Transmission Question?

[Sonny1597]

Just got back from a 4X4 training class out in the Anza Borrego Desert. In sand I bogged down .. we were doing an exercise using 4H and low gear .. but once stuck I floored it and the engine reved and the tires didn't move. I had to shift to 4L and low and then the tires broke loose with the two back and one front all throwing sand.
Also, it seems I no longer have compression braking in 4L low .. I use to have it but it no longer seems to be there?
I have a 5R55E and BW 13-54 .. I have a Detroit True Trak in the rear .. open dif front. The Sport has 212000k on the it .. original eng. and trany.
I plan on keeping this rig and have already priced a Jasper engine and trany for replacements. But if my engine is still good do I go with a Jasper trany or find somebody thats a good builder .. somebody that would know off-road needs?

 

[Devan]

I got 285k on my 01 sport nd i just had to replace my original tranny last month. I just bought a crap junkyard one for cheap that works temporarily while i build the **** out of my original 5r55e but im having a hard time finding performance friction plates and bands for the 5r55e. Theyre pretty easy to find for the other 5r55s like the 5r55n. Ill prolly have to pay out the ass to have them custom made. Original engine as well. Supercharged with an m90 running 5.5 lbs. When i build a motor for it ill prolly run 10 lbs or throw an extra cobra m112 that i have on it.

But to answer your question i wouldnt bother with the motor yet my supercharged 4.0 sohc with 285k still runs like a champ never had to crack it open either. I run castrol high mileage part syn/syn blend 5w30 every 2500 to 3 thou i think that has alot to do with the motor being in good shape still cuz i hit on this thing alot. As far as the tranny goes definitely find yourself a builder because he will remanufacture it to your application and what you want to do with it. Jasper is just gonna give you an oe rebuild for your make and model. A builder can exceed those oe specs. Also a custom built trans could also be in the same price range as a jasper or a little more but you get piece of mind except no warranty which is why i present you with the following: 3yr unlimited mileage warranty perf lockup torque converter. 5R55E Transmission For Sale, Rebuild
Their cust service sux but they make a good product

 

[bigred4x4]

Did you swap in the 1354? I'm pretty sure those trucks came with the 4405 which has an electronic clutch that drives the front drive shaft which the Tod relay or other problems could cause loss of 4wd, in either case it's possible with both t cases to get hung up in Neutral range, I'd start with the tcase as far as trouble shooting make sure it is engaging, then I'd do a line pressure test on the tranny and scan for codes. The od light should be blinking if it was in that bad of a condition that it wouldn't move the truck in drive.

 

[Sonny1597]

Did you swap in the 1354? I'm pretty sure those trucks came with the 4405 which has an electronic clutch that drives the front drive shaft which the Tod relay or other problems could cause loss of 4wd, in either case it's possible with both t cases to get hung up in Neutral range, I'd start with the tcase as far as trouble shooting make sure it is engaging, then I'd do a line pressure test on the tranny and scan for codes. The od light should be blinking if it was in that bad of a condition that it wouldn't move the truck in drive.

Nope! BW 1354 is in all 2001's .. I have the factory build sheet on it

 

[bigred4x4]

Nice, I'm swapping over to a 1354 myself when my 4405 craps out. I've read that the shift Motors can be a problem with the 1354 I would probably start there if your not getting any codes could be out of position and putting you in neutral.

 

[Spudhut]

Good Advice. I wish I knew more about rebuilding Automatic Transmissions - i'd rebuild mine in my Sport.

 

[Devan]

Did you swap in the 1354? I'm pretty sure those trucks came with the 4405 which has an electronic clutch that drives the front drive shaft which the Tod relay or other problems could cause loss of 4wd, in either case it's possible with both t cases to get hung up in Neutral range, I'd start with the tcase as far as trouble shooting make sure it is engaging, then I'd do a line pressure test on the tranny and scan for codes. The od light should be blinking if it was in that bad of a condition that it wouldn't move the truck in drive.

The 4405 was only used in the 4 door explorers and 2 door explorers until 2000. In 2001 the 2 door explorers got the 1354 and the 4 door explorers got the 4411 which is a 4AWD T-Case as well as the 4405. The 4405 and the 4411 distribute 65% power rear and 35% front. I would Imagine the 1354 power distribution is either the same as that or a little closer to 50/50 then the 4405 or the 4411. I cant find any power distribution data on the 1354 although i only did a quick 2min search.

Also BigRed I know alot of guys have been switching to the BW 44-06 which might be something you might wanna look into if you wanna ditch the electronic shift. The 4406 is a 2wd/4wd T-case that comes out of an F-150 and you can get it with either mechanical or electrical shifting. The 4406 is a much more rugged T-case. If I had things my way I would probably get myself an ATLAS T-case but i dont think they come in electric shift which is what I would prefer but I could do without if I was to come across an ATLAS T-case. This case is so serious that they make one for the auto trans and one for the manual trans. They say the one for the manual trans is geared so ridiculously that in low gear that if you had it in an auto trans truck the brakes wouldnt be able to make the vehicle stop. You need the clutch to be able to disengage the driveline completely for that T-case. Otherwise you would get the automatic model.

 

[transman304]

From what you describe the transfer case is working properly. I would look further into a transmission problem. These transmissions from 1999-2002 were plagued with torn valvebody gaskets and broken low/rev. bands causing the symptoms you described. How is reverse performance? Here are some pictures of the problems I see.

 

[Mbrooks420]

The 4405 and the 4411 distribute 65% power rear and 35% front. I would Imagine the 1354 power distribution is either the same as that or a little closer to 50/50 then the 4405 or the 4411. I cant find any power distribution date on the 1354 although i only did a quick 2min search.
.

Are you talking about maximum power distribution? Unless there is wheel spin the 4405 sends no power to the front. Power is only sent to the front when the TOD clutch is enguaged.

 

[bigred4x4]

An atlas would be nice but at over $4k ( the price of two explorers) lol its just too much,a built 1354 with a strong box will achieve similar results for alot cheaper, ok so maybe not as strong but the atlas is unnecessary I'm my opinion for most people who aren't running the most extreme trails, locked, and on 40's haha, unless there is an adaptor the 4406 I believe it only fits 4r70w trans in the v8 explorers if I'm wrong I'd actually be happy because a manual 4406 would probably be alot easier to find than a manual 1354, to best diagnose the problem I would explain in the best detail you can recall all of the events leading up to the problem, bad valve body gaskets and sticky solenoids like the coast clutch solenoid could cause your symptoms you describe, dropping the pan and removing the valve body for inspection would be recommended if problems persists but I would start with the shift motor on the transfer case as the simplest thing first, to check it off the list, was the 4wd lights flashing when the problem came up? If the transfer case senses a problem it will not go into 4wd if you pull the shift motor I'd clean the position contacts, this is an issue im currently having the lights will flash when engaging sometimes but works any way as usual thanks to the bwm and being able to override the gem when it gets fussy, also I was under the assumption that the 4405 when in 4lo was a 50/50 split, as I definitely get drive line bind when turning on a hard surface while in 4lo, from what I've read it's a varying percentage ranging from 4%? To 98% power to front axle in 4auto according to the needs determined by wheel slip/front/ rear shaft speed differentiation. Allowing transparent use on the road, shift on the fly, and no binding in turns. The 1354 I believe has a clutch like the 4405 but only to spin the shaft up to speed then it mechanically shifts into 4wd, so with the 4405 having clutch coil/or electrical issues, the 1354 is most likely shift motor problem or mechanical related Assuming it's not trans related any way. A line pressure test on the trans can tell you the story without taking anything apart, other than pulling the test Port plug on the side of the case and installing the gauge there is a free online PDF for the ATSG service manual for the 5r55e. It explains how to diagnose transmission issues. How to do line pressure test etc, plus complete rebuild instructions.

 

[Devan]

65-35

• Devan
• December 10, 2017

AS1

• Devan
• December 10, 2017

As2

• Devan
• December 10, 2017

OK so in 4WD low it is a 50/50 power distribution for the 4405 and the 4411. In 4WD Low as soon as the T-case sees any throttle it locks the front and rear drive shafts, pretty much the same thing for 4WD High as well. But I would imagine when it is in automatic or AWD under normal to moderate driving conditions the power distribution is up to 65/35 until perhaps you get aggressive with it. For the 4406 and the 1354 they are true 2wd units. Also I was under the impression that the 99 and older 2 door sports had the 1354 in them as well

Update: I just did a little more research and what I have gathered is that from 90 or 91 to 96 V8 4 door explorers used a Dana TC28 T-case and maybe even the 4 door V6 as well but its more likely the 4 door V6s implement the 1354. And the mode switch for the TC28 has 2WD, 4WD Auto, 4WD Low so the only selection youll see driveline windup in is 4WD Low. Ive heard guys with the 1354 saying that if you tap a switch into the brown wire on the 1354 T-case harness you can enable a 2WD Low setup. If something like that could be done with this Dana TC-28 to enable 4WD High (which im pretty sure I could do if I lockup the magnetic clutch assy in the T-case. I gotta look into wiring diagrams) then this is definatly a T-case I would rather have over the 13-54 granted only if its more rugged then the 1354 which I would imagine it would have to be because its mated to a V8. I could prolly use a 3 position toggle switch and make it so one side enables 4WD high and the other side enable 2WD low. Im gonna look into getting this T-case for my truck, it would be nice to have an option to have AWD capability. I also came across this page:

96 Dana Tc28

• Devan
• December 11, 2017

The 13-54 WAS Also employed in the 2 door sports from 90-92 to 03 for the sport and till 05 for the sport trac

 

[Devan]

Just got back from a 4X4 training class out in the Anza Borrego Desert. In sand I bogged down .. we were doing an exercise using 4H and low gear .. but once stuck I floored it and the engine reved and the tires didn't move. I had to shift to 4L and low and then the tires broke loose with the two back and one front all throwing sand.
Also, it seems I no longer have compression braking in 4L low .. I use to have it but it no longer seems to be there?
I have a 5R55E and BW 13-54 .. I have a Detroit True Trak in the rear .. open dif front. The Sport has 212000k on the it .. original eng. and trany.
I plan on keeping this rig and have already priced a Jasper engine and trany for replacements. But if my engine is still good do I go with a Jasper trany or find somebody thats a good builder .. somebody that would know off-road needs?

Maybe when you got stuck some debris hit the shift arm slightly on the side of the trans and then when you shifted to neutral to slip into 4 wheel low and then shifted back to drive you were good. I know that might sound stupid but it is plausible especially more so in a desert terrain. Has their been a re-occurrence of this problem at all and also when the engine revved and the tires didnt move did you hear any grinding and whats your mileage? If not then this might have just been an isolated incident. I would either try to recreate the situation or start diag or tear-down of the trans.

 

[Devan]

other than pulling the test Port plug on the side of the case and installing the gauge there is a free online PDF for the ATSG service manual for the 5r55e. It explains how to diagnose transmission issues. How to do line pressure test etc, plus complete rebuild instructions.

Do you know where the free pdf for the 5R55E ATSG service manual can be found at?

 

[bigred4x4]

The 4405 control trac case has the clutch that can be manually controlled via the brown wire mod. The 1354 I believe cannot give 2low etc... Without a manual twin stick mod because the engagement into 4wd is mechanical unlike the 4405 control Trac which is purely clutch operated as far as sending power to the front axle which can actually slip but usually only noticable with 35's and a locker up front trying to climb a vertical rock step or something. The 4405 AWD is in the v8 explorers only, which is basically a center differential, the 95-96 explorers had true 2wd due to the center axle disconnect, and the way the control Trac system was designed basically allowing 2wd to occur and not locking up the clutch when front/rear shaft speed differentiation is detected when in 2wd mode. Also I've never heard of an explorer at least first and second generations having any other transfer case other than the BW1354 e and m versions (v6), and the BW4405 control Trac 4x4 (v6),and AWD (v8) versions. To me this sounds more like an icolated incident and wouldn't worry much unless it happens again if the trans line pressure test is good and no transmission codes are set then I'd think it would be in the tcase possibly shift fork or shift motor both of which are not exactly bullet proof. The transmission range sensor could be at fault as well but it wouldn't shift into 4low if that was bad.

 

[bigred4x4]

This transmission manual should be a sticky haha Everytime I bring it up somebody wants it posted.

 

[Mbrooks420]

The 65/35 split is ONLY referring to the true AWD Explorers which were only the V8s. The first pic is in reference to the BW4404 only.

 

[Devan]

The 65/35 split is ONLY referring to the true AWD Explorers which were only the V8s. The first pic is in reference to the BW4404 only.

Im pretty sure that applies to any of these T-cases that have an Auto4WD mode with an electronically actuated clutch

 

[Devan]

This transmission manual should be a sticky haha Everytime I bring it up somebody wants it posted.

Wow I have access to Ford PTS technician website which is workshop manuals and wiring diagrams and a bunch of other stuff but that ATSG guide is 10x more in depth and better then any ford workshop manual. Thanx a bunch for that bigred4x4 I'm sure it will come in handy a lot considering I'm sitting on 3 5R55Es right now lol I cant wait till I order the rest of the parts I need and they get here so I can bulletproof the crap out of one of em.