5r55e no 1st

[Willcall]

Its a 98 explorer with the 5r55e 2wd and I have lost 1st gear!
When I put it in drive, almost nothing happens. The engine just revs like its in neutral and it kind of crawls forward if on a flat surface and rolls back if not. if i put it in 2nd manually then I can move normally and drop it back into drive after 15 mph and it works. and I still have reverse too. doesn't work while overdrive is off either. Can anyone help me??!!
1998 Ford Explorer 4.0L EFI V6 with 194,440 miles
4x2 5R55E
Transmission Fluid level normal; color- yellow/black
no leaks or engine/tranny problems before then
driving on a muddy road with mild slippage
no codes or lights blinking, though ABS light did come on just before problem occured and then turned off.
I am the third owner of this truck and I dont know any of it previous history. Havent even had it for a year yet.
its stock to the bone.
help please!!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Your linkage cable or range sensor might need to be adjusted.

 

[Willcall]

where and how would I fix it? sorry not that explorer savy

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check # 19 & # 78 in my list of useful threads.

 

[Willcall]

Thanks BrooklynBay

 

[Willcall]

ok the tranny is dead. first gear is stripped.
I have a 98 X 4x4 w/ a dead motor.
How hard would it be to pull a 4x2-4x4 swap?
would everthing mount up or would I need to do welding?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Do you want to swap a 4WD equipped 5R55E into this? It's a lot of work to dismantle the transmission to swap the tail shaft. The extension housing is easy to swap.

 

[Willcall]

yes the donor is a 98 explorer with the 5r55e 4x4 trans. and I would like to swap the whole trans and 4x4 system into the into my explorer. is there anything i should worry about? like the frames being different or are they all the same? what parts do I need to pull?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The driveshaft, axles, transfer case, transmission, wiring harness, module, etc.

 

[Willcall]

what about the frames? are they the same?