5R55W Solenoid Block Replacement

[liftdmountaineer]

been a while so heres the update started with solenoid block replace ended with fully rebuilt 5r55w from case to vb. all was replaced except the drums used simply for sentimental reasons, its in and hanging waiting to be filled and ran. just waiting for me to get out of this chair and on the shop floor. cheers!

 

[liftdmountaineer]

finally got everything done, the mounty runs like its on rails. super happy with how it turned out. smooth, more power, and alot more quiet than before. the only thing is still kinda hard shift from 3 to 4 gear when on the throttle. but pretty sure its just the tc locking up at high rpm. other than that could not be happier. few break in miles than wheelin it in the hills.

 

[$hocksand$trutz]

worked like a charm

had the "o/d off" light flashing and pulled the P0796 - solenoid c stuck code, went through all steps exactly as noted, everything worked flawlessly, lights off, running and shifting smoother than ever, the only thing that was a PITA was the 10mm nut on the connector, only suggestion i can make was get a ratcheting 10mm wrench, i took the bolt off with a normal wrench and it took forever, but i fought it and got it off, then i went to get a ratcheting one to put back on, and it took about a minute to get back on.

thanks a ton to all the pics and great writeup, if it werent for sites like this we'd all be broke. this site has saved me a complete rebuild costing over 2k. i bought all my parts straight from FORD and it only ran me 450 and thats with tax. that included the solenoid block, 7 quarts of ATF and a new filter. i let the transmission sit for a day and drip once i had the pan off, when filling it up, it took about 6.5 quarts to fill.

GENUINE FORD PARTS
solenoid block - 377
transmission fluid - 40
transmission filter - 38

guy gave me 10% off of those prices

thanks again for everything and this was a lot easier to do than i first had thought.

 

[ravenrock67]

I will try to make this brief but I am not sure I can. I recently worked on a '02 explorer 4.0L SOHC. The issues were no 5th gear and o/d light flashing. Codes was 5th gear error. I forget the code number, but its not relevent. Codes are clues, not causes. To continue, trans, was rebuilt, and again no 5th gear as well as a 2nd gear upshift issue. I also changed the solenoids to no avail. It was at this forum I read about a new updated seperator plate by ford that has the gasket bonded to the plate rather than seperate. It was recommended that the EPC solenoid be replaced as well, so I did. Again to no avail...it still acted up. But I did notice something, the daytime running lights flickered when I hit the o/d button. This sent me on another course of investigation. Looking at the power supply schematics showed me two things. First: 3 power inputs to the transmission share a common power fuse with all 4 heating elements of the o2 sensors. Second, the Digital Trans. Range selector and the Trans. Control Switch also share a common power supply with the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) and the Reverse Lamp switch. Well..after several hours later I found a problem in the rearview mirror switch that controls the time delay interval for shutting off the DRL. Once repaired...all my transmission problems went away. I am just posting this as food for thought...look up your wiring schematics, not just the subsystems, but power and ground systems as well. It still blows my mind that a rearview mirror killed a transmission. I later found out that this was the third rebuild, had been an on going problem for 1 1/2 years, and that we were the fourth shop to get it.

 

[eddiebau03]

im a new member and i started my membership becuase im having the same problem right now as all of you .... i bought a 03 Eddy and its an AWD model now the trans has 119000 on it and one day on my way to work im driving down the road and the O/D off light comes on and i pulled over and shut the truck off and turned it back on and it did it again a few more miles down the road then the service engine soon light came on so the dealer said the code was the pressure control cylonoid pack now i read the post on how to and i also seen that transmissionpartsusa.com has parts which ones do i have to get i dont think they have a whole cyliniod pack on there and then i read the post where replacing the servos helps this problem also i wanna do a trannie flush with a new filter since im gonna be tearing it apart .... now as far as tuning do you have to tune it doing these kinda repairs and how do you tune it ??? also i want to make sure that becuase my truck is an AWD model my trans is still a 5R55N ??

 

[dcatesjr]

Parts

Does anyone know of a place to get a fairly inexpensive solenoid pack for a 2004 Explorer?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Check WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com, WWW.BulkPart.Com or WWW.Wittrans.Com.

 

[johndoecalico]

sorry to highjack the thread but im having issues with what seems to be the solenoid pack on my 5r55w. just had it put in a week ago and the o/d light was freaking out as well as the check trans light, violent shifts from park through drive. apparently the mechanic told me he found some condensation in it and he changed the fluid before mounting it but suggested a flush which i did a few days later. flush helped it go away but came back after a week and a half but now i also have check engine light. got codes read at autozone and they are all trannie electrical codes. i still have my old trannie which never had any issues until it died ( non electrical ). should i switch solenoid packs and valve bodies? codes are P0743, P0760, P0755, P1747, P1789, P0797. please i need some guidance

 

[Skateaway]

Hi guys. I"ve been having trouble with 02 Explorer 5R55W transmission ever since I decided to change the tranny fluid myself! The problem I have is the tranny not going into any gear when I try and shift from park. I can "jump" it into gear by accelerating, but I'm pretty sure that is not good for the transmission. Does this sound like a Valve Body issue, or Solenoid pack?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! It sounds like you're low on fluid.

 

[JethroBodine]

I have 2002 Explorer, 4.0 sohc with 192k mi. For about 5 months, transmission has been acting iffy. First thing in morning, did not want to shift into 2nd. Sporadically bump when shifting from 4th to 3rd (or 3rd to 2nd---not sure), and a sporadic shudder between 4th and 5th. After 5 months, service engine light comes on and i get two codes: P0775 & P0735. Replaced solenoid block and filter, and about 6.5 quarts of Mercon V.

I got the 1/8" pipe x 3/8" tube fitting at local Grainger store for around $1.61. (The 1/8" pipe fits in drain plug. The tube size determined by the hose on your fluid pump.)

Only problem I had was the pan had more fluid in it than I was expecting, after I had drained it... drenched my shoulder when i removed pan.( Anyone have a tip on getting Transmission fluid out of clothing?). My brand new lb-in torque wrench quit working when I was putting torx back into the drain plug. I just about drove it straight through before I figured out what was going on. Also be sure to clamp drain hose before you turn engine off, or you'll be making another trip to store for more fluid.

Job completed... no more engine lights. Shifts smooth as silk. Very happy. Thank you for write-up.

 

[mall]

I just completed a transmission swap in a 2003 Explorer and it is showing several codes relating to the solenoid. The Explorer has reverse and one gear in forward...it does not shift at all. I am not sure what gear it's in, but I can drive it from 0 to 70 with no shift and at 70 mph it is just over 3000 rpm's.

I tested the ohm's in the solenoid before installing the transmission. Some of the ohms were a little above the range, but the transmission came from a working vehicle so I felt comfortable leaving it in there. Here are the ohms readings.


3 and 1 terminals were 8.5 the range is 3.3-7.5 this post was 1.0 over
3 and 4 terminals were 7.7 the range is 3.3-7.5 this post was .2 over
3 and 5 terminals were 25.5 the range is 16-45
3 and 6 terminals were 25.5 the range is 16-45
3 and 11 terminals were 7.8 the range is 3.3-7.5 this post was .3 over
3 and 14 terminals were 12.9 the range is 9-16
3 and 15 terminals were 25.9 the range is 16-45
3 and 16 terminals were 25.8 the range is 16-45

I am not sure what this means. Is this solenoid bad?

Here are the codes from after the used transmission was installed.
PO453
PO731 Gear Ratio Error in 1st
PO740 Torque Converter Clutch, No RPM Drop @ Lockup
PO743 Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid/Trans Relay Circuits
PO750 LR Solenoid Circuit
PO753 Trans 3-4 Shift Solenoid/Trans Relay Circuits
PO755 2/4 Solenoid Circuit (41TE, 42LE)
PO758 2C Solenoid Circuit (45RFE)
PO760 OD Solenoid Circuit
PO763 Shift solenoid C electrical
PO765 UD Solenoid Circuit
PO768 shift solenoid D electrical
PO779 (pc-b)
PO797 (pc-c) pressure control stuck on
PO799 ?
P1747 pressure control solenoid A short circut
P1760 pressure control solenoid A
P1789 2-4/OD Hydraulic Pressure Switch Circuit

I am hoping that it is something simple. What could possibly throw all these codes and cause the transmission to not shift at all?

 

[mall]

Problem solved. First I replaced the solenoid block with the one from the original transmission. There was no change...still not shifting. Then I decided to check the fuses...The F37 fuse needed to be replaced.

 

[wcastrogrande]

Im posting this because this forum has helped me a lot, my 02 explorer had a code p0725, and slipping from second gear to third, did procedure to adjust the intermediate band and found out the intermediate band was broken, took transmission off and did clutches and intermidiate and overdrive band replacement and new pistons, put everything back together and transmission had slight slippage from first to secong gear and sometimes hard shifting on the rest of the gears, found some video of how the clean solenoid pack instead of replacing, worked great now shifting smooth in all gears, worth cleaning soleniod before replacing. thanks guys and hope this help.

 

[HiImBrian]

Im posting this because this forum has helped me a lot, my 02 explorer had a code p0725, and slipping from second gear to third, did procedure to adjust the intermediate band and found out the intermediate band was broken, took transmission off and did clutches and intermidiate and overdrive band replacement and new pistons, put everything back together and transmission had slight slippage from first to secong gear and sometimes hard shifting on the rest of the gears, found some video of how the clean solenoid pack instead of replacing, worked great now shifting smooth in all gears, worth cleaning soleniod before replacing. thanks guys and hope this help.

Have a link to the video??

 

[Roadblock1945]

Bringing back this old thread again!

This thread is my exactly. My O/D light is flashing, and I've got a hard shift from what feels like 2nd to 3rd. Other then that my SUV runs 100% and it's smooth as hell down the highway.

Couple things.

I got my PCM re-programed the week I bought this in 2011, to the newest one the dealer had, which is the newest one listed in the thread here about getting it re-programmed.

Made my shifting smoother.

OK so fast-forward to 40,000 miles later and I've got this flashing O/D light and the hard shift/bumps going on.

The code was something like PL7XX6 something or another, some issue with power control soldenoid C?

Anyway sounds like the solenoid pack is the issue.

I bought what what sold to me as a BRAND new factory OEM FORD still sealed in the box made in Germany pack for $220.00 shipped off eBay. The seller had almost 3,000 positive feedback, at 100% so I'm not too worried! Eeekk!

Anyway are there gaskets I need to replace? Seals? What do I need other then the solenoid pack, the fluid and....? What else?

I'm set on all the tools, have the racheting wrenches etc.

Nervous as hell here!

Any suggestions would be great!

OH FLUID! Um is this one of those things where I want to use FORD factory fluid or is any name brand MERCON V good to go?

 

[Roadblock1945]

Anyone!?

 

[Roadblock1945]

Sigh...

 

[wcastrogrande]

sorry for the slow response, this link will show you how to clean the solenoid pack,( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37wlNIkAo3w ) you can try that, the filter on the solenoid pack is reuseable just clean it, castrol mercon v transmission oil is working good for me, if that does not fix you problem there is another problem with these tranny, the hole where the servo piston is wears down to the point that it leaks pressure and makes these transmission shift funny, hopefully that is not your problem, that means dropping the tranny, boring and re sleeving the hole, better leave that to a shop. you can start with the solenoid pack cleaning and change the tranny filter while your at it. when cleaning the solenoid I did not have that tool, what I did was just put a little stick in the hole and mark itat the top make sure is sitting correctly on the little nut, so that when you are putting it in you know when to stop. it worked for me, and saved me some money. good luck. hope I make myself clear, english is not my first lenguage. good luck.

 

[wcastrogrande]

Have a link to the video??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37wlNIkAo3w