5r55e trans slipping or jumping out of gear? HELP! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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5r55e trans slipping or jumping out of gear? HELP!

JAYTINNY76

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February 12, 2015
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City, State
PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1999 Ford Explorer
Anyone who understands or knows the functions of the 5r55e trans please help. Where can I find what the steps or functions of the trans when it goes through gears, I have a 99 explorer 4.0 4x4 with just over 103000 miles and the problem with the trans is when I pull out it shifts fine from 1-2and while in 2 it reaches above 3000 it jumps out of gear or in neutral it's seems like the rpms jump high and it will not shift. I have compensated for this by taking it easy in 2nd letting my foot off gas and drop rpms to under 2grand and it will shift fine. I just need to know what is not functioning right if this is the only time it does this. It seems fine in after this flare and it goes through rest of gears fine but after a good half hour of driving and it gets nice and warmed up it then sets off the o/d light flash and it gave a code of incorrect 3gear ratio. So my question is anyone have this problem and what was the fix can it be just a valve body gasket or shift solenoid and I did take it to a trans shop and the guy told me he thinks it's the servos being that they used aluminum block and the steel servo bore gets worn out and leaks so could this be the cause or can it be a overdrive or intermediate band issue. It does make sense that the warmer the oil is the more it slips then it's leaking easier vs. when oil is thick and cold it seems better. I just can't see how if it's only the shift issue it should not need a complete overhaul or broken band. What happens in the 2-3 shift in a normal trans that mine would allow it to jump out of gear or slip that bad. I do seem to have an issue when putting it in 2 manually it seems to slip a little or not fully engage so maybe it is slipping in the higher gears but at the low rpms I've been keeping it at while "taking it easy" it doesn't "seem" to slip but could be. I know 1 and 2 gear have full power it's just that 2-3 shift issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again this forum has helped me so many times in the past I trust it before takin it to a local shop and having them tell me it needs a 2500 dollar rebuild when the truck isn't worth much more. I told them they were crazy.
 



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Additional info....

.....Also I have read the valve body rebuild diary and some stickys on different issues and my first thought was that it had to be the valve body gasket and after reading other posts and many ppl with the same issue it seems that's my best guess as to what's going on. Just wanted to ask for some of you guys out there who know these trans and others like the back of your hands to throw in your two cents! I'm from central PA and we have a lot of snow so when I go to fix the trans I want to have the right parts and get it done quickly. Thanks again!
 






Based on the code and the description of your issue it sounds like the intermediate band is broken. The intermediate band is only used in 3rd, so the trans is basically shifting 1-2-1-4-5. letting off the throttle is just letting it get into 4th quicker and skipping 3rd.

Check the intermediate band adjustment, if it turns IN more than 3 turns the band is broken. Or pull the pan, you can see the band and most of the time if the band is broken the band struts will fall into pan.

The 5R55E doesn't have servo bore issues like the 5R55W/S trannys.
 






Okay thank you, I was worried it could be band I did read that you can check the torque on the adjustment screw or should I just turn it in three turns like you said? I will try that today later if I get a chance. If that's the case the trans has to be dropped to install new bands and is it hard to do or worth doing myself. Thanks again. !
 






There is no torque on the band adjustment, the torque setting just lets you know the band is tight, from there you back it off two turns. So if it turns in more than three turns it tells you the band is way out of adjustment or its broken.

I would check to see how many turns the adjustment screw will turn in, or just check to see if it will tighten. If it does get tight just back off two turns and recheck.

If the band is broken you will have to remove the transmission and disassemble it to replace it, at that point you might as well rebuild it. You will have to decide if it worth it or not and if it is something you can do.

$2500.00 is a little steep, it sounds like a worse case scenario price from a shop that is having to price it out without a tear down. $1800 to $2200 with a warranty is more of a common price with "normal" damage.
 






Okay that makes sense and I'm going to check that today. I really appreciate your help. Why would 2nd gear when selected manually seem to slip or not be all there, you said if it's just the intermediate band then only 3rd would be the issue.? Sorry if it's a lot of questions I always wanted to understand auto transmissions better I guess there could be more than just the band issue too maybe that's why is went out to begin with.
 






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