2004 explorer v6 4.0l shift problems after engine swap

[Steco.45]

Hey guys here's the scoop. I bought my explorer with a head gasket needing to be changed but still drove ok and shifted properly.
Then I bought a used motor that was in an explorer already and that was driving fine.
Once I installed the new-used motor, the vehicle fired right up and seemed fine, while test driving I noticed immediately that shifting was hard and delayed.
I drove on the highway for a while the next day to try and sync everything back the way it was and my shifting issue seemed to stay the same if not get a little worse.
Today I get in and start it and it seems to shift out of park fine but has 5% throttle reaponse (or so it seems) when travelling forwards and backwards
I then let it sit for a few minutes before disconnecting negative battery cable and linking it to positive terminal to completely drain power from electrical system in an effort to reset computer and start fresh, then i started it and it shifted properly out of park now to he point where throttle felt normal but still shifting hard and delayed..... Some of my theories are it -could be a connection problem on one plug or another.
- perhaps my torque converter was damaged in the engine swap?!?
- some electrical wizard lives under my hood and plagues me and my family from ever taking a normal trip anywhere!
-I've got terrible luck
And the plus side is my local Ford shop insists they can't figure out why it would do that, I'd have to leave it there and believe me I don't have the open bank account they will require.... Thanks in advance for any help if none I'll have an explorer for sale here CHEAP!

 

[Tech By Trade]

Did you push the pump back when you dropped the engine in? If you didn't have the torque converter all the way back you might as well start shopping for a new transmission.

 

[Steco.45]

As far as I know it's together as it should be
When I put the motor back in I was pretty careful not to get rammy and it seemed to face up to the tranny pretty good, it was split a little at the top(gap) cause the tranny moved when pulling old motor and bolt up was ok.
I think I had to suck the top bolts in about 1/4 inch i figure that was because of the angle the tranny, is that enough space for things to bind up and push the pump back?

 

[Tech By Trade]

There is. If the torque converter is in all the way and lined up properly it should sit about a quarter inch deep when you install the engine. you should have to pull it toward the flex plate when you install the bolts.

 

[Steco.45]

Ok I c, also someone told me it should click once twice and three times if it's turned enough and set right so I'm gonna split it tonight or tomorrow and pray things are not messed up, and see if I still got a chance to set it right, I'll post again with the results, thanks tech by trade

 

[Tech By Trade]

You could just pull the starter and pull the bolts on the torque converter and see if it turns freely.

 

[Styx]

If it changed after you disconected the battery then your mechanics of the install are ok... Did you adjust the PRNDL cable after the install??? whats you fluid level like, mind you if the fluid was ok before and you didnt loose any it SHOULD be ok...
Are there any codes in the engine or tranny??? and What did the engine come out of??? the tranny's in these things are very electronic and the inputs need to match...
Keep digging you'll figure it out...

Cheers...

 

[Steco.45]

Hey I'm back again, I've done some more work and I've got a whole new bag of problems,
I'll repost as a new thread so it will be seen but basically I gave up on the tranny/torque converter got another used one with less than half the km's and installed this weekend the correct way and now it's running. I put fluid in but only 3.5l in the pan plug and 1/4-1/2l in t/c now it seems like it's not pumping cause it still spilling out after running for 10-15 mins and I'm sure it needs more. And also the o/d light is flashing and service light is on I plugged in the ol obd11 scanner and I think there was 14 codes,1 for every shift solenoid abc&d, torque converter clutch solenoid and some other pressure control solenoid stuff now I think it's electrical but what exactly I'm not sure....I've checked connections on plugs they seem good.. I can't get it to even move when I shift I wonder if it sounds like a ground wire or fuse type thing or if the sensors themselves could all be bad from transport.. This seems to happen to a lot of people and there's a different fix for everyone but mine is a tranny install