5r55s interchange?

[03explorereb]

Gents,
sorry to clog the board, but I have a question that I felt needs it's own thread.
I was wondering what the interchange is on the 55s tranny? 4x4 V6 of course.
Hollander only gives exact replacement from 06-up but we all know that can be misleading. mine is an 06. didn't know if an earlier year works or not.
thanks yet again for any input!!

 

[03explorereb]

Anybody????? I have experience with the 02 to 05 explorer transmissions but the 06 and up I am not sure. again, this is a post that needs any and all input as I see nothing in any thread regarding interchange of the 55s. thanks.

 

[transman304]

2004 up use same solenoid block. I know 4.0 and 4.6 cases are different. They also have 2 different OD planetary tooth counts for application. Maybe some one else will chime in as I would like to find out myself.

 

[03explorereb]

I know 4.0 and 4.6 cases are different. They also have 2 different OD planetary tooth counts for application. Maybe some one else will chime in as I would like to find out myself.

thanks for the reply.
yep, totally different cases for the 4.0 and 4.6. I know there is a slight difference in gear ratios on 4.0 trannys from 02-05. it was not enough to trip the pcm in those years. I have done a swap, using a low mileage transmission from an 02 to put into an 04, which Hollander interchange says is not possible. i used the harness and sensors from the 04. I am just wondering if the same rule of thumb could be applied to the 06 and up years possibly using the 04-05 transmissions? 04-05 transmissions are more plentiful than the 06 and up. perhaps gearing in the later year transmissions might be the same and the only difference is in the sensors, like what i encountered in my swap.

 

[03explorereb]

quick update on the problems at hand. i acquired a ton of useful information on 5r's from a transmission guy. he's giving me a smoking good deal on a rebuild so i couldn't pass it up.
to confirm: NO*-there is no interchange of transmissions regarding the 06-08s
and the earlier years of the 55s, due to a number of small reasons. spline count at the speed sensor is one reason. these however might be hurdles that can be overcome with a programmer. so i say no with an asterisk. as far as plug and play goes though, it simply is not that simple. the cases are interchangeable as long as you're using v6 to v6 and v8 to v8. some of you guys may already know this information but i figured i would pass this along.

so on to the rebuild: 1100 for all new clutches/ steels/ servos/ bands/ converter/ solenoids and sleeving of the servo bores. included also is a valve body workover with shift kit. didn't think this was too bad of a deal overall.

 

[03explorereb]

UPDATE-
transmission is back in my possession after the rebuild. turns out that it was NOT a reman originally like i was told that it was. what happened was o/d servo and band slippage. some other sh_t was chewed on a bit around the speed ring as well. luckily the guy doing the rebuild had some spare 55s parts laying around.
so now it's on to putting it back in. my question is what fluid to use. Mercon V is the standard, but what about Dexron III with a modifier? would it be better or worse?
also would you recommend any additional additive? what about the refill procedure?
i was told to do a preliminary fill of about 3-4 qts in the tranny and about 1/2 qt in converter. from that point, start and run for about 10 seconds and shut off. continue to add til full. one thing he did say is that i should go about 1 qt over on refill. according to him the 55s starves for fluid sometimes. also, should i try to clear the trans lines and cooler of the old fluid?

 

[transman304]

Mercon V no additives, Just what I always have used with no problems. I like to fill on the floor by putting in converter, pulling rear speed sensor and pouring in about 6 quarts. Then grab converter by one stud and start spinning it, cant remember CW or CC but you will feel it pick up the fluid. Then stop add 3 more quarts and keep spinning and adding fluid you can get 9 to 10 quarts in trans before it will start pumping out cooler fitting. install speed sensor in case and install trans. you will need to top this off after running and getting warm. Saves trying to pump all that fluid in from the bottom. As for running overfull it will level itself out by spitting the fluid out the bell housing and onto the converter. Making a huge mess and fire hazard. As for cleaning the cooler I cant believe your builder did not give you a can of Kooler flush and very specific instructions on making sure that the lines and cooler were flushed thoroughly. That is the biggest problem with carry out jobs is that people install the trans and it fails immediately and are back at your door with a transmission that failed because the customer did not know how or to even flush lines and cooler. YES flush the lines or you will be taking transmission back out.

 

[03explorereb]

Thanks for the reply back. Yeah, he never said anything about flushing the lines. Uh oh right? Maybe he thought that it should have been obvious there would be residue and material from the failure. I do feel fairly confident in his rebuild abilities so hopefully everything is alright. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Thanks for the advice!

 

[transman304]

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Number4]

Most trans shops won't warranty the trans unless you put in a new cooler and lines. Maybe flush the lines.

I'd think the 4th gens wouldn't work due to the PCM configuration. Perhaps.

 

[03explorereb]

UPDATE-
Well,
we got some good weather so the transmission is in. initially I had no problems today driving around. shifted through the gears fine. tonight my wife takes it to the store. on the way home she gets a wrench light and two codes::
p0705-transmission range sensor malfunction
p01702-transmission range sensor intermittent
She also stated that it shifted fine at this point.

I am also getting a familiar grinding noise when trying to move forward. only this time it is in first gear and not second like it was before. I moved it about 15 ft and shut it off. pretty pissed off at this point. I have some more tests to run on it. I am going to check some wiring at the TR harness in addition to some other stuff. very depressing.

 

[transman304]

Was the range sensor on trans when you took it to builder? They can get broken or bumped an stop working fairly easy. Or if not removed when case is in cleaner it will destroy it. Noise I cant help you with. Sorry. Keep us up to date. Don't get depressed its just the nature of transmissions. This can be the greatest profession and the most heartbreaking all in one day!

 

[03explorereb]

Brad,
yep the trans still had the sensor bolted to the case. I should've pulled it off but I didn't. the dude involved in rebuild thinks that there is a small possibility that the transmission is confused, due to the trs potential failure but not sure. he's a good guy and is standing behind it every step of the way. he said he had a similar ordeal happened with a 55w. I will keep you posted on the progress, and thanks for lifting my spirits on a disappointing evening!!!

 

[03explorereb]

well,
the conclusion (finally!) to all of this, and glad to say it has a happy ending. i have been very ill up til late last week, and until last friday had no chance of looking at the ex. i ordered a new trans range sensor through ford and installed it. cleared all codes and PRESTO!! transmission is shifting like it should. and better than it ever did. thankfully there was no damage to the internals because we shut it down immediately. fluid looks nice and clean. i didnt realize what a vital part of the transmission the range sensor is. my dumb ass just thought it was a neutral safety switch and a device to turn your reverse lights on.
you can really tell the trans has a shift kit. love the way it shifts. hopefully i can put this nightmare to bed once and for all!! thanks everybody!!!

 

[transman304]

Glad you are feeling better. And really happy that everything worked out for you with the range sensor. Thanks for posting the fix.

 

[03explorereb]

No problem. And thanks for the moral support!

 

[mrkrabs]

Question so does the 5r55e 4×4 transmission interchange with the f150 truck