell getting into first gear, but if i kick the clutch really hard to the floor it slides in with ease, i thinking maybe the master cylinder is bad? as i said before had absolutely no signs of any problems i just got from a 1600 mile round trip went to my sons for a few weeks and when got ready to go home it just all the sudden didn't want to shift, i know normally if the clutch is going out there are some signs, on most trans problems....