5r55s transmission upgrade or swap options

[MyExplorer03v8Lim]

hi explorers!

My 03 has the 5r55s, and I'm under the impression that even after a rebuild, the thing is a time bomb.

Is there any aftermarket transmission option that will swap in? Or would that require extensive mods?

I just know at some point in the future ill be looking at my budget, deciding between a vacation and a transmission. When it's time to drop $3k or more into my tranny, I'd like to know I'm adding performance and longevity, rather than simply bringing it back to factory spec.

 

[87350gta]

Most quality rebuilds include the needed upgrades already. The big thing is drilling out the case to install bronze sleeves for the servos. I don't think I have had a single 5r55 come back after a rebuild since we started installing sleeves in them. The "w" and "s" versions of this trans are really pretty good after the upgrades. I am still running a stock rebuilt trans in my supercharged explorer and it's held up so far.

 

[MyExplorer03v8Lim]

Most quality rebuilds include the needed upgrades already. The big thing is drilling out the case to install bronze sleeves for the servos. I don't think I have had a single 5r55 come back after a rebuild since we started installing sleeves in them. The "w" and "s" versions of this trans are really pretty good after the upgrades. I am still running a stock rebuilt trans in my supercharged explorer and it's held up so far.

It's an AWD. As someone who's never opened a transmission up before, would you recommend paying a shop or trying the rebuild myself? What's a ballpark cost to have a shop do it? I know the kit is like $100, but it's probably a ton of labor.

 

[87350gta]

I would definitely have a professional do this trans. It's not a good beginner trans. I think a shop is going to be around $2500-$3000. I usually charge $1400-$1600 when I do them on the side. And that's with all new ford own parts. All of the rebuild parts needed are around $800. That's a new solenoid pack, converter, and overhaul kit.

 

[87350gta]

I also have enough good used parts to build about 5 of these.

 

[MyExplorer03v8Lim]

I would definitely have a professional do this trans. It's not a good beginner trans. I think a shop is going to be around $2500-$3000. I usually charge $1400-$1600 when I do them on the side. And that's with all new ford own parts. All of the rebuild parts needed are around $800. That's a new solenoid pack, converter, and overhaul kit.

That's good to know, thanks for the advice.

What about checking and changing the fluid? I don't have a dipstick. I've read something about a process with the drain plug but I don't know the exact procedure.

 

[firefly1246]

My personal opinion with auto trans is most of these fail from lack of Maintance. Our culture teaches us to change our oil on a regular basis (every 3-5k) and many follow this, including your everyday non-car people as it is preached all the time. But nobody mentions anything about treating your tranny with the same amount of preventative maintance.

Heat is a leading cause of failure in auto trannies so having a transmission cooler is critical. On the 02-05 explorer only those with the towing package received a cooler. On the 06-10 they added one to those without the tow package. Make note all 3rd gens have tow hitches but the tow package has the 2" tow hitch.

The other thing is to regularly change the fluid with high quality synthetic fluid. I change mine every 30k with Castrol Mercon V and a new filter. To me it is cheap insurance, I would rather spend ~$60 every couple of years vs the big bucks for a new tranny.

 

[87350gta]

Heat is a leading cause of failure in auto trannies so having a transmission cooler is critical. On the 02-05 explorer only those with the towing package received a cooler. On the 06-10 they added one to those without the tow package. Make note all 3rd gens have tow hitches but the tow package has the 2" tow hitch.

This isn't true. ALL 02-05 explorers have an external trans cooler. They do not use an in tank radiator cooler and there was no extra cooler for tow package. The 06-10 uses a radiator cooler and an added external cooler.

I would agree that excessive heat is very bad for transmissions. This transmission main failures have nothing to do with heat, maintenance or lack of. The servo pin bores wear out because a steel pin is harder than an aluminum hole in the case. When the pin bores wear, you get slipping 2nd and 5th for the o/d band, and slipping 3rd for the intermediate band. Also the earlier versions had inferior spot welds on those same bands. The strut anchors snap off, causing loss of the same gears all together. I have also seen servo pins break completely off of the piston. Solenoid pack failure is also very common. I would say all of these are from poor design and engineering.

I fully agree with maintaining vehicles, I see what can happen every day with cars that aren't maintained.

 

[firefly1246]

@87350gta I stand corrected, from all the reading I had done on the forum my belief was only the tow package had the cooler, goes to show you can't always believe everything you read on the internet. On the 02-05 explorer the tow package (option code 53G) includes a 7 pin connector, 2" hitch, and 3.73" limited slip axle, Source: Ford 2004 towing guide.

In terms of the specific failure points on the explorer tranny I would turn to 87350gta as he works on these everyday. My answer was a bit more general with all auto transmissions not just our explorer ones.

 

[firefly1246]

87350gta: Do you have any experience using this kit http://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/
?

 

[87350gta]

I do not, but I see no reason it wouldn't work. You could even install those without pulling the trans. The only bad thing would be on the 2002 explorers. They had inferior welds on the bands and they snapped quite often.

 

[Recoil Rob]

Reviving this, I have a 2002 Explorer, AWD and though it only has 48K on it, I will need a new tranny, not shifting into 2nd or OD. I went through all the diagnostics, all point towards replacement.

My door code for the tranny is "V" which some websites show as the 5r55s, other 5r55w.

I actually have insurance coverage up to $4K for this, my mechanic wants to put in a Jasper re-manufactured. I have read less than glowing reviews about Jasper but this could be the fact angry customers tend to make more noise.

Should I be asking him to look elsewhere, perhaps to a OEM replacement? I read that the OEM replacements have pretty much solved the problem that caused these to go bad. Would the Jasper rebuilds also be upgraded?

Lastly, I don't have the tow package, I have the 3.55 rear axle so, even though I put on an aftermarket Class II 2" hitch, I'm limited to 3500#. Would a different transmission boost that?


thanks,

Rob

 

[firefly1246]

I personally don’t have any knowledge of the jasper quality. But one of the primary causes of failure is the aluminum servo bores wearing out and causing the pressure applied to the bands to decrease which prematurely wears out the bands. The easiest fix is to purchase a kit that uses nitrile o rings on the servos so even if the bores are worn you don’t lose pressure and therefore don’t wear out the bands. You can find the kit here:

Ford Lincoln Mercury Explorer Mountaineer Navigator Servo Bore Fix

My recommendation is to install the kit prior to installing in the car as it is much easier with the transmission removed.

In regard to the towing limit. The tow package doesn’t have anything to do with the transmission. The tow package included a 3.73 limited slip rear end instead of the standard 3.55 open diff. It included the 2” receiver, the 7 wire trailer plug, and a small harness to hook up trailer brake actuator in the cab. I can’t remember if the 3rd gen tow package included a transmission cooler or if it was standard(others can chim in). The primary reason the non-tow package explorers are only rated to 3500# is cause the smaller hitch is only rated for 3500#

Others might disagree but if you upgrade the hitch to the 2” hitch then structurally you can handle more weight. But having the 3.55 gears and no tranny cooler will put stress the on transmission and therefore shorten life. Installing a tranny cooler is easy to do, you can either do factory or use an aftermarket and is a good upgrade even if you don’t tow as it is extra insurance to keep the fluid cool and extend the life of the transmission. The 7 wire plug doesn’t affect the tow capacity but would recommend trailer brakes with a heavier load.

Dunno what your aftermarket hitch looks like. Many I have seen keep the stock smaller hitch and then add a second hitch below it. For a better look some people swap out the smaller hitch for a factory 2” hitch so they don’t have the double hitch.

The other question is what can vs what you should do. The 7700 pounds for a v8 tow package or 5000 for a v6 tow package in my opinion is a bit on the high side. Can the explorer do it, yes. If it is a one time pull then ok. But if I am pulling that much weight all the time I would step up to a heavier duty vehicle. You are putting a lot of stress on the vehicle and especially the transmission. And as you are aware the transmission is not bullet proof.

-Scott

 

[Recoil Rob]

Thanks Scott. I've been doing some reading up on the tranny since posting and it seems that "Remanufactured" transmissions are updated when assembled to the current engineering standards, meaning Jasper installs all necessary upgrades when assembling. They seem to get some good reviews on the Ford Truck forum and with the 3 year 100K warranty I am going to consider it. Might actually be better than an OEM tranny from Ford.

Jasper also sells a cooler kit to go along with it so I will probably have my guy install that also.


thanks,

Rob

 

[boominXplorer]

Jasper lost my trust last year. I am a Jasper installer but I only purchase from them after explaining to the customer your buying a warranty, not a super upgraded transmission or engine.

Case: ordered a 5.4 engine for an 04 excursion. As most people know in 2004 the spark plugs are 9 thread. They sent me an engine with 1 04+ head and the other a 00-02 4 thread head. I had to threaten to stop payment on the check to get them to send me another engine with correct heads. I'm not putting in a blowing spark plug problem that wasn't initially in the truck.

It wasn't an even exchange either. They "warrantied" it out instead of swapping it out. I also had to wait 2.5 weeks for them to custom build the engine as they couldn't guarantee any engines in the warehouse were not the same way.

The engine has been in for over a year and 30k miles. It does have a slight tick but doesn't seem too abnormal. They reuse all the followers and lash adjusters from the old engines and that right there drives me nuts as they should be replaced. Now I order through Advance Auto or Napa which they are cheaper and have similar warranty. I inspect everything before I take possession and send it back for a different one if I'm not happy with it. Recently I had them order me a pair of 3v 5.4 heads and I had them order a total of 5 to get 2 I liked.......

Ford also sells reman engines and trans but they only have 2 year warranties. This is the way to go in my opinion but cost and availability do play a role with them.

 

[Recoil Rob]

Hmmm. Will have to have my guy price out both but he seems bent on Jasper. He's the one that will have to do the work replacing it if it goes. Will let you know what's decided.

Does Ford sell new and re-manufactured trannys?

 

[boominXplorer]

For older models like these Ford only sells remanufactured transmissions. I bet the price is within $250 away from the Jasper unit.

 

[Recoil Rob]

And Ford does the manufacturing themselves? Not sure if I would them trust more, Ford made enough mistakes on this truck...Thanks for the opinion, will take it under consideration.

 

[boominXplorer]

Ford knows their common issues, you can count on them fixing it right.

 

[Ronny L]

Most quality rebuilds include the needed upgrades already. The big thing is drilling out the case to install bronze sleeves for the servos. I don't think I have had a single 5r55 come back after a rebuild since we started installing sleeves in them. The "w" and "s" versions of this trans are really pretty good after the upgrades. I am still running a stock rebuilt trans in my supercharged explorer and it's held up so far.

What kind of power at the crank is your explorer putting out? I have been told 400 hp is about all I could get my 5r55s to handle. I am wanting to put about 500 at the crank with a stroked4.6 (281) to 5.1 (301) 375-450hp at the crank. I want to ruin some mustangs Camaros and chargers nights on cruise night.