5r55w, a lot of noise but will not engage reverse

[richardnz]

i am trying to repair for a friend a 2002 explorer what the local ford dealer says has a 5r55w tranny in it , when i try to slip it into reverse it makes a lot of noise , kinda like a spline that is trying to engage but it not managing to do so , also a fraction of noise when i put it in drive but at least this engages ...
not an expert on autos at all but inspired by this site to give it a go , have searched many of the very helpful threads but cannot find anyone with a similar fault , .... any pointers ?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Put it on a lift, and have somebody shift into different gears. You might be able to locate the noise this way. How does it drive other than the noise? Do you have any transfer case issues?

 

[manaen]

do all forward gears work properly? including manual 1st?

so it sounds like gears clacking and not meshing properly?

 

[richardnz]

no other issues that i am aware of , it drove ok in drive , few weeks ago now but went through all the forward gears ok other than a bit of noise in drive , that noise increased when lifting from the throttle , say coasting up to some lights , when listening with the engine idling and the park brake on all the lower forward gears sounded fine with a small amount of noise coming when put into d , ....... the noise when trying to engage rev sounded like a fast rotating spline not meshing with something rather than say the gear crunch you may get in a manual box , not so familiar with the sounds a stuffed auto may make , i have taken the pan off and valve body out for a inspection , looks all good and clean ??

 

[manaen]

does manual 1st work properly?

 

[richardnz]

yes seemed to work fine , though i did not specifically test it

 

[manaen]

well that should eliminate any band/servo issues. Maybe a problem with the one way sprags?

 

[richardnz]

not looking like such a common fault ..... when it was taken into a transmission shop they where told something about the selector and that there are options between earlier alloy housings for this and later steel ones ??

 

[richardnz]

brooklynbay you mention the transfer case , no issues that i am aware of , but presume there is a reason that you mentioned this ...? i hoping for some pointers from the experts here , seems there are a few of you but maybe this problem is not so normal ?? maybe i can record the noise that it is making and put it up here so you can get a better idea of what may be going on ... any further suggestions ?

cheers richard

 

[BrooklynBay]

Sometimes transfer case noises could be mistaken for transmission or torque converter noises. Check the shift fork in the transfer case.

 

[richardnz]

since i am getting no drive in reverse , no selection of the gear , just a lotta grinding , but can get drive in the forward gears, would this rule out a transfer case as the problem ??

 

[gijoecam]

since i am getting no drive in reverse , no selection of the gear , just a lotta grinding , but can get drive in the forward gears, would this rule out a transfer case as the problem ??

No. A common failure mode of the transfer case that we're starting to see around here is a failure of the shift rail or the shift fork itself. Typically the problem first manifests itself as a buzzing noise on deceleration (when you would normally experience engine braking) or when engaging reverse. My understanding of what's happening is that the transfer case shift rail or fork fails to hold the low range gear set in place. When the vehicle is attempting to drive forward, the helical cut of the gears tends to hold the gear set in place. However, when you reverse-load the gears (when decelerating or reversing), the cut of the gears forces the gearset apart. Ordinarily the shift fork would hold it in place, but due to the rail bore being worn out, or the fork itself being worn, the gears are able to separate, causing the buzzing noise.

If it's a 4x4, I would be looking at the t-case based on what you described. If all the forward gears seem to work, I would be willing to rule out the transmission, and look at the t-case. It's got all the symptoms.

The fix: At the very least, remanufactured case halves from www.omegamachine.com are in order. They're the only company I know of that's doing this specific work. They also sell a modified shift rail and fork that should prevent the problem from recurring.

Good luck!

-Joe

 

[richardnz]

hi ya Joe , thanks very much for this info , yes it is a 4x4 and the descriptions do fit , this one will not even engage reverse so may be well stuffed ..... will hunt on this site to find more info on the transfer cases and how to rebuild em , thanks for the link , will check out their parts , will get back under the beast and have a look and let u know what we find , once again thanks so much for the help .

cheers richard

 

[richardnz]

bloody marvelous

just would like to say thanks to you guys , especially to gijoecam for pointing me in the right direction , and Glacier991 for making a mint sticky like , .... "The Borg Warner 4405 Transfer Case Rebuild Diary" , totally mint to have that there when your a newbe doing one of these things for the first time , even got the machinist to copy the mods to the transfer case half's and we made our own version of the "longer engagement "stub" on the shift fork " i will post up a photo of this when i get the pics on the computer ,
case is now quiet and we can go backwards

now just got to get the shift buttons on the dash to actually do something , and looks like i may have the first answer in this thread " 4x4 does not work " , the owner changed the battery .......
cheers

 

[BrooklynBay]

Thanks for the update!

 

[chomko]

I have the same issue with my Explorer. I am new to this forum but will post my symptoms in the hopes that others will also not misdiagnose this issue. I noticed my transfer case problem by hearing a loud gear "whirring" noise anytime you decelerate with your foot off the gas pedal.

The noise occurs at any speed above 30 mph and the loudness and "speed" gets louder/faster with increasing speed above 30mph. If you look at the RPM gauge, the noise occurs when the RPM drops to about 1600-1500 RPM. When the noise occurs, the RPM drops a further 500 or so RPM to about 1000-900 RPM. The noise will GO AWAY when you step on the gas. Also, I can use all 4WD modes ok. HOWEVER, one time after using 4WD LOW then selecting 2WD, the car would not move when REVERSE was selected. Instead I heard the gear "whirring" noise and I got a flashing O/D light on the dash indicating there was a "transmission" problem noted by the computer.

If you have read this posting, pay particular attention to the post by gijoecam (01-23-2008 08:23 AM). This nails the problem on the head I think. I took my Explorer to the dealer today, Mike Raisor Ford in Lafayette, IN (3-10-2008) and paid $40 plus tax for a "safety check". I explained the issue to the attendant when I dropped the vehicle off. The general maintenace techs said they thought it was a TRANSMISSION problem. They referred the problem to a transmission tech who diagnosed it as a TRANSFER CASE problem. They wanted $1100 to rebuild the transfer case. I looked around on the web and it seems that a rebuilt Borg Warner 4405 transfer case will cost about $695 with a core swap. Much better option than $1100, but I wonder if they do the OMEGA modifications? Proboboly not, and if I want this case to last I want that done. I would also like to thank Glacier991 for "The Borg Warner 4405 Transfer Case Rebuild Diary" and gijoecam for solidifying my case (no pun intended). I guess it is an uphill battle from here so wish me luck.

 

[Glacier991]

Glad that Diary is proving of value to others. Thanks for the kind words and updates!

 

[gijoecam]

Chomko,

FWIW, I'm in the boat with you. My 98 has begun making that noise. I had just started to amass the sources necessary for the parts for the rebuild, but my hard drive crashed last week. I need to get the ball rolling though before anything else gets chewed up.

Good luck!

Oh, and where did you find a rebuilt unit for $695? The cheapest I've been able to find was $995.

 

[MEZI]

Hey guys,

My 2004 V8 Limited is starting to make the same noise. I can engage Reverse, but it does sound very noisy, almost like an electric motor when i pick up speed in Reverse. Apart from that, Drive from 1st to 5th is fine... with the exception of the noise coming when I take my foot off the pedal.

Is there much difference between the BW 4405 transfer case and the BW 4411 that (I believe) is in mine?

What are the possibilities of taking it off and just making the car RWD? lol...

 

[manaen]

totally different system, you have AWD not 4wd. The 4WD version uses gear to gear transfer, the AWD version has a fluid coupler that transfers power to the front wheels.