4.0L 4x4 Tranny Swap

[rogueexplorer1]

Well, looks like I'll be swapping out the tranny from my 97 Limited parts car to my 98 EB truck. Same engine so tranny must just bolt up the same, right? 103,000 less miles on this one.

This car has been sitting for 4 years in my possession & probably a few more in the old owners. What should I do to this tranny so I can ensure the best running of this tranny? Of course I'll inspect it while it's out too. Can I flush it out while it's out of the truck? I'll also replace the filter & check the valve body while it's out to make sure that's all good too. I'm also thinking of swapping out the TC as well, since I'll have to drop that anyway.

Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated!

 

[RangerX]

Was the parts car that the trans is coming out of a known good running vehicle?

 

[rogueexplorer1]

Was the parts car that the trans is coming out of a known good running vehicle?

The engine turned over but never started. Most likely was the fuel pump that didn’t work but he said that’s why he didn’t keep it. I thought about that too, but pretty sure this tranny is in better condition than my current 1.

I may just do some inspection work 1st to see if something simpler is wrong with it where I can just use some parts from the donor truck than having to do a full swap.

What could be wrong with this running tranny that would stop it from going into reverse & not going all the way into park? And the spinning noise while driving? I’ve seen a few blogs that mention different things; valve body block; low pressure in the lines since reverse uses the highest pressure. I do see some fluid leaks but haven’t fully gotten under the car yet to fully inspect that. Can the transfer case have any part in this? That’s what I’ll need to check before I go full on with this.

 

[410Fortune]

What?

Okay so your current 98 trans won’t go into reverse or park?

You have a 97 donor vehicle now you could get the trans from and use but it is 4wd?

What are you asking in this post? It is not really clear

 

[rogueexplorer1]

Okay so your current 98 trans won’t go into reverse or park?

Correct, and it makes a grinding noise when you try to put it in reverse & a similar noise while driving where all of a sudden, this spinning noise happens & then stops. It did go into park this morning.

 

[rogueexplorer1]

You have a 97 donor vehicle now you could get the trans from and use but it is 4wd?

Both are 4WD so even swap.

 

[rogueexplorer1]

What are you asking in this post? It is not really clear

Are there any things in particular that could be wrong that a simple parts swap would fix without doing a fully Tranny/TC swap or any other troubleshooting checks that I could do?

 

[410Fortune]

How many miles on the 98? This is a 4.0 is it a ohv or sohc? Just curious

Shift linkage / the column shifter is it tight and working?

Your 98 is rwd and the 97 is 4wd? They are not interchangeable without adding a transfer case

 

[rogueexplorer1]

How many miles on the 98? This is a 4.0 is it a ohv or sohc? Just curious

Shift linkage / the column shifter is it tight and working?

Your 98 is rwd and the 97 is 4wd? They are not interchangeable without adding a transfer case

The 98 has 276,x..; the 97 has 179,x..

Shift level feels great; all positions line up with the number/letter.

Not sure where you got the 2WD/4WD part but no, they are both 4WD. The matching drivetrain is what I got this donor. I knew I’d be needing it @ some point.

As I mentioned before, I’m just looking for anyone who has either has had this same problem before & can give me any guidance for troubleshooting, possible causes to check into & possible swap shortcuts. Does that makes sense?

 

[Josh P]

I've seen it mentioned here that there's differences between the 97 and 98 transmission.

 

[rogueexplorer1]

I've seen it mentioned here that there's differences between the 97 and 98 transmission.

You remember where you saw that? I’m pretty sure I’ve checked around & it’s a 5R55E trans in the 97 too.

 

[Josh P]

You remember where you saw that? I’m pretty sure I’ve checked around & it’s a 5R55E trans in the 97 too.

Look at post #3

5R55E Interchange Help Please

Hi all, I have a 1998 4x4 Explorer sport 2 dr, it has a 5R55E transmission, My question is, can I use a transmission from a 2001 to replace in my 1998.? Also what years are compatible/interchangeable 1998-2001 ? Is it the same, will it just go in and all is fine or is there steps to...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[DintDobbs]

As far as I know, the only difference between a '97 and a '98 5R55E is the location of the vehicle speed sensor; I think '98 is the year the sensor was relocated from the rear end of the transmission to the top of the differential housing.

 

[Josh P]

I'm not saying it can't be done, just that others have noted differences.

 

[Big Ed 1]

What?

Okay so your current 98 trans won’t go into reverse or park?

You have a 97 donor vehicle now you could get the trans from and use but it is 4wd?

What are you asking in this post? It is not really clear

He has this thread going too, 98 Eddie Bauer zinging sound while I'm driving

 

[rogueexplorer1]

He has this thread going too, 98 Eddie Bauer zinging sound while I'm driving

410 has also responded on that thread.

Here's another thought; if the speed sensors are in different locations from 97 to 98, aren't they in the transfer case & not the tranny itself? I know there's 2 speed sensors that I swapped in the transfer case when I thought the TC motor was bad, but was not. It was the TC module under the dash that I swapped from the 97 to the 98 that fixed the steering grinding issue a while back. If that's the case, and just some simple parts swapping is capable of fixing this issue, no need to worry about the sensors, right? But if the tranny turns out to be more than just parts swapping & a full tranny swap is needed, then can't I swap out the tranny AND TC over from the donor car & not have to worry about the speed sensors not matching?

 

[rogueexplorer1]

As far as I know, the only difference between a '97 and a '98 5R55E is the location of the vehicle speed sensor; I think '98 is the year the sensor was relocated from the rear end of the transmission to the top of the differential housing.

There are 2 speed sensors in the TC. I haven't looked at the tranny before so maybe there are others I don't know about. I'll be looking at it closer this weekend.

In the meantime, I put my 06 BMW E60 M5 back on the road for my daily. Kinda nice to have the Beast to tool around in again!! And my 03 Yamaha FZ1 will be back together in the next few days after new tires, carb flush & sync & other clean up/maintenance!

 

[410Fortune]

You can put a 98 5r55e into a 97 no problem

These are 4wd so the speed sensor is in the t case in a 97

The title of the thread says 4x4 swap I mistook that for meaning you wanted to put a 4wd trans in a 2wd truck, which is why I asked for clarification

You will want to clean out the trans cooler and cooler lines while the transmission is out. Any contaminated fluid from the old “bad” transmission needs to be flushed out of there

Installing a used trans with 180k on it is a crapshoot, that is still a lot of miles. Would I do it? Yes. But I can do this swap in one day for
Many removing and replacing an auto trans is a big job

No reason you can’t use a 97 trans in a 98 and vise versa, these are both 4wd units, speed sensor is a non issue

 

[rogueexplorer1]

You can put a 98 5r55e into a 97 no problem

These are 4wd so the speed sensor is in the t case in a 97

The title of the thread says 4x4 swap I mistook that for meaning you wanted to put a 4wd trans in a 2wd truck, which is why I asked for clarification

You will want to clean out the trans cooler and cooler lines while the transmission is out. Any contaminated fluid from the old “bad” transmission needs to be flushed out of there

Installing a used trans with 180k on it is a crapshoot, that is still a lot of miles. Would I do it? Yes. But I can do this swap in one day for
Many removing and replacing an auto trans is a big job

No reason you can’t use a 97 trans in a 98 and vise versa, these are both 4wd units, speed sensor is a non issue

Thanks 410. I’m gonna get under the 98 & see what I can find 1st; leaking lines=low pressure; shift cable maybe off or misaligned; pan gasket leaking & draining fluid, etc. I’ll probably drain the fluid, pull the filter & see is I see nothing that has broken inside, like the parking paw. If nothing shows up there, I may check the valve body; remove it, check the pump & anything else in there that may be faulty before I go & take the tranny out. Yes, it’s a much bigger job for me without a lift & access to a garage. Looks like rain may be coming so another issue there! Thanks for the info & sorry if I confused you with my title! I appreciate you all!

 

[410Fortune]

Yes the pan will tell the tale

If there is glitter in the pan or tons of
Black friction material it maybe time