my 92 just suddenly stopped going into reverse like a switch.....no slipping no shuttering. ......then the next morning when it was cold went it perfect......now it doesn't do it at all, hot or cold all other gears work fine. i've been wanting a monster trans AOD anyway but i'd like to fix this one in the mean time

the fluid is new and correct level. think i blew a sevrvo cap or seal?

i know this should be in the tranny section, but i trust this one better lol

any one have ideas?

 

just throwing out a suggestion, but are you sure it is really selecting reverse. Ford had a problem with the cable for the indicator sticking, so it would not really show you what gear you are in. Had a customer call me about this for a bronco with the E4OD, it would not go into Overdrive. I told them to stop the truck and put it in park, then count 3 clicks down. After that they called me saying it was running better, but the indicator showed that it was in reverse, yet they were going 65 mph down the highway forward. My old truck did it, my dad's truck did it, and I have had many customers with that problem.

 

no it actually goes into the gear........the shifter is tight. one click down from park. theres no slop in it.

 

bump............

 

Sounds like something was stuck(check ball?). Apparently it's fine for now. Has it ever had a fluid/filter change? When I changed my '95 with 80K miles(bought it used), the filter was bad, lots of crap on the magnet in the pan, it was shuddering before downshifting. It worked great afterward.

 

no reverse still isnt working. yes i changed the fluid and filter back in the fall. it wasnt that bad.

might be a stuck check ball idk anything about automatics.

 

Ah..misread your post. Thought it was still working.

Automatics are marvel mystery machines for me too. Love my Sticks!!!

 

yes sir!!! sticks for me too. so much so i considering swapping a 5spd into it. my buddy i go to college with runs a junk yard, and he said he'd sell me everything i need to do the swap for 250. and he told me all the trucks came in under their own power and he personally drove them and said they all shifted fine.

it'll be a big job, but i guess i'll get my piece of mind? i gotta wait for it to get back fromt he body shop to start on it

 

If you are sure that all the forward gears are there (shifts 1-2,2-3,3-4). I would remove the valvebody and check the reverse servo piston cover and the reverse servo piston. I have seen the seal on the piston and cover fail and also I have seen the snap ring that holds them in the case come out. This could be something that can be fixed in the vehicle.

But if you drive the vehicle and you notice that you are missing 2nd and 4th also, (shifts 1-3) then the shell is broken and it has to come out and disassembled.

You also will not have engine braking in low if the reverse servo,cover or band is faulty.

 

all of the gears are there.....1-2 and so on, but i did notice if i pull it down into one it wont brake with the engine like you said. all the forward gears are there.

is the cover and piston something i can replace? im a heavy diesel mechanic, just never around autos. i understand the principal on how they work tho.

that part that gets me is it was so sudden. i took the truck to the farm, fired off 50 rounds with my buddy thru my new gun, backed up, went to his gf's house and parked. came back, nose pointed at the garage and it wouldnt go into reverse. next morning however it did.....when it was cold. then after the 2nd time that morning i had to rev it up a bit to move in reverse, when it was warm nothing in reverse, then after that nothing at all.

thank you for all the help btw

 

I would think that you could do the repair, you may have to buy a part or two.

You will have to remove the pan and valvebody to get to the servo. You should be able to figure out how things works once you get there. Post back if you decide to give it a shot and have any questions.

 

thanks man. is it just a bunch of bolts to pull the valvebody? im sure i'd have to keep it top side up so i wouldnt spill any checkballs.

any upgrades i need to do while im in there?

i'll try it i figure its worth a shot, if i mess it up oh well gotta atleast try

 

All pan bolts 10mm, all valvebody bolts 8mm. Dont worry about checkballs they are not going to fall out they are behind the plate.

 

gotcha. man thanks i'll tear into it when i get it back home. another question, when and only when it downshifts out of 4th gear it shifts jolts. upshifts are smooth, aswell as all other downshifts. the tv cable was set by my buddy that does the transmissions at the local ford dealer i think he set it based on line pressure. but i wasnt there when he did it.. sound like a stuck checkball? the truck sat for quite a while.

wheres a good place to order tranny parts from? and would i benefit from installing a shift kit while i had the valvebody off?

 

One more suggestion before you blame the transmission. Check that your transfer case is full of oil and is actually engaging the range gears properly. When the range gear selector fork fingers wear the inserts out, it becomes very hard for the transfer case to hold the range gear in place in the high gear and may not even fully engage low range. (As a note: the 4x4 selection fork is a seperate fork that engages the gear internally while the range holds the gear externally) It is due to the way the range selection gear teeth are cut is why the transmission reverse gear seems gone when it could really be the transfer case not engaging the range gear properly. A way to test if it is the range gear on the transfer case (but not 100% positive test) is when the reverse gear seems gone and you are parked on a level surface, turn the truck off, block up the wheels, lock the transmission in park, disconnect the driveshaft, and turn the drive shaft the same direction to make the truck go forward (this may seem oppisite but due to the way you are applying force on the bevel cut of the gears this should work) you may be able to turn the drive shaft in one direction but not the other. You may be able to get it to lock together again if you shift through the range selection on the transfer case, and you may not.

You can take it for what it is worth but I learned this the hard way on my bronco, by replacing the transmission when I could have spent 50 bucks on repairing a transfer case instead.