1999 Explorer, Just Lost Reverse

[TFran]

Repeat No Reverse.
Just put it in rev.. Click, Thunk, Racing Engine.. no reverse.

The OD light did come on, and verfied all other gears appeared fine, so put in 4 wheel LOW went over the curb and drove home at normal freeway speeds.
No not in.. $WD-LOW. About 45miles later, two blocks from home, the rattling began with anything over 15MPH. Next day the dealer pulled the pan ($125.00), dound very little metal in pan, and fluid looked pretty good, smelled burnt. Options:
DIY Rebuild: Why I'm here and can do the job. Please estimate? <$300.00
Freindly Dealer: Replacement unit for $1860.00 6hours labor @ $80.00 PH.
AAMCO: $2800.00 no cooler discussed.
Avg Dealer: $3200.00 no cooler discussed.
Avg Joes Tranny Shop: $2300.00 with exchange.
Junk yard pulled tranny: $650.00 with exchange.

I'm mthink the "5R55E Rebuild Diary " with the valve body maybe the way to go.

Accepting all comments and questions...
Such as what tech-manual to purchase and where to find it?
It is the 5R55E type, same question on the repair kit.

Thanks in advance for the help...

TF

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! It could be the reverse modulation valve in the valve body, loose valve body bolts, bad valve body gaskets, leaking low/reverse seals, broken low/reverse band or a chipped low/reverse servo. Don't over look the transfer case. Sometimes it could have a broken shift fork. Do you have manual 1st gear?

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome and that sux that u lost reverse

 

[TFran]

Thank You... All forward gears appear to work fine...

Where is the VB rebuild diary on this site?
And any leads on the Rebuild Kit... and correct Manual for rebuilding the 5R55E?

Thanks to all who reply...

 

[BrooklynBay]

The link is a sticky thread which is located on the top of the transmission forum section.

 

[TFran]

Lost Reverse:

Okay....
Thanks for the list of possible faults.
Calling out to all experts for next steps.

I'm pulling the stick, and dropping the pan to see whats obvious.

Do I have to remove the VB, to check/repair the faults mentioned?

thnx...

 

[TFran]

No Reverse on 4.0L 5R55E

Okay...
Contacated Dealer for DTC codes, no call back yet. They must have taken them down. The service report suspects rear planetary gears are broken? I have my doubts given the low to no metal in the pan. This fault seems to imply removel of the trans. ARGH! if true.. I'm in my garage...

Also after reviewing the downloaded ASTG 5R55E manual ($25.00), much of the Low/Reverse seals, band, servo are in the VB, and can be serviced whlie the trans is still on the car.

Can I get a nod/yes of agreemnet on this thus so far?

The Low/Reverse reference, Low would be the manual 1st low gear setting should be failing as well... is that right? As I did check all gears, at the time of reverse failure, and used 4W Low to go over the curb and ride the side walk for short distance.

Lastly, The broken shift fork in the transfer case.
What is the general method to check this fork?

Accepting all questions and comments, and thank you again.

 

[BrooklynBay]

When I said manual 1st gear, I was referring to the one on the transmission, and not the transfer case. You have to open the transfer case to check the shift fork. Where did you download the ATSG manual? I have the printed manual, and didn't know that you could download it. As for the servo, and valve body, you could remove them while the transmission is still connected to the vehicle.

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

i've been waiting for mine to stop working but have been lucky thus far. I noticed when doing my tsb update the low/reverse servo in my 5r tranny was beat up, the top of the "plunger" shaft looked to be chipped up quite a bit almost like it was hammered on. I'd check that first, wou can't miss it, its the big cicular part in the VB.

 

[TFran]

JUst Lost Reverse

Okay...

Thank you for the reply's...
Yes, the .pdf of the ATSG manual can be purchased on line.
"www.atsg.biz" should we work, look in the left gutter under bookstore.

Here is a pain point, the dealer never dropped the pan. One or two pan bolts were loosened, however the others had to be cleaned off, and cracked when removed. Plus, the pan cannot be removed with removing the catalytic converter (CC)... we will be talking about that $125.00 investment that came back with a suspect broken rear planetary gear.

So the CC had not been removed, and bolts are rusted tight.
I did drain the tranny fluid, but pan removal is impossible without removing the CC, that is the next step. After that reverse/low servo is next.

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

take the fwd drive shaft lose at the differential yoke, you can push the fwd driveshaft far enought out of the way to remove the transmission pan without removing the CC. I cant understand the pan bolts being rusted in and locked tight, transmission fluid normaly prevents this, i think i remeber mine all coming right out, or being lose. hit it up with some wd-40 or the like, i actualy used some stuff called "break free"last time i did something on my x, it sactually for guns but did the job on a car just as well, let is soak in for a good while.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The case is made out of aluminum, and the bolts are made out of iron, so it's not actually rusted together.

 

[TFran]

Just lost reverse

Sorry on the bolt confusion.
Let me explain, the bolt heads were coated with various normal buildup of rust and dirt. The threads were fine. The point is the Ford dealer never dropped the pan. How can they suspect the rear planetary gear without even looking at what is in the pan? I want my DTC numbers... or $125.00

This is a 4x4, the pan has a well to make room for something, guessing the Rev/Low Servo. The CC is about an inch below this well, and prevents the pan from dropping low enough to clear the servo and remove it, even with the driveshaft removed. More evidence... as the CC bolts are definetly rusted tight and make break on removal.

Talk more.. and thank you for the comments and questions.

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

i've had my pan off with the cats still on. once you move the shaft away you take the bolts out and sort of rotate the pan around an imaginary axis in the middle of the transmission, you end up pushing it almost up alongside it on the driver side, unless your cat is for some reason closer than mine was. that well is actually a sump for the pickup on the filter. the servo is up in the back once the pan is off. maybe you can get more room if you could drop the exhaust a little somewhere, maybe wedge a block in between the muffler and the floorboards to drop the cat slighty.

 

[TFran]

Just Lost Reverse

Yes I left the CAT/S on, after the posts I took a closer look at what was holding back the pan. There is this tube, looks like an overflow .25 inch tube that the pan was pushing against. Bent that out of the way. Then I removed the driveshaft bcuz a little more room was required to get the pan free. The drive shaft has four t-30 bolts holiding it to the front universal joint, the rear has six 8mm bolts. I just loosened the rear bolts and with a rubber mallet and muscle the shaft did move back enough and the front universal fell free.

Pan came free, and go figure it had the metal flecks at he bootom, just as the dealer described... I removed the filter one 10mm bolt. And the removed the Reverse/Los Servi assembly, 4 10mm bolts. The servo was all the way up in the cavity... (read as should it have been down maybe it was stuck and cause of no reverse.. comments please ) had to grab hold of the nose and gentley coax it free. It appears good, not hammered or cracked. Wanh! hoping maybe that was the cause.

Put the pan back on with two bolts to keep clean. The VB seemed tight, as did the bolts. Accepting all comments a questions abefore taking next steps. Which is to to remove the VB as in the Diary and replace whatever the kit has to replace...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you insert a long phillips screwdriver into the servo bore to test the low/reverse band?

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

what kind of metal are we talking? glitter, or actual chunks? if the servo looked like it was unusualy high in its bore i wonder if that thunk you heard was the band breaking.

 

[TFran]

Just lost Reverse

No, did not use a phillips to test the band.
I suspected a band awhen it happened.
What should be anticipated exactly.. I'm guessing some kind of spring action.
We maybe on to something...

The metal was very little glitter, and maybe one or two flecks, no chunks or nuggets.

The dealer called today... they never ran the diagnostic to get DTC codes. Says after my decription and there expert opinion they know it is soemthing mechanical, an suspect the rear planetary gear. But, we will have to "go in there" and find out. I guess that implies the DTC codes are for eletronic failures only? Advice on dealing with the dealer is appreciated as well.

If it is the band... should I press on rebuilding the VB or adjust course ?

 

[BrooklynBay]

If you remove the servo, and see that the band is broken, then it's time for a rebuild since there is no other way to get to the rear band. The valve body should be rebuilt along with the rest of the transmission.

 

[TFran]

Just lost Reverse

OKay...
I'm guessing when I do the phillips check, I should hit something, right.
If not the band is broken, never actually seen a transmission band.

Is the rear planetary gear and the band the same thing?
If the band is broken, would I still have a manual first gear?
To rebuild.. does this imply removing the case or entire tranny from the truck?

Looking at .pdf exploded view to identfy these parts.
Thank you.. and keep the good information coming.