Got stuck going uphill (steep) - Transmission Slip - 2006 Explorer 4.0 V6 4x4 5R55S

My father called me saying the RPMs were going up but truck would not move.

It was a "steep" hill...after some quick reading while I was on the phone I saw O/D being turned off could help and in fact he was able to get it going after he turned it off.

He took it to the dealer and they said "internal transmission failure" and want $5049+tax for a reman with 3 yr warranty.

Paperwork says "Diag checked codes Error for output speed" but there is no code written down...I told him to drive it home.

It makes the "thump noise" changing from P - R - D .... I got it up on the stands and will check the fluid level and drop the pan tomorrow but wanted to see If any of you have recommendations.
Why would turning O/D OFF make it go? Anyone have a hydraulic map of this transmission?


Known issues: Leak from the radiator. Don't know if it is coolant or tranny.
The truck gets serviced at the dealer and have received tranny fluid change last year at 100k miles... currently at 120k

Thank You!

It sounds like the input sprag has failed, when this happens it loses all of the gears. Turning the overdrive switch off causes the overrun clutch pack inside the transmission to engage, when its engaged it supports the input sprag. Its a failure I see from time to time and it can happen without warning. Having OD turned off so the coast clutch can help the sprag is a way to help prevent failure of this part during hard or heavy use in the future.

You should be able to find someone to fix it for half of your Dealer quote and still have a 3 year.

JK080 said:

It sounds like the input sprag has failed, when this happens it loses all of the gears. Turning the overdrive switch off causes the overrun clutch pack inside the transmission to engage, when its engaged it supports the input sprag. Its a failure I see from time to time and it can happen without warning. Having OD turned off so the coast clutch can help the sprag is a way to help prevent failure of this part during hard or heavy use in the future.

You should be able to find someone to fix it for half of your Dealer quote and still have a 3 year.

Click to expand...

Thank you, thinking of calling some shops around if I see a lot of contamination in the pan. Possibly AAMCO.

I'll post up some pictures in the morning

This what one can look like when they fail, sometimes the sprag teeth will roll over (they are supposed to be leaning the other way). When they do this they cant hold and they create very little debris.



Don't be surprised if there is little in the pan.

I ran the truck hot and removed the drain plug. Only a few drips came out. Removed the pan and the ATF was 3-4mm below the filler nipple thing.

Here is what I found in the pan.

I got a new filter and 10 quarts of Mercon V... I'll clean everything I can, button it up and hope that father gets couple more thousands of miles from the tranny before we call it "dead"


This is the filter I am using.
Napa ATP 15933

The package says it is for 5R55W but it was the same for 5R55S.

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...etal-OE-Style-Carded-/_/R-ATP15933_0456337805

Oh yea, fluid was definitely low. About 3 quarts came out. I just put in the 7th.

Driver side bolts were really loose and it looks like ATF leaked out of there.
Not sure why but I am going to call the dealer and ask how they drain the fluid when they perform the transmission fluid change service.
I think the other leak is at the front lower radiator. Father thought it was the coolant.

I found this pic online. It is leaking right where the lines are and the the repair involves an O-ring.

Does anyone know what size and where the O-ring goes?



Found this: http://www.revbase.com/BBBMOTOR/TSb/DownloadPdf?id=1757

EDIT:

But thats not where mine leaks.. it leaks at the 2nd connection.
Anyone ?
Leak is at the tip of the arrow





I buttoned all up and drove around, harsh shift 1 to 2 but all else is ok. Found a steep hill and passed that test too.



EDIT:

Found some helpful posts. Gonna open up that fitting and see what I can do.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319333
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2712987#post2712987

Gotta love those aftermarket rads. Garbage connectors.

Shouldn't those be flare fittings, no "O" rings? Question; when your dad called and said the RPM's were going up but the truck wasn't moving, how high? 2500 or so= torque converter slip, 4000-5000= internal failure. Either way the fluid is toast.

If it doesn't seem to slip anymore I'd flush all the old fluid out and replace with new. Then I'd consider adjusting the bands and seeing how long she lives before complete failure. Dealers price is crazy. Around here $2000-$3000 with warranty, $2000 without if you can find someone to do that.

He said 2-3k... I would guess that he did not notice anything before since this is the first time he was on a steep hill. Since there was not barely any fluid in the pan, the pump was not picking anything up? That's my guess.

It is much better after fluid change. I will change it again next week.

I am not sure how the bands are adjusted on this 5R55S transmission.


EDIT: Just found these useful links that I will read later.
http://downloads.bustedfingermotorsports.com/Ford Transmission Manuals/5R55W.pdf

http://www.ratiotek.com/5r55w-complete.pdf

Just an update- Radiator connections still leak (drips).

I did a band-aid fix with red RTV in May. It is August now and they just started sipping through. I will fix with new fittings.

As for the tranny, it runs good after the fluid change.

Another update.

The fitting has internal O-rings which are a PITA to remove.
I put new o rings in there but dont think it will last.

I will try to source AN fittings online to resolve this issue.