5R55E VB rebuilt, still no reverse | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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5R55E VB rebuilt, still no reverse

Welcome to this forum! That dial depth gauge is used to verify that the correct length servo rod is installed. Glacier991 mentioned in another thread that he always verifies the length of the servo with one of these tools when he does a rebuild. There is also a digital version which is available.
 



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brooklyn, you mentioned something key, yes, my tip was cracked, more specifically, a corner of the tip was chipped off. What casues this and when referring to the different lengths, I called the dealer and they told me they only sell one lenght, the other two have been discontinued. Do you advise replacing the servo piston? Like menitoned, before, when I insert a rod up into the hile, the contact (whatever it is) seems loose, like I can push it up and down, even side to side. Is this normal? Thnaks.
 






Make sure that the replacement servo is the same exact one. You could count the grooves on its shaft just to make sure that it's the same thing. WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com might have them too. There is also something called a tip extender, but it has to be ground down to make it the exact length. Unless you are absolutely sure what the length is, I would not recommend it. It would require grinding a little of the cracked servo end, then grinding a little of the extendo tip (I think that is what they call them).

Try to position the band in place with the screwdriver end. Test its movement with the screwdriver. Keep in mind that the internal case has a tab which one side of the band has to rest on. The other side rests on the servo's tip.
 






Hey this might help...

i know what u are dealing with man i have been in the same boat. My reverse would randomally work and then sometimes work and when u gased it the reverse pops outa gear. well i did every thing u have done at this point and i remember how much it sucked to have to look at the Ford Tranny Manual pics of every thing, cause i didn't want to take the VB apart till i had a better view of all the bores and there parts seperatly. well i went to the sonnax web page and looked at their page and found a downloadable PDF of any tranny's VB with real life digtal pictures great detail i mean it! u need to go to their page and read through it here is the page where u can get an idea of what u missed. look at the links in blue towards the bottom of the page and click on Instructions which is the PDF link or u have to right click it and save it somewhere and open it with adobe. i hope i can help it seems like u have been at your reverse problem longer then me so i feel the pain.
5R55E VB rebuild page by Sonnax
http://www.sonnax.com/part_summary.php?id=3677&pl=3

Frank
 






i know what u are dealing with man i have been in the same boat. My reverse would randomally work and then sometimes work and when u gased it the reverse pops outa gear. well i did every thing u have done at this point and i remember how much it sucked to have to look at the Ford Tranny Manual pics of every thing, cause i didn't want to take the VB apart till i had a better view of all the bores and there parts seperatly. well i went to the sonnax web page and looked at their page and found a downloadable PDF of any tranny's VB with real life digtal pictures great detail i mean it! u need to go to their page and read through it here is the page where u can get an idea of what u missed. look at the links in blue towards the bottom of the page and click on Instructions which is the PDF link or u have to right click it and save it somewhere and open it with adobe. i hope i can help it seems like u have been at your reverse problem longer then me so i feel the pain.
5R55E VB rebuild page by Sonnax
http://www.sonnax.com/part_summary.php?id=3677&pl=3

Frank
Thanks,

I am torn between selling the Explorer as is or pulling the trans and rebuilding it myself. I already pulled the VB twice. It looks like quite a challenge to pull the trans on a 4X4. Do you or does anyone know what steps I need to take to pull the trans? Any tips to go along with it?
 






Remove the catalytic converter, transfer case, and driveshaft. Disconnect the bolts, torque converter, and hydraulic lines. You need sockets, pry bar, floor jack, box wrenches, and a drain pan.
 






thanks,
if I was to attempt this, will I be able to get the trans out if the car is up on jack stands, or do I need ramps? Once I have the trans out, where do I begin rebuilding it? About how much is a trans rebuild kit? Does it rebuild all the clutches and what else?
 






Ramps are safer to work under. Even though you have the 5R55E transmission, I would recommend reading Glacier991's A4LD rebuild diary. The Project Frankentranny thread is also recommended since it shows pictures of 5R55E parts being used in an A4LD transmission. An ATSG tear down, and rebuild manual, and the Ford CD or DVD from WWW.FordCDs.Com would be a good place to start.
 






I have the same issue with my 99 Sport 5r55e tranny...no reverse. Is there anyone local in the NJ who would be willing to fix on the side? PM me some details.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack your thread :(
 












Yeah most of those shops want big bux for trans rebuilds. They dont even want to pull valve bodies or anything, they always suggest a full rebuild...at a hefty price.
 






I recently went through the same deal.

I had no reverse, but I had manual 1, but I did not have engine braking.

i went through the same steps as you have so fae and I finally pulled the tranny and found the reverse band to be broke right where the revse servo piston connected.
so it is possible to have manul one and no revse due to a broken band.

I bought the rebuild manual off ebay and the rebuild itself was not that hard. the main pain is getting it band in
 






I recently went through the same deal.

I had no reverse, but I had manual 1, but I did not have engine braking.

i went through the same steps as you have so fae and I finally pulled the tranny and found the reverse band to be broke right where the revse servo piston connected.
so it is possible to have manul one and no revse due to a broken band.

I bought the rebuild manual off ebay and the rebuild itself was not that hard. the main pain is getting it band in

Can you fix the reverse band without pulling the tranny? How much is a new band?
 












BrooklynBay; you mention removing the catalytic converter in the transmission removal process. This would have made the job immensely easier! How do you get the catalytic converter off?

Also, this is going to sound silly, but when we were ready to slide the tranny off and drop it down, we used a come-along connected by wrapping a chain around the extension housing to ease the unit back. This worked great, supplying the pull to break the stuck seal on the bell housing.
 












Yah, but it will be easier to reinstall with the catalytic converter out of the way.
 






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