Fordzilla80
Member
- Joined
- July 4, 2011
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Florida
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2003 Ranger Fx4 Level II
Hey guys, new to this forum, but definitely not new to the Bordeaux Transmission fun. 
I have a 2003 Ranger 4x2 with a 3.0 and 5R55E. The truck has 49,400 original miles on it. The problem I am having with the truck has just gotten a little worse the longer I've owned the truck. I bought it back in September of 2010. I test drove the truck for a week straight every single day to be sure that the transmission was stout as I had previous experience with these transmissions. The truck test drove fine, and the shifts were smooth as butter. However, a few weeks after I bought the truck, the truck started to idle funny, and upon having it hooked up to the Ford/Rotunda scanner, the tech came to the conclusion that the IAC was overworking itself. Right about this time, I started to get a jumpy idle in reverse, especially when I gave it gas. I figured it was part of the IAC, so the IAC was replaced. The idle corrected itself, however the reverse still was a bit jumpy. What is strange is that the idle only gets jumpy in reverse when the truck warms up. When it is cold, it does perfectly fine. Since the truck coasts fine in reverse under it's own power, I brushed it under the mat. Well, about 2 months into owning the truck, the O/D Off light started flashing. But, it would only happen about once a week for about 3 weeks. Then, it started to come on every other day. Each time it came on I would pull the truck over, shut it off, restart it, and then it would be fine. I had the code read, and I unfortunately didn't write it down, but I remember it said something about the TCC Clutch Circuit Stuck Off. It was most likely P0741, but I can't confirm it. Anyways, the tech went on with some jibberish about a shift solenoid to the tune of $500, and I said no thanks. I got back home and crawled under the truck. I immediately found that the main harness female connector on the truck side had a broken plastic pivot tab for the metal locking piece, which seemed to allow it to shake loose. I still had the original tires, and they exhibited a slight vibration. So I called some favors in and finally found a new connector and had it sent to me. It took 3 days, so meanwhile before I went to school, I'd crawl under the truck, push in the connector, and I would get no O/D Off light. As long as I did this, it was fine. Well, I got new connector, painstakingly swapped all the wires over one by one, and then plugged it back in. Made sure it was nice and snug, and went on a test drive. Unfortunately, the O/D Off light came on about 20 miles from home. So, I went back to the drawing board. The light only seems to come on when the truck maintains a constant speed around 45-60. It does not come on below 40 mph. The truck seems to go in and out of overdrive, as I can see the rpms drop and increase when I speed up or reach hills. It's only when I'm on a flat stretch of road with no stops that it comes on. So, I finally got brand new tires. Magically, the light disappeared for over a month. I made numerous long distance trips without a problem. On Easter I had to feed the animals at work, and due to the previous rain storm, a tree had been knocked down onto the fence and blocked the gate. There was a puddle of mud about 2-3 feet deep where the tree had taken out part of the fence. I decided to go through it. I made it through just fine, although it was more mud than anything. On the way out, I went through it again, and then started to drive home. On the way home though, the truck started to idle funny. A little while later, it started to bog down whenever I accelerated, and then pick up a few seconds later. I figured something was dirty on the engine, so I got to the car wash, washed the truck off, and then went home to clean off the engine and undercarriage by hand, as well as all of the connectors. I cleaned everything off with a brush and bucket, keeping water away from the distribution box, computer, alternator, and the battery. I cleaned the IAC, cleaned out the air box and air filter, cleaned the MAF, and then test drove it. No fix. Since the IAC was under warranty, I replaced it. The idle improved, at least for short term. Now, the truck idles great for awhile, until the truck warms up. Then, it dips to 600, and sometimes starts to fluctuate. But I still had no O/D Off light. I later re-gapped the plugs, tested the TPS which failed, and was replaced, but to no avail. The vacuum test came up normal under idle, but I have yet to test it under load, which is where my problem is. As for the bogging down, the truck runs great when it's cold. The idle is perfect, the acceleration is perfect. But as soon as the truck warms up, if I go medium to heavy throttle, the truck moves, but lacks power for a few seconds, then seems to "kick" in, and goes. If I apply light throttle, then this doesn't happen. Nothing I have checked out has fixed this. Then today came. Driving out of town, going a steady 45 in winds, the O/D Off light started flashing after a month of no activity. I pulled over, shut the truck down, then started it back up, and continued on my way. So the whole way to my relative's house I made sure that my speed would fluctuate. I would periodically go from 45-55 back and forth. This kept the light off. The whole way home using this technique, the same thing applied, I didn't get the light. This whole problem is crazy, and annoying. I would park the truck and tear into it, if it wasn't my only means of transportation.
From what's been happening, I think I've been facing some sort of T/C lockup issue all along. However taking it off road through the mud made it worse to the point of bogging down on acceleration. What confuses me is I still seem to have overdrive functions, and the truck runs exceptionally well when it's cold, with absolutely no problems. Also the fact that the problem disappeared when I got new tires. Anybody have any ideas as to if this a transmission issue, and what could be causing the P0741? Is it possible that the bracket holding my TCC solenoid in is weak or broken, allowing the TCC solenoid to move and the solenoid connector to come loose when the truck vibrates? Maybe I broke the bracket further when I went through the mud? I really, greatly appreciate any help with this, as I am not ready or willing to get ripped off by a transmission shop, when they probably have absolutely no idea how to properly work on a trans in the A4LD family.
I have a 2003 Ranger 4x2 with a 3.0 and 5R55E. The truck has 49,400 original miles on it. The problem I am having with the truck has just gotten a little worse the longer I've owned the truck. I bought it back in September of 2010. I test drove the truck for a week straight every single day to be sure that the transmission was stout as I had previous experience with these transmissions. The truck test drove fine, and the shifts were smooth as butter. However, a few weeks after I bought the truck, the truck started to idle funny, and upon having it hooked up to the Ford/Rotunda scanner, the tech came to the conclusion that the IAC was overworking itself. Right about this time, I started to get a jumpy idle in reverse, especially when I gave it gas. I figured it was part of the IAC, so the IAC was replaced. The idle corrected itself, however the reverse still was a bit jumpy. What is strange is that the idle only gets jumpy in reverse when the truck warms up. When it is cold, it does perfectly fine. Since the truck coasts fine in reverse under it's own power, I brushed it under the mat. Well, about 2 months into owning the truck, the O/D Off light started flashing. But, it would only happen about once a week for about 3 weeks. Then, it started to come on every other day. Each time it came on I would pull the truck over, shut it off, restart it, and then it would be fine. I had the code read, and I unfortunately didn't write it down, but I remember it said something about the TCC Clutch Circuit Stuck Off. It was most likely P0741, but I can't confirm it. Anyways, the tech went on with some jibberish about a shift solenoid to the tune of $500, and I said no thanks. I got back home and crawled under the truck. I immediately found that the main harness female connector on the truck side had a broken plastic pivot tab for the metal locking piece, which seemed to allow it to shake loose. I still had the original tires, and they exhibited a slight vibration. So I called some favors in and finally found a new connector and had it sent to me. It took 3 days, so meanwhile before I went to school, I'd crawl under the truck, push in the connector, and I would get no O/D Off light. As long as I did this, it was fine. Well, I got new connector, painstakingly swapped all the wires over one by one, and then plugged it back in. Made sure it was nice and snug, and went on a test drive. Unfortunately, the O/D Off light came on about 20 miles from home. So, I went back to the drawing board. The light only seems to come on when the truck maintains a constant speed around 45-60. It does not come on below 40 mph. The truck seems to go in and out of overdrive, as I can see the rpms drop and increase when I speed up or reach hills. It's only when I'm on a flat stretch of road with no stops that it comes on. So, I finally got brand new tires. Magically, the light disappeared for over a month. I made numerous long distance trips without a problem. On Easter I had to feed the animals at work, and due to the previous rain storm, a tree had been knocked down onto the fence and blocked the gate. There was a puddle of mud about 2-3 feet deep where the tree had taken out part of the fence. I decided to go through it. I made it through just fine, although it was more mud than anything. On the way out, I went through it again, and then started to drive home. On the way home though, the truck started to idle funny. A little while later, it started to bog down whenever I accelerated, and then pick up a few seconds later. I figured something was dirty on the engine, so I got to the car wash, washed the truck off, and then went home to clean off the engine and undercarriage by hand, as well as all of the connectors. I cleaned everything off with a brush and bucket, keeping water away from the distribution box, computer, alternator, and the battery. I cleaned the IAC, cleaned out the air box and air filter, cleaned the MAF, and then test drove it. No fix. Since the IAC was under warranty, I replaced it. The idle improved, at least for short term. Now, the truck idles great for awhile, until the truck warms up. Then, it dips to 600, and sometimes starts to fluctuate. But I still had no O/D Off light. I later re-gapped the plugs, tested the TPS which failed, and was replaced, but to no avail. The vacuum test came up normal under idle, but I have yet to test it under load, which is where my problem is. As for the bogging down, the truck runs great when it's cold. The idle is perfect, the acceleration is perfect. But as soon as the truck warms up, if I go medium to heavy throttle, the truck moves, but lacks power for a few seconds, then seems to "kick" in, and goes. If I apply light throttle, then this doesn't happen. Nothing I have checked out has fixed this. Then today came. Driving out of town, going a steady 45 in winds, the O/D Off light started flashing after a month of no activity. I pulled over, shut the truck down, then started it back up, and continued on my way. So the whole way to my relative's house I made sure that my speed would fluctuate. I would periodically go from 45-55 back and forth. This kept the light off. The whole way home using this technique, the same thing applied, I didn't get the light. This whole problem is crazy, and annoying. I would park the truck and tear into it, if it wasn't my only means of transportation.From what's been happening, I think I've been facing some sort of T/C lockup issue all along. However taking it off road through the mud made it worse to the point of bogging down on acceleration. What confuses me is I still seem to have overdrive functions, and the truck runs exceptionally well when it's cold, with absolutely no problems. Also the fact that the problem disappeared when I got new tires. Anybody have any ideas as to if this a transmission issue, and what could be causing the P0741? Is it possible that the bracket holding my TCC solenoid in is weak or broken, allowing the TCC solenoid to move and the solenoid connector to come loose when the truck vibrates? Maybe I broke the bracket further when I went through the mud? I really, greatly appreciate any help with this, as I am not ready or willing to get ripped off by a transmission shop, when they probably have absolutely no idea how to properly work on a trans in the A4LD family.
