5R55E Transmission whine

[dallasmef]

A few months back, I experienced some severe transmission slippage after putting some new fluid in my Explorer. I got the Explorer to a parking lot and left it and then went back 2 hours later to check on it. It started up....went in gear and drove fine for about 2 miles; then it started this god awful moaning/whining sound and would not go any further. I waited a few minutes and started it up and drove it for another mile. We came to a stop sign...it would not repeat the recovery, so I had it towed home. A week went by....I started it up and it went in gear, but I did not drive it. I concluded that the new fluid knocked loose some sludge and clogged the new filter again. So, I dropped the pan and changed the filter again. It worked. I started it up, and it immediately went into reverse and then forward. Next, I actually drove it down the road (An absoute miracle). Unfortunately, my good fortune was short-lived. This new whining/moaning started up again and it would not go into gear. So, I revved the engine and the noise stopped. Any ideas what this whining is? and why revving the engine makes it stop? Is it possible the new filter is already clogged again and restricting the flow of fluid? Now, the whining starts as soon as i start the engine, but stops when I rev the engine. Going into gear is always a 2 step process as I first put it in Reverse to back up ......and then immediatley into Drive. if i was going directly to Drive, my success rate might double my success.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The torque converter might be going. How big are the fragments that are clogging up the filter?

 

[dallasmef]

The metal fragments aren't really fragments. It is more like "dust" and not any different than what I found when I changed the filter the first time. More than anything, I was really suprised to see how much sludge the new tran fluid knocked loose since the first filter change a few months ago.

Except for this new "whine", the transmission is acting very similar to its original symptoms when it was slipping regularly and eventually quit gong into gear. But, after I would let it sit for a few minutes, it would go into gear and I could drive it. I was advised to rebuild it, replace it, change the solenoids and rebuild the valve body. Then, I read an internet posting that I had the "classic" symptoms of a clogged filter. So, I replaced the filter and strained the old fluid and put it back in to avoid any problems that can occur new fluid in old trannys......and everything worked fine. I didn't have any problems until a I got confident that my transmission was "OK" and decided to start upgrading my old fluid with 2 qts of new MerconV plus some Lucas Fix for the high mileage. That was the beginning of my "real" trouble that ultimately led to no gear engagement and development of the "whine". Before rebuilding it, I went back to what worked before and changed the filter. Getting immediate gear engagement (with no whine) and driving down the street was absolutely "monumental" for a vehicle that had to previously be towed home and would not move at all. It didn't start the "whining" until it had been running a few minutes. The more I ran it, the worse the whine seemed to get.

Before I delcare it is the torque converter............is it possible that residual sludge in the crank case is still making its way back to the drain pan/filter and making it hard for the pump to circulate the fluid?

 

[dallasmef]

If anything, I think I proved.....beyond reasonable doubt, that new transmission fluid can/will break up and release enough sludge into the transmission to choke it out....by cloggin up the filter.

Now, I'm going to offer up an idea which is "outside of the box". If the crankcase is still a source of excessive sludge....... is it possible to rig up an in-line strainer/filter on the cooler lines and circulate the fluid continuously instead of dropping the pan and repetively replace filters. This exercise would eliminate my sludgy fluid theory and be a lot easier than dropping the pan and swapping filters 2 or 3 more times. It wouldn't exactly be a "flush" since I am not replacing the old fluid.......I'm just straining it.

Any thoughts?

 

[dallasmef]

I forgot to mention..........in spite of the current "whining" and not going into gear, the OD/Off light is not flashing.

 

[dallasmef]

Will a pressure test tell me anything about the torque converter?
Or, will low pressure only infer that the problem is with the pump?
If the pressure test is OK----does that mean the TC is good?

 

[BrooklynBay]

You still need an internal filter even though you want to add an external filter.

 

[dallasmef]

It the torque converter is bad...........should my OD/Off light be flashing?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The flashing overdrive light means that there is a code stored. Retrieving this code will eliminate any guess work. Sometimes there could be a code stored even though the light is not flashing. Not every code will trip the light just like the check engine light.

 

[dallasmef]

OK......Thanks BrooklynBay