No forward & reverse after valve body gasket replacement. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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No forward & reverse after valve body gasket replacement.

Joined
February 14, 2011
Messages
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City, State
Texas
Year, Model & Trim Level
2000 XLT 4Door
I just replaced my vb gaskets and tcc solenoid and now I have no forward or reverse. I added 8 qts of mercon v and didn't have enought time to see if it was really full since the dipstick tube had residual oil in it.I have to try to fix it early tomorrow morning.

Any ideas what it could be? I used transmission assembly lube on the gaskets to hold them in place. Could a passageway be blocked off? Its supposed to dissolve when warmed up but it can't get too warm when its not driving the wheels.

Is the solenoid bracket supposed to hook into the groove on the cylinder shaped valve on the side? I think I have it in right but im not sure.

Any input would save me some gray hairs, thanks
 



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I used two separate gaskets and then torqued them at 80 inch pounds with an old school snap on torque wrench made in he '70s.

The old gaskets we're stuck to the separator plate but easily peeled off. I did wonder if it was a newer bonded plate but wasn't sure. The ford parts guy was a moron and had no clue of the updated design.

I am the second owner and bought it used with 80k, now it has 156k and runs great. Now im at a loss, I doubt the previous owner had the TSB done.Is 8qts usually enough? Dumb question but I didn't have time to check
 












I will tomorrow. Im doing it at my father in laws shop but he had to close down early. Does the solenoid bracket hook into the groove on the valve? That's the only thing I can think of that may be put on wrong
 












Yes, I meant on the end of the bracket is a forked piece that looks like it goes around something round. Like in this pic
spool.jpg
 






I see what you mean by the bracket extending. Is the other end of the bracket covering the rest of the solenoids? All of your posts from the other thread were moved into its own thread with a new title in the transmissions section.
 






I used two separate gaskets and then torqued them at 80 inch pounds with an old school snap on torque wrench made in he '70s.

The old gaskets we're stuck to the separator plate but easily peeled off. I did wonder if it was a newer bonded plate but wasn't sure. The ford parts guy was a moron and had no clue of the updated design.

I am the second owner and bought it used with 80k, now it has 156k and runs great. Now im at a loss, I doubt the previous owner had the TSB done.Is 8qts usually enough? Dumb question but I didn't have time to check


Take your time filling it with ATF. Begin with 5-6 quarts, check the dipstick, then add one at a time until it does show something on the dipstick. Once you have some sign on the dipstick, then only pour in 1/3 to 1/2 a quart at a time. It's easy to go over the full mark.

Don't try to put it in gear until you have something showing on the dipstick. Place it in each gear, pausing in each position for a couple of seconds. When the fluid is almost to the full mark, add fluid in very small amounts, less than 1/2 a quart each time, check the dipstick again.

Wipe it firmly each time, and check both sides. One side will show more clearly with less fluid wiped on it from the tube. Figure out which side shows best(put it in the same way each time), then you can know which side to look at, or flip the dipstick over to make the other side read clearly. Go slow when you are reading the dipstick for the first time for that vehicle, learn how it needs to be read and put in to make it show clearly on the side with the markings.
 






I see what you mean by the bracket extending. Is the other end of the bracket covering the rest of the solenoids? All of your posts from the other thread were moved into its own thread with a new title in the transmissions section.

Thanks and sorry for the hassle. It is covering them
 






Ok I feel stupid, the plunger that connects to the shifter cable wasn't connected. I didn't notice until after I took the vb back off to make sure everything was on right. Luckily someone pointed it out to me before I put it back together again with no forward or reverse. I would have been pretty mad if that happened again.
 






Very good, it's a simple fix.
 












I know this thread is a few months old, but I was wondering where did you get your valve body gasket from? I cannot find a place that has one for a 98 Ford explorer.
 












Dealer charges me over $11.00 for a set.
 






Thanks so much guys! Moderator let me know if I need to start a new thread I'm not meaning to hijack this one.

PopRichie77, this may be a dumb question but how would I know if my transmission is one of these? A4LD/4R44E/4R55E/5R55E I went to the main site and put in the details on my ford explorer but the they don't show my transmission 98 For Explorer, V6 4.0 liter. The only option after that is 5spd RWD 4x4. I could be wrong but I thought mine was a 4spd FWD and its definitely not a 4x4.

My father in law is helping me with this and has tasked me with ordering this part, I think he assumed a bit about my capabilities. I went to the dealership yesterday and got the gaskets, but when I got back they were the wrong ones.
 












I too had this issue. I added 5 qts per manual. However, after two additional qts, everything was fine.
 



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no forward/ reverse

I have the same problem but I don't know what you mean by the plunger that connects the shifter cable??? I'm following the ATSG manual and the pic for the manual valve detent spring makes it look like it is on the second or third tooth of the parking pawl .... when I reinstalled I did not put the spring thingy on a tooth .... could that be why I have no forward/reverse?

Ok I feel stupid, the plunger that connects to the shifter cable wasn't connected. I didn't notice until after I took the vb back off to make sure everything was on right. Luckily someone pointed it out to me before I put it back together again with no forward or reverse. I would have been pretty mad if that happened again.
 






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