4R55E Transmission - Shift Solenoid/Gear 2 Problem

[cjryan]

Hello and thank you to all who read this:

I have a 96 Explorer 4.0 4R55E tranny 2wd. My truck's overdrive stopped working on the freeway (light flashing) and 10 minutes later the check engine light came on. The day after the tranny wouldn't shift around 30mph and the rpm's would rise abnormally unless I released the gas pedal.

I received a diagnosis from Aamco and they said it was missing second gear. They also pulled the following two trouble codes:

-P0756 Shift Solenoid B Performance Stuck off

-P0732 Gear 2 Incorrect Ratio

They also claimed they found excess friction material at the bottom of the sump. Do they have to drop the pan to see this? Isn't it necessary to replace the gasket and change the fluid if they drop the pan? I did not ask at the time but now it seems like that they may have been trying to skunk me.

They recommended internal service and wanted to rebuild the tranny. I am hoping that I can drop the pan and change a solenoid instead of rebuilding. I have researched and found upgrade kits to the 5R that had to do with the "famous 2-3 shift flare" in the 5R., is there anything similar for the 4R?

Thank you for your help.

 

[cjryan]

One more thing:

Does anyone know if the shift solenoid is accessible by dropping the pan?

 

[BrooklynBay]

You might have a broken band. There is no way for them to know about the friction material without dropping the pan which I doubt they did. You will see band parts in the pan if the band is broken. Another way to tell without dropping the pan is to adjust the band. It's broken if the band adjuster keeps turning without tightening. All of the solenoids are accessible when you drop the pan.

 

[96eb96]

Hello and thank you to all who read this:

I have a 96 Explorer 4.0 4R55E tranny 2wd. My truck's overdrive stopped working on the freeway (light flashing) and 10 minutes later the check engine light came on. The day after the tranny wouldn't shift around 30mph and the rpm's would rise abnormally unless I released the gas pedal.

I received a diagnosis from Aamco and they said it was missing second gear. They also pulled the following two trouble codes:

-P0756 Shift Solenoid B Performance Stuck off

-P0732 Gear 2 Incorrect Ratio

They also claimed they found excess friction material at the bottom of the sump. Do they have to drop the pan to see this? Isn't it necessary to replace the gasket and change the fluid if they drop the pan? I did not ask at the time but now it seems like that they may have been trying to skunk me.

They recommended internal service and wanted to rebuild the tranny. I am hoping that I can drop the pan and change a solenoid instead of rebuilding. I have researched and found upgrade kits to the 5R that had to do with the "famous 2-3 shift flare" in the 5R., is there anything similar for the 4R?

Thank you for your help.

If you drop the pan the solenoids are there, the worse case you have to pull the valve body.

I've seen cases where they drop the pan and put back the old fluid and gasket. Sometimes its better to leave old fluid instead of replacing. Friction material could be OK if its a high mileage trans.

Like brooklyn said, there would have to be a metal fragment of the band or you have to adjust the tension screw to know for sure.

However, the code would strongly point to a bad solenoid, and of course that could give the same issue as a broken band. I dont think you would get a solenoid code for a broken band. Definitely worth to troubleshoot the solenoids. Keep us posted.

Here is what the book says about your codes:

P0756 SS2 Shift solenoid No. 2 functional failure (California only). Mechanical or hydraulic failure of the shift solenoid. Improper gear selection depending on failure mode and manual lever position. Refer to Solenoid On/Off Chart. Refer to Pinpoint Test A .

P0732** SS1, SS2, SS3 or internal parts 2nd gear error No 2nd gear. Improper gear selection depending on failure or mode and manual lever position. Shift errors may also be due to other internal transmission concerns (stuck valves, damaged friction material). Refer to Solenoid On/Off Charts. Refer to Pinpoint Test A .

 

[cjryan]

96eb96,
Is the book you're referring to a Hayne's tranny rebuild book?

Also,
I'm going to try and adjust the bands. Is the intermediate band the one that controls second gear?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The intermediate band does control 2nd gear. Haynes doesn't make a transmission rebuild manual. You might be thinking of the ATSG manual.

 

[96eb96]

96eb96,
Is the book you're referring to a Hayne's tranny rebuild book?

Also,
I'm going to try and adjust the bands. Is the intermediate band the one that controls second gear?

The book is the FORD service DVD.

 

[cjryan]

I tried to tackle adjusting the bands tonight. I could get the locknut to loosen somewhat, but it got tougher to loosen the more I tried. This is obviously due to debris. I tried WD-40 and steel wool to no avail. Any suggestions to loosen the locknut?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Is your stud very rusty? Try some PB Blaster or a similar rust fighting chemical spray.

 

[cjryan]

It didn't appear to be rusty, just dirty. Although, I wouldn't be suprised after 230,x.. miles that's its rusty. I'll try that solution or a similar one. Will a hardware store have something like that? Or is a auto parts store a better bet?

One more thing... I didn't realize until last night that the adjusting bolt (or stud) was four sided. On top of that, it is very close to the linkage making it very difficult to secure while loosening the locknut. I was using a crescent wrench to secure the stud while loosening the locknut. This was awkward and not very effective. I was using a (16 point 5/16) socket at an angle that fit "ok" to tighten the stud. Upon tightening, the socket did not strip the stud but I could not loosen the locknut enough to get enough torque on the stud. On my tranny, there is no way to get a torque wrench with a socket on the stud "properly" without removing the linkage.

Glacier suggested using an 8 point 5/16th socket. Has anyone else had success with this socket? Has anyone got the socket on the stud "properly" on a 4R55E without removing linkage. I've never had to torque a stud before, but the 8 point makes since.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Try the new spline sockets. They say that they have a universal fit. S-K tools makes a nice but expensive set in sockets, and box wrenches. Harbor Freight makes a cheaper alternative if it's only going to be used occasionally.

 

[cjryan]

I got the nut loose and a proper socket on the stud. I set the torque wrench to 120 in. lbs. and began to tighten. It got fairly snug and then a 'pop'. At first I thought it was the torque wrench, but then the stud was loose and not snug anymore.

Is my band broken? Did I break it while trying to tighten it?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Unfortunately, it does sound like it broke.

 

[cjryan]

Unusual Result

Last weekend I loosened the stud to approximately where I thought it was before (since I had not enough friction on the stud to torque it down), then tightened the locknut.

I test drove it immediately after and to my surprise it shifted basically like before. I had first gear, third, and fourth. Second was still missing as before. Does the second band adjustment control only second gear? If it controls more than one gear, the band shouldn't be broken.

Is there a possibility I didn't break my band and the issue is a solenoid?

 

[cjryan]

anybody there?

 

[cjryan]

O.K. I'm running out of time and I need a new transmission. Has anybody found a good source for 4R55E's near so. California? I found a place in phoenix, but they're pretty deceptive and if anything went wrong, I'd have to ship the trans back to phoenix. I've also received a few quotes from trans shops in my area. I've got prices from $1500 to $2200. Has anyone done something similar for a good price and had a good experience? My engine is rebuilt so I just need a good tranny.