01 Sport Trac tranny woes

[rd_turbo]

Can anyone point me in the right direction on a transmission issue?

I have an '01 Sport Trac 2WD, Auto, which used to shift flawlessly and seamlessly and I simply loved it for that when I first bought it. For about a year, 2nd to 3rd became erratic, at times it seemed to not disengage as I came to a stop and the engine almost stalled. Now it's a constant annoying thing which makes 2nd to 3rd shifting really troublesome. It seems to be delayed and the engine accelerates for a split second before it actually slips into third. It seems 1st to 2nd is smooth but 2nd to 3rd is jerky. When I'm in a passing situation and I floor it to downshift, it shifts all the way down and the engine revs like mad. I checked the fluid and the level's fine, also it doesn't smell burnt. I was going to change it last fall but put it off - but can it be the fluid? The truck has just over 50k miles. Can anyone help with advice or a previous thread?

 

[TPLYNCH]

Very common. Search for 2-3 shift flare. Cause is loose valve body bolts/torn gasket in the transmission. Fairly easy fix that has been done by members on this site. Search for GCrop's thread about how he did it.

 

[Glacier991]

the lack of disengagement nearly causing a stall would be the Torque Convertor clutch not releasing.... you may have a more general problem.... Likely replacing the EPC and TCC solenoids and going through the valve body and adding a new gasket would be a probable course to restore your operation to "like new".

Alternately, you can buy rebuilt 5R55 valve bodies for under $200 (with a core deposit) and simply replace the valve body yourself, without doing anything more that removing the old one and putting in the "new" one.

 

[rd_turbo]

Thanks a bunch guys! I guess I should have done a search first...you're right there is a ton of information on this issue already

 

[Perrysfabnfiber]

I can't speek for valve body being loose or the gasket, have never had that happen to me, so i can't say that is or isn't the problem.

I have had that problem happen with a couple of trannys, and when it does, we drain a quart of tranny fluid, and add a quart of motor oil, it helps lubricate your transmission a lot more than just tranny fluid does, and everytime that we have done it, it has fixed the shifting problem.

We race off road, and we always put 1 quart of motor oil in all of our transmissions, it helps keep the parts lubricated, because tranny fluid has almost no lubrication qualitites to it. a quart of motor oil will actually prolong the life of you tranny, new or used.

But don't go filling the whole thing with motor oil, it will create too much foam and your tranny wont work right, but one quart helps the life of it.

 

[Eneurb]

Hmmmm...

 

[Glacier991]

An interesting concept.. not sure the mfgr is gonna endorse....However in this trannie, the Mercon V aspects of the transmission fluid requirements may take poorly to this approach (probably more suitable to the days of standard old ATF) Your symptoms strongly cry out for an actual problem within valve body components that no lubrication fix is going to help.

 

[rd_turbo]

Wow...interesting....

I design shock absorbers and suspensions for a living and I know first hand what effect different oil formulations have on components. It usually boils down to something either working or not. I also know that there is tremendous value in personal experience, in addition to industry standards and practices so as an engineer everything is considered and everything is assigned a certain weight and ruled out methodically if value is not seen....having bored everyone with my silliness, I want to thank everyone who responded and I promise that since I'm dropping the pan to perform the first fluid change, I will for certain inspect the valve body and gasket and will also consider 1L of motor oil

As far as endorsement from Ford...well, let's just say that the only reason I kept this truck is because I love the styling, but my experience with the dealers here in Toronto has been terrible. After a while I got sick of hearing "this is a normal characteristic of this vehicle" during the warranty period. My warranty claims usually resulted in my going over to the General Manager's office to complain and have him get involved. Ford Canada Customer Service has even said "really sir...how long would it take you to fix that yourself?" regarding the seat frame fastener recall (and during the warranty period mind you)....seems my truck was one week out of the recall window and even though the driver's seat is very loose, they won't touch it.....owning a Ford has been a nightmare so far...not the vehicle itself, but dealing with the dealers and Ford Customer Service.

 

[Eneurb]

When you drop the pan, look around the area of the shift solenoids on the drivers side front of the valve body, and around the servo cover on the right side rear of the valve body for bits of gasket sticking out. You won't always be able to see it with the valve body on, but that's where you will see it if it's sticking out.

As for your dissatisfaction in dealers in Toronto, that's unfortunate, but if you're into a short drive, I work at a dealer about half an hour east of the city, and would be happy to drive the truck for you to tell you if I think it's the gasket.

 

[rd_turbo]

Thanks Eneurb! I may take you up on your offer. I'm dying to get to this problem before it kills my transmission. As soon as the weather warms up a bit, I'll be all over it like a wet towel.