2001 Sport, Blown Valve Body Gasket?

[07SportTrac]

Greeting, my first post. Thanks for all the Info.

My mom has an '01 Explorer Sport(FWD) 4.0, I drove it down from Asheville, NC and it shifted smooth, with No indication of any sort of Trans Trouble.

However, on her return trip, a few hours latter, it stopped shifting from 2nd to 3rd, she made it home, 60+ Miles, in 2nd around
35MPH.

The Next mooring, the Trans would not Pull in reverse , if shifted into 1St or 2nd(Via the Shifter) it will pull. It does no Pull in "D"

It's a 4Rxx, how can I tell if it's 4R44 or 4R55?

After reading here for the last few hours, I'm thinking it blew the Valve Body Gasket(VBG).

Does anyone think that my opinion is supported by the symptoms, or am I misreading?

Would anyone who ever had the failure to the VBG care to elaborate on the steps to replace it, or point me to a step by step guide?

What Trans's are affected by the TSB, and have a revised Part that can be installed, 4r or 5r55 or both?

If it is the VBG, would it be best to get the revised Part form Ford or Should I look to a 3rd party?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

 

[35Remmy]

O&, I replaced the VB gasket on my 99 Ranger (5R55E) because of flaring issues (trans goes up in rpms, then drops back down into gear before accelerating, kind of like slipping.) This solved my issue.

Your issue seems more complicated, but I could be wrong.

We'll wait for someone that's a Ford automatic transmission genius like Glacier to add his opinions.

Have you tried disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes or so to reset the computer?

My trans didn't want to shift out of 3rd...I disconnected my battery and it hasn't done it since,

 

[07SportTrac]

Thanks, for the reply, and tip.

I'm in SC, so I've not looked at the truck, yet. I will have her husband try your tip when he's home.

At this point I'm trying to figure if I should drive up and try to fix it or send it to a shop.

If I can find some info here that fits her trouble, and someone here has been able to fix it DIY, I'll give it a GO. I think it would be worth it to spend $200 or so, to TRY and save a $1500+ rebuild.

If it does end up in "The Shop", what kind of Miles should we look for on the Warranty?

Last time I had one done (1993), I went to Mr.Trans and got a LifeTime Nation Wide. I don't suppose one of the Chains still offers that?

 

[35Remmy]

I'm not completely sure...I had a manual tranny rebuilt for my Wrangler and all they offered (private shop) was a 1 year, 12,000 mile warranty.

Automatic transmissions were a 2 yr, 25,000 mile warranty.

WHAT?! I asked the owner. He told me that 1 bad shift can destroy a manual tranny. Ohhh, OK. That DID make sense.

So....check the fluid (with vehicle warm, running, in Park, I'm sure you know this) and try disconnecting the battery first.

Get under vehicle and have someone shift the transmission and make certain that the gear selector on the driver's side of the transmission is moving from one position to the next.

In my experience, I've had MANY "complicated" problems corrected by very SIMPLE fixes or overlooks.

 

[07SportTrac]

I updated the first post to correct some info.

I don't see any 4Rxx Diaries, anyone point me to some good info on them, and their weak points.

I can't figure any Bands that would break and make one lose 3rd, OD, and R.

This does not seem to me to be a Failure that would require a Pull of the Tranny to fix.

Danny said he'd pull the Batt lose in the morning, maybe we'll get lucky.

I also advised turning on the HeadLight Switch, while the Batt was no connected.

I'm I correct in thinking this will clear the "Stored Shift Point Memory"? NVRAM?

 

[07SportTrac]

Ok, Danny tried the Batt Disconnect, had no effect, but was worth a shot, and I would not have thought of it.

He said the Trans Fluid is Not showing on the Stick, so after a consult to the Owners Manual, he's off to get some Mec V, hope of hope to save $1800.

Fluid must have gone Fast, however Mom made it home, if it had a Leak that bad........

How is it that she was able to drive 50+ miles after it stopped shifting to 3rd and OD?

Is there a PROTECTION MODE in a 4RxxE?

Also, do Ford Transmissions have some sort of High Pressure Pop Off Valve?

A few years back I had to Ride up to KY to rescue my sister, her Lincoln Continental had Dumped ALL the Trans fluid in ONE SHOT.

The Odd thing was, after I added 10+ pints, not a Drip or Leak, under the Car was a Large puddle of fluid, but this leak seemed to fix it self???

The car was at a rest stop and the "Crew" had laid out some All Dry. I could see them sitting under a shade tree, a few hundred feet away, and something was very funny to them while I was looking at the car.

Being a Native of KY, I assumed that one of them put a 10mm to some Lose Pan bolts, and as the Lincoln and my car both had SC plates...........

I drove the Car from the rest stop to my house in KY, about 50 Miles, checked the fluid and it was still full, I pulled the Pan anyway to check the Gasket, all the bolts were Over tight.

My sister had done a Fluid and filter change, herself, before leaving SC for KY, after I refused to do it, her husband won't work on cars, he may get dirt on himself.

After replacing the Pan and filling the trans I drove 250+ miles to Louisville and dropped the Car with my sister, checked the fluid and it still has not lost a drop to this day????????