Solved Transmission Band Adjustment Specification Chart

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Thanks for your kind words. This is the reason why we have tech articles on this site. We try to help as many people as possible. Let's keep these old vehicles running as long as possible. By the way, each thread has a way to vote on the upper right hand corner (1 - 5 stars).

 

[D'mechanic]

i have a question on the manual its say caution mark anchor side and apply which we forgot to do it in a hurry to take the tranny apart now what is the effect if you just installed it back on with out knowing which side is it coz looking at booth ends they look the same is there any way to tell which for anchor and apply side

 

[BrooklynBay]

The ATSG manual shows both apply struts. One has more leverage than the other since the pivot is in a different place.

 

[BK_89iX]

Wow, band adjustment on my '97 4x4 with 5R55E was quite a challenge due to lack of access. Took me about 4hrs and I nearly gave up. I tried my entire arsenal of extension, wobbles, swivels, etc. I wanted to avoid removing the offending shift cable. Finally found that a 3/8" crow foot could get the job done - not a perfect fit on the adjusters, but good enough to achieve correct 14Nm tension prior to backing out the specified turns. Had to buy a whole set of them to get the size I needed. After 95k miles of use I now have about one less thread showing on each adjuster.



BK

 

[drdoom]

That looks good. What I did was pulled the cable, which is easy AND the ball stud needs greasing every so often (see maintenance schedule). But I had no type of socket to fit the square end of the adjusting stud. So I mount an 8mm socket to my torque wrench, then I flip an 8mm x 3/8" drive Allen socket over onto the stud. The 3/8" drive is close enough to the right size.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

It's what you don't see in those pics that makes us East Coast drivers green with envy... rust! I had to replace both band adjustment bolts and locknuts, there were no threads left on the bolts to adjust the bands. drdoom that's a great idea for the square head bolts, I wish i would have thought of that!

 

[BK_89iX]

That looks good. What I did was pulled the cable, which is easy AND the ball stud needs greasing every so often (see maintenance schedule). But I had no type of socket to fit the square end of the adjusting stud. So I mount an 8mm socket to my torque wrench, then I flip an 8mm x 3/8" drive Allen socket over onto the stud. The 3/8" drive is close enough to the right size.

That's a clever use of an allen socket - wish I could have come up with that!

I couldn't figure out how to remove the cable assembly and I was worried about breaking something. What's the trick? The black plastic gear encoder thing is also a bit of a problem.

I lucked out with the rust. This vehicle spent a few years in Boston, but not long enough get a terminal case of rust cancer. BTW, those are the original locknuts in the pics - the new ones are slightly different.

BK

 

[ja10co]

Thank you for joging my memory. That is very helpful

[Note: The following is copied from the A4LD Rebuild Diary to here for ease in finding it. This is the procedure as shown on a transmission out of the vehicle.... the actions are the same whether the transmission is installedor not, but the view will be different on your back underneath the car. WARNING.... do not back out the bolt more than a few turns or the adjuster will fall out of position requiring you to fiddle and curse getting it back into position!]


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The original article is below:


There are 2 adjustable bands - the intermediate and OD. The process is exactly the same for both - up to 91, with the double wrap band - (abandoned by FORD in 92) there was a difference, but since we are not going to use the double wrap, it is IDENTICAL for both). One end of the band is held by the apply lever (remember the "A" levers?) and the other is held by the adjusting bolt band end. Here's a look from on top of the OD band clearly showing you both. On the right is the apply lever end, on the left the adjusting bolt end...note the beautiful artistic arrows!

I snugged the bolts by hand - I had wire brushed and cleaned them and ran a tap into the threaded hole so I had a nice easy time of it and got accurate readings with the torque wrench...

I then tightened both to 15 ft lbs.... my thinking was to slightly overtighten to make sure any "slack" anywhere was taken up. Then I loosened them and tightened them to 10 ft lbs (120 inch lbs) using a 1/4 inch torque wrench. THEN, backed each off exactly TWO TURNS (NOT 3-1/2!!). Turns out a 8 point 5/16's socket fit the bolt end perfectly...

Lube the gasket on the locknut with vaseline....and carefully work in onto the bolt, not changing the bolt position....

Holding the bolt from turning, use a 19mm socket to tighten the locknut to about 30 ft lbs. (a good tight).

Repeat for the other band.

Here are som pictures of the anchor and apply sides taken from under the trannie. OD first...Anchor:

OD apply side:

Intermediate anchor side:

Intermediate apply side:

Ok... that about covers the bands....

BANDS ADJUSTED!!

 

[ogre01]

I registered to this forum specifically to say thank you for this incredibly precise write-up. I have never seen one as detailed in any of the other forums I use for vehicles. I stumbled across it searching for solutions to the multitude of problems on my wife's B4000 with the 5R55E. Now its time to get to work without blindly wandering into the world of transmissions.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum & thank you! The information from compiled from several sources.

 

[rayford1973]

95 ford explorer

ok first of all the info on here is the best on the net. now i have a 95 explorer i put a usecd trani in it. i had to replace the solenoids first of all that fixed that problem. but keep getting code 628 and od light flashing i adjusted the bans several times to try and make it go away. it shifts fine and runs fine but the code keeps comming back. anything else you can suggest would appreciate any help

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! You might have bad servo pistons. How many miles does it have?

 

[rayford1973]

95 explorer

It has 152000 they don't sell them just anywhere do they I know they are on the side but are they hard to do

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com, WWW.Wittrans.Com & WWW.BulkPart.Com.

 

[rayford1973]

95 explorer

ok i put in a new od servo piston re adjusted the band again just to be sure and backed it out 2 turnsit shifts through the gears fine but still no od and still have the code and the od light is flashing again this thing is driving me nuts trying to get it fixed up for my daughter i work out of town alot and dont need this thing messing up any more ideas other than another trani lol any help would be greatly appreciated thanks again for all the help you have given me

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you clear the codes when you replaced the parts?

 

[rayford1973]

95 explorer

yes i cleared the codes with my scanner

 

[BrooklynBay]

When you said that you replaced the solenoids, did you get the green band EPC solenoid (not the red band) or the Borg Warner without the band? Did you check the torque of the valve body bolts as well as the condition of the valve body gaskets?

 

[car_cursed]

Does anyone know if you can buy the adjusting nut at a local parts store (i.e. oreilly, autozone etc.) I don't feel like paying $19 for one from ford, and I know you can get them from transmissionpartsusa.com but was hoping to find it locally.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

I couldn't locate them anywhere locally. Rather than wait I grudgingly got them at my local Ford parts counter.