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5R55E Transmission Troubles

DiGiornoRisingCrust

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April 11, 2018
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Year, Model & Trim Level
2007 Explorer Eddie Bauer
Edit: Apparenlty the transmission in mine is a 5R55S, but it won't let me edit the title.

The transmission in my 2007 V6 has started acting up a couple of weeks ago, I would shift from R to D after backing out of a parking spot, and it would slip into neutral. After a few seconds it would catapult me into Drive with a clunk that could be heard and felt. Then, as I pulled away, during the shift from 2nd to 3rd, it slipped again and the RPM's jumped before it clunked into 3rd. The problem kept getting worse after that.

Now when I shift from R to D half the time it slips into neutral, and half the time it'll go into drive and half the time it won't. After letting it slip into drive, during the shift from 2nd to 3rd the transmission slipped into neutral and the RPM were up to about 5,500 before I got off the gas.

I put on the hazards and slowed down to shift into park and then I went back into drive and it was fine. If it slips from R to D now, I just shift it into first and then back into D and it behaves. Occasionally, it'll only slip for a split second and I won't notice, until it goes into neutral from 2nd to 3rd.

After disconnecting the battery, the issue stopped for a week, but that could just be a coincidence. Is there anything I can do to save from transmission before it completely dies, or am I just playing a waiting game? Should I change the fluid, or even flush it?

It only slips from R to D, going from park to reverse is fine. When it does shift to R or D, there's a noticeable clunk.

Thanks!
 



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That and these aren’t 5r55e’s in 4th gens. Should all be 5r55s models with the 4L v6
 












That and these aren’t 5r55e’s in 4th gens. Should all be 5r55s models with the 4L v6

Stupid question: Why do the Ford OEM part sites list 2 transmissions for the V6 4x4 Gen 4s? A 5 and a 6 speed!
 






Stupid question: Why do the Ford OEM part sites list 2 transmissions for the V6 4x4 Gen 4s? A 5 and a 6 speed!
That’s not stupid at all. The 6 speed was only offered with the v8 and the 5 was only offered with the v6. They probably are clueless
 


















You bet! In a perfect world they would have offered one. They are more robust.
 






Yeah dude sounds like your trans is going, 5r55's do all kinds of weird stuff. The servo bores on mine went at 80k mi and I also was having the consistent 2nd to 3rd flare, check this thread out The 5R55E and the infamous 2-3 shift flare issue

The rebuild took care of my shuddering shifts and also the transmission flare. At 8,000 mi after the rebuild the flare came back in a bad way and they changed out my solenoids and afjusted my bands. I was good for another 5000 miles before the 2nd to 3rd shift flare showed up again. This time though it's incredibly intermittent and only spikes between 200 and 300 rpms. That thread I posted above recommends frequent fluid changes and filters. I'm going to start doing it once a year now and keep that fluid as clean as possible. Personally if I could do it over I would purchase an upgraded reman tranny and start fresh. You might be able to have someone do all the maintenance stuff like drain, filter and fill it and see if that helps. It would at least be an inexpensive way to start. BTW, I swear that whenever I unhooked my battery for 20 minutes before my rebuild my bad shifting would disappear for a short time also. I mentioned this to the guys at the shop but they seemed uninterested.
Edit: Apparenlty the transmission in mine is a 5R55S, but it won't let me edit the title.

The transmission in my 2007 V6 has started acting up a couple of weeks ago, I would shift from R to D after backing out of a parking spot, and it would slip into neutral. After a few seconds it would catapult me into Drive with a clunk that could be heard and felt. Then, as I pulled away, during the shift from 2nd to 3rd, it slipped again and the RPM's jumped before it clunked into 3rd. The problem kept getting worse after that.

Now when I shift from R to D half the time it slips into neutral, and half the time it'll go into drive and half the time it won't. After letting it slip into drive, during the shift from 2nd to 3rd the transmission slipped into neutral and the RPM were up to about 5,500 before I got off the gas.

I put on the hazards and slowed down to shift into park and then I went back into drive and it was fine. If it slips from R to D now, I just shift it into first and then back into D and it behaves. Occasionally, it'll only slip for a split second and I won't notice, until it goes into neutral from 2nd to 3rd.

After disconnecting the battery, the issue stopped for a week, but that could just be a coincidence. Is there anything I can do to save from transmission before it completely dies, or am I just playing a waiting game? Should I change the fluid, or even flush it?

It only slips from R to D, going from park to reverse is fine. When it does shift to R or D, there's a noticeable clunk.

Thanks!
 






Thanks for the help! I'll probably start with the fluid and see if that helps.

Would you recommend just dropping the pan and filling it back up, or doing a complete flush?
 






Everyone I've ever talked to about these transmissions always recommends to drain, change filter and refill. I've been told that flushing has the tendency to contaminate more areas of the transmission which could cause you more issues later on. I don't know how true it is but it sounds logical to me, so I would pull the pan and do it all yourself if you feel confident. If I knew then what I know now I would've tried a few more fixes before taking it to the trans shop. If you're not planning on doing the fluid and filter yourself make sure you take your EX to an ATRA shop, they will be listed as an ATRA shop or you can ask them (automatic transmission rebuilders association). I really hope the fluid change and filter will do the trick for you or at least buy you some time, but overall it'd be smart to plan for a big repair.
 






Regular fluid changes won't stop the servo bores from wearing. I changed my fluid at 35,000 and 70,000 miles. Not really dirty. Servos shot at 90,000.
There are full rebuilds and then what you might call partial rebuilds. I had a full rebuild. I saw the case when it was completely empty and cleaned. All new parts. servo kit and the sonnax kit. $1000 in parts. If you're going to keep the vehicle a partial rebuild may get you 25,000 miles before more trouble appears.
 






You guys have auxiliary tranny coolers? I don't tow with my 4.0, but think it might extend the life of the tranny. Just had a busted pan gasket over the weekend so did a drain, filter, and refill with new gasket.
 






Regular fluid changes won't stop the servo bores from wearing. I changed my fluid at 35,000 and 70,000 miles. Not really dirty. Servos shot at 90,000.
There are full rebuilds and then what you might call partial rebuilds. I had a full rebuild. I saw the case when it was completely empty and cleaned. All new parts. servo kit and the sonnax kit. $1000 in parts. If you're going to keep the vehicle a partial rebuild may get you 25,000 miles before more trouble appears.
I completely agree, fluid changes won't help servos but at least keep contaminants to a minimum. I too agree that full rebuild or buy a reman is the best option.
 






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