5r55e Disassembly w/pics

[BeefMan]

5r55e from a 2005 Sport Trac 4x4. Failed at 163k miles.

First, some background on the tranny. Several possibilities as to why it's failed - I haven't opened it up yet so can't be 100% sure. I'm literally doing that as I'm posting this thread. I noticed a weep between it and the transfer case, and I believe gasket failure, loss of fluid, and subsequent overheating to be the original cause. Was pushing the truck really hard on a really hot day. And blam, fountain of ATF, no reverse, nothing beyond 2nd. Full extent of damage is yet to be seen.

Second, I've never done anything like this before. I actually didn't even know how the tranny worked until I started researching a few weeks ago. Anyway I figure others have done it at home, and if I can do it, anyone can. Plus I like seeing a lot of pictures, specifically on this forum, before I jump into something, so I'll be putting a bunch of pics up.

Oh right, this is the disassembly. I'm skipping removal for now, will also be doing the reassembly and install stuff, possibly in another thread - will need to order parts first. Anyway, let's go!

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Our victim... err... patient. First I hauled it out to clean it off. It was caked in a mix of dirt and ATF that got cooked onto the case. I did my best to not allow water into the case, but this thing is dead anyway, so I wasn't too concerned. With all things in this thread, if you're going to try this, use your best judgement.

Now this is the first major problem. The main case is cracked near where it meets the extension housing. I did not notice this till I got it out from under the truck. I used a tranny jack, but I was a little rough with it, so it may have been careless removal or perhaps a hairline fracture there was the original leak. The truck is too low to the ground on the stands, so I had to pull it off the jack and drag it out. Anyway, have a new case sitting in the garage. $85 off ebay.

Get her on the bench, and pull the torque converter straight out. It will be full of fluid and heavy. Then pull the input shaft straight out (pictured on bench).

Next, pull the Overdrive Drum Sensor, Output Shaft Speed Sensor, and the Manual Control Arm. You MUST hold the arm while you take off the nut, or you WILL brake a tiny arm inside the case. The sensor locations are pictured, only one bolt holds each, then they just pull out. They are very similar in appearance, but will only go in their specific hole, so come install time don't worry too much.

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More to come. Like I said, I'm doing this right now. I will try to keep things in order and take good pics. Sorry if I discuss things too much and make the posts huge, but maybe it will be helpful to someone. I dunno haha. If anyone wants to actually try this down the road, definitely get the ATSG or actual Ford Shop manual (or both). I have the ATSG.

 

[BeefMan]

The instructions then state to remove the screws holding the Digital Range sensor and pull the sensor - this is the large sensor behind the manual control lever. Unable to pull it so far as I'm kind of afraid of breaking it. Will figure that out soon.

Also I'm leaving out a few small things from removal of the tranny - like pulling off the heat shield and tranny mounting bracket. Those should be pretty self-explanatory though. Further, you could remove the bell-housing at this point so it sits on the bench a little nicer, I did not.

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Now you want to pull the extension housing (pictured earlier, it is the small housing that bolts to the transfer case). Be careful as the parking pawl assembly might fall out while you do this - mine did not. It has three pieces and here it is in the extension housing.

Also of note is the parking gear which is now exposed. Mine is showing signs of overheating/wear. Could be due to the tranny failure or could be due to throwing it into park while still moving. Which I'm definitely guilty of doing a few times over the years.

Next, flip her over and pull the fluid pan. Get ready for ATF to pour out if you haven't drained it yet. Luckily (luckily?) mine decided to drain most of the ATF in a gas station parking lot when it died. Toss that gasket. Don't even think of reusing it. Pull the filter and toss it too. You will now see this (soon to be relevant stuff labeled):

Gently pry up on the wire loom protector. Next, remove the solenoid connections. You can pull up and gently wiggle, or insert a tiny flat-head and twist side-to-side. Be careful.

Next remove the manual valve detent spring (pictured):

Now the low/reverse servo assembly - starting with the 4 bolts holding the cover. My gasket had slight damage but was not blown out. If it had been, this would have killed reverse. I'm now thinking something else (band) killed reverse in my tranny. We shall see...

 

[rwt101]

You are well on your way. Have fun. I just finished mine. Just have to get it back in.
Bob T

 

[BeefMan]

Update: The Digital Range Sensor does simply pull off once you remove the Manual Control Lever. Mine was just caked in ATF and dirt.

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So now you're staring at the valve body and you want to remove the main control assembly (the part that the solenoids stick into), the separator plate, and its gasket. First off, here is your cheat sheet:

Then you can lift off the main control assembly. Be VERY careful with it and while working with the valve body. There are tiny pieces that can fall out which you'll never find again. I am setting this aside for now in one piece to continue with the rest of disassembly. By the way, you can flip it over and take a look at the gasket. Mine was bonded to the separator plate - Ford did this in later models. Either way, if its torn, that can explain some problems. Mine was not visibly torn however. More has been posted on related issues by other people on the forum.

Now take out the band adjusters. There are two of them, and each consists of a bolt and a lock nut. The lock nuts are NOT supposed to be re-used.

Next we want to pull the band servos. They are located on the other side of the main case so spin her around. Now, Ford says you have to use a special tool to compress these in order to get the lock rings out. Just make sure the area around the outside snap ring is clean, put one hand over the hole inside the valve body that the servo sticks into, and tap the servo cover with a mallet lightly. You put your hand over the hole because otherwise you get an ATF shower. Anway, this loosens it enough that you can remove the snap ring. Don't have snap ring pliers? I used needle nose pliers and a flat-head.

They might be stuck in there. Both of mine were. Possibly from dirt around the outside or the suction of ATF on the inside. You can use something to push them out from the inside, but be VERY VERY careful you do NOT scratch the bore the piston is sticking through. They need to seal. If you scratch the bore, they won't seal and you're hosed. In any case, they each consist of a piston assembly, a spring, and the retaining ring.

 

[BeefMan]

Thanks for the encouragement Bob! That's actually the part I'm dreading the most. I've heard horror stories of pump mis-alignment and destroyed torque converters. Think I know what to do though, guess I'll find out anyway haha.

Aaron B.

 

[BeefMan]

Important point that the ATSG manual mentions and I should mention. Label some baggies or take a picture so that you know which servo went in which hole. I realized this after the fact, but luckily am taking these pics. I highly recommend it.

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Next we want to pull the bell-housing. You could have done it earlier without hurting anything, I'm just following the ATSG manual. Important to note here is that the bell-housing bolts should NOT be reused. I saw a video of a guy try to do that and his sheared off (during install luckily). Support the main case so that the bell-housing is not touching your bench. This just relieves some of the stress the housing will put on the input shaft and other parts once the bolts are pulled.

For now, I'm setting aside the bell-housing and pump assembly. But, I bagged and tagged the thrust washer that is pictured.

Now we get to the cool stuff, the guts of the case. First you want to pull the front band anchor strut. It meets up with one of the servos we pulled earlier and is pictured. In my picture it has already fallen out of the hole leading to the valve body it was in and is sitting there.

Now you can pull the band. Inspect it for damage. Mine was slightly burned (black streaks) and had lost a lot of its friction material. Actually not too bad for 163,000 miles. Pictured next to it is the "front band anchor strut".

Next up, you can pull the drum. Inside is a lock ring holding in the clutch pack. The lock ring is easy to take out with a flat-head. Inspect the clutch pack frictions and seals. These were really nice in my case. Also inspect the outside of the drum. It can be burnt or become grooved from the band. Also looking good in mine, which I'm finding strange.

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That's all I got for tonight, it's dark out now and my lighting is terrible. One word of caution is keep track of everything - pictures, bags, zip-ties, whatever you have to do. Be back later on to keep up on the disassembly