Transmission Trouble

[jurick]

Vehicle specs- 1997 Explorer, 4x4, 4.0SOHC, 5R55E

I am having a problem with my transmission shifting or not shifting at all sometimes.

This all started about a week and a half ago when I was out and was driving to another store. I was driving for about a minute after I had started the vehicle up and I was stopped at a light. When I went to take off the transmission started making a roaring grinding sound and didnt seem like it had as much power as normal. As it shifted though gears it was fine so I kept driving thinking that maybe it was nothing. Well I came to the next light and as it was downshifting it shifting very hard into 1st after I had stopped. I then turned around and started heading home because I knew I had a problem. On the way home it did several things sometimes when coming to a stop it would not downshift into 1st gear and would stay in 2nd. It also still did have that roaring grinding sound in first gear and only in first gear.

Well I got home fine and the next day I went out and was going to move the thing and it was magicly fixed. It had no sign of any of the problems that it had the day before and it was shifting fine.

Well yesterday I was on my way back from the fire house and the thing started acting up again. This time it was like the torque converter wasnt locking up at all and was slipping. I was about a 1/2 a mile away from my house sitting at a red light. I went to take off and had no power had to get up to 3000Rpms to get it moving. Then it wouldnt shift into 3rd gear and I took it all the way up to 4000Rpms. I then pulled in my driveway and put it in reverse and again it didnt have full power like the torque converter was slipping.

Now this is where it confuses the hell out of me I went out today to pull it in my garage to work on it and everything is fine it is shifting perfectly fine again and no slippage.

I have had a rattle coming from the torque converter area for a while and never thought anything of it could this be a problem? I also changed the fluid and filter about 3000 miles ago and I just checked the level and it is good. I was thinking that this could be a problem with something maybe clogged inside the transmission not allowing fluid to get to where it needs to go but auto transmissions are new to me and I really dont know that much about them.

Any recommendations on what this may be besides rebuilding the whole thing and if I have to do that I will be putting a manual in.

 

[jurick]

Any suggestions?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Does it only happen at certain temperatures?

 

[jurick]

I have a temperature gauge on it but it has not been functioning right for a while but i can get a basic idea of what the temperature is. I have noticed that it does have to warm up normally before it does it but it never overheats. It also has been fine since that day so I dont know what it is.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Sometimes valve body gaskets that aren't so good anymore could act up at certain temperatures. Check the valve body bolts with a torque wrench.

 

[jurick]

Well I think I might of figured out what part of the problem is. This transmission has something that controls when fluid flows to the cooler if I am correct? How does this system work because I believe that i may have a block in one of the cooler lines restricting the flow when it makes the fluid go though to the coolers. In turn decreasing pressure in the system. How do you bypass this system is my question or how is it routed thoughout the transmission so that I can blow it out?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The system you are referring to is temperature controlled. It will only open, and allow flow to the cooler when it reaches a warm/hot temperature. There is a bypass kit for this, but I'm not sure who makes it.

 

[jurick]

Yea I found the kit that bypasses it but I decided that I am going to leave it alone. I have my valve body out right now waiting on an EPC solenoid. I decided to install a transgo shift kit in it while I have the thing apart.

Also when I took the valve body out I had metal shaving sitting on top of the valve body. I thought the filter was supposed to block this from getting in there?

Also do the cooler lines flow through the valve body so that I could blow them out and it would push the fluid out though the transmission case or are they routed else where?

Thanks for the help hopefully this will fix the problem but I do believe now that it definitly has to do with the cooler lines because it only does it when it gets up to operating temperature when the temperature control valve would kick in.

Is there anything else I should do while I have it apart. I dont want to have to open this thing up again(except for normal fluid change).

 

[Ironangel]

Hey everyone... First of all, awesome site here. Tons of priceless information!

I've got a 2000 Explorer with a 5R55E and here's the problem: Cold startup has perfect shifts into and between gears and as soon as things get heated up after a minute or two of driving, slippage gets worse and worse until no gears at all.

I've read the VB diary and I'm just not sure if the stuff I read there is pointing to this problem. Got a 0733 code which makes perfect sense if it has major slippage. I dropped the pan and checked resistance of solenoids and they are all within spec. Nothing is broken and sitting in the pan. Fluid level, color and smell are great. I have not checked pressure yet, but I am thinking of putting the pan back on, refilling and trying that.

Not really sure where to go from here, but If I could get pointed in the right direction, I will try to fix just about anything myself.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! As per your request, I've merged your thread into this one.

 

[jurick]

Well for some reason i couldnt access the site earlier but besides that here goes some more info.

I did not lose my gears all the way but it did not want to shift that well and it also wasnt cooling very well because my transmission normally stays around 120 degrees and it was all the way up by the 200 degree mark so I knew I had a problem.

I have pretty much limited it done to something within the cooling system I am thinking a blockage somewhere because this transmission only flows fluid though the cooling system as it warms up. Which to me would mean that fluid is circulated inside the transmission without it going to the cooling lines but as soon as the thermostat flips over to flow though the cooling lines it loses pressure because there is a blockage in them somewhere. At least that is my conclusion on this cituation.

I have yet to figure out if my idea worked or not though. I have disassembled the valve body to find the problem so you may have to take off the pan and valve body to fully clean it out. I am also going to blow out my cooler lines and when I get it I am going to install an external filter.

I am still waiting on an EPC solenoid so that I can put this thing back together and see if I have fixed my problem which I hope I have.

 

[Ironangel]

Well, I caved in. I found an almost new trans at an auto wrecker and the price was too good to pass up.

I think I will still put in the correction kit just to head off future problems.

Please let us know what happens as I still have a core in great shape.

 

[jurick]

Well I got everything put back together and I never really drove the thing a long distance until today and now it wont shift gears. I thought that I had fixed the problem the thing was running great.

After taking it for a longer drive today I went to pick up parts and I noticed that the transmission wasnt staying cool and if I set at a traffic light it would rise above 160 and keep going which with the after market cooler I have on there shouldnt be happening. I thought maybe it would fix itself but it didnt it got worse as I was getting up to speed in a 50mph area, I was at 40 and it would not shift up I had to let off the gas and then back on a couple times before it finally shifted. Then it wouldnt shift out of first gear.

I have no clue what the problem is with this thing it keeps overheating which doesnt make much sense and that heat causes the transmission to have shifting problems.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.