Any body see that article on the bad seperator plate replacement? I was wondering what was wrong with it to warrant the service work? Isn't the 5r55e the auto that came in the '99 explorers? What benefit does one get by removing the screens and replacing that one valve with what appears to be a deeper valve? What symptoms should I watch for in my wife's '99 to know if I need to do this to mine. It seems to work fine now, but it does have a 105,000 miles on it. Maybe I will have the tranny shop do some work on it this summer when we have it serviced again. How adjustable is this tranny? Can one simply tighten bands like on the old c4s or is it all electronically controlled? Should I get a Tuner so that I can adjust pressures? I have not been able to find any info on this tranny as far as upgrades are concerned. I believe in making things beefier when they break, and I haven't heard good things about the Ex' autos. I don't know if those rumors had to do with the 5r55 or the older one. I know this one just works so far, but I baby it, I don't want to dump a couple grand into a new tranny.

 

the new seperator plate chenges the way the epc circuit operates.the new valve in has blow off valve ,valve in conjunction with the new seperator plate the has a bonded gasket to both sides is designed to keep the epc system from blowing the gasket out.i usually just install a new epc solinoid and the upper and lower valvebody gasket.

 

So, is that the tranny in my Ex'? Do they have issues? Should I do some preventative work on it? I want to keep this car for a while still, my wife loves it and doesn't want to get something else. I feel that if I take good care of it (regular and preventative maintenance) there is no reason it shouldn't last for a few hundred thousand miles.

 

no preventive maint. will keep from blowing out the gasket.if the gaskets are blown out.take it to a good trans shop,or to a freind that knows how to work on these trans.use only a new epc solinoid preferably from ford.

 

thats my article, i wrote it. the reason i made it is because most 4r55e and 5r55e trannies are having severe issues with these. the gasket blows out and this causes HARD or NO shifts between gears. the way you can test is to shift to manual first and speed up and let off the gas, the motor should be pulled down by the tranny kinda like an engine brake. if not, you have a bad gasket. lemme know if you have any questions

Matt

 

There's a Superior Shift Kit that can be installed in the 4R/5R55E transmissions.
It replaces some of the aluminum spool valves with steel ones, along with different springs and such.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" is my motto, but if you experience a shift flare or other problems, I'd recommend the separator plate/blow-off valve kit be installed, along with the Superior Shift Kit. As was stated, a new EPC solenoid would also be a good idea. Maybe a new solenoid bracket too.

I'm also a believer in LubeGard additive in the RED bottle, along with regular ATF changes.

I experienced a 2-3 shift flare at 50K miles, and did all of the above to my 5R55E. It's held together so far, at 92K, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood.......

 

my 4r55e wouldnt even shift out of 2nd so i did that tech article and my tranny is shifting better than it ever has. i did have problems right after i did the fix. it took around 10 miles of stop and go driving before it became normal shifting and now it works great. im at almost 10k later

Matt

 

Matt, I searched for your tech article and couldn't find it.
Do you have a link?
Thanks.

 

I have a 98 Explorer with the 5r55e transmission. What is the name/part number of the kit I need to get?
I'm not having any problems at the moment but I'm on 95000 miles.

 

the link is https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...dy_Gasket.html

and uk, does your truck have manual first? if it does you dont need to upgrade, if it doesnt i would recommend doing it before ti causes more damage

Matt

 

Very informative writeup, Matt. That should give readers enough confidence to do their own if they need to.

In case anyone's interested, the part number for the Superior shift kit is #K4R/5R55E. It includes a double-lipped O-ring seal for the reverse servo, that cures the "lazy" reverse engagement that some trans have. At $40, it's a worthwhile addition if you need to do the separator plate/valve mod anyway.

 

yes, i agree on the reverse comment. I would be curious to know why when i replaced my reverse servo gasket my reverse did not work for a couple miles. it would pretty much act like the tranny was locked up. i was curious if the servo got binded up somehow. now it works great

Matt

 

Thank you for all the info. About how much do the parts cost for this upgrade/fix? My '99 is at 105,000ish miles and was wondering if I should have this done at the next service. Beat having to replace the whole tranny.

 

i think i spent around $100

Matt

 

with or without the shift kit?