Bangin' 4R44E

[rangerbury]

I got my truck back from my son's road trip where he experienced O/D Off light flashing and shift problems. When I took it for a test ride, there was no evidence of problem; I have manual engagement as well as auto; no lights and shifting was fine EXCEPT that it now bangs into and out of first pretty hard. It never did this before. Also, reverse is delayed and sometimes bangs into engagement (especially if left in my driveway overnight - on a hill)
I'm thinking of running a can of Trans-Tune in it for about 20 miles then doing a fluid/filter change. The last change I did was in June after a VB update (Ford TSB, Superior shift kit & new EPC) however, I've never flushed the tranny; only fluid dumps & filter changes thinking that after a couple of times in short cycles I'll eventually get all of the fluid replaced w/new. Do you guys think I'm on the right track ?

Thanks.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The problem might be related to the low/reverse servo piston which controls the rear band. Did you replace the seals when you did your valve body upgrade? How many miles ago did you do the valve body? Did you use a torque wrench on the valve body bolts? Since there was a flashing over drive light, there might still be a code stored. You should scan the PCM.

 

[rangerbury]

Thanks for your input Brooklyn. I did the VB a little over 5,000 miles ago. I replaced the single reverse servo o-ring seal with the double lip seal supplied by Superior in their kit. I also used an inch lb. torque wrench on the VB bolts and re-torqued them a week after I did the job. As for scanning the PCM, can I do this through the OBD II diagnostic port or is this something the average scanner won't pick up ? In other words, do I have to pay a tranny place to do this ?
Thanks again.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Make sure you have a scanner which could read Ford proprietary codes. The double lip seal is only one of the 2 seals on that servo. The viton "D" ring kit has both seals, and is a tighter fit. Viton might last longer too. http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/A4LD_4R44E_5R55E_reverse_servo_d_ring_kit_p/230-00023256k.htm

 

[Glacier991]

I think your plan re trans-tune and a fluid replacement is a good place to start...I'm doubting that seals are the answer... starting to look like a pressure gauge might give us a better and more complete picture.

 

[rangerbury]

Hi Brooklyn & Glacier,

Thanks for your help. Does banging indicate hung-up valves in the valve body ? Or is it fluid passing around bad/loose seals? When I did the VB update, I only opened the the bores indicated in the Ford TSB and Superior instructions. I'm wondering; what if I took down the VB and opened up and cleaned each bore if that would help. Brooklyn, is the Viton D-ring kit available from any on-line vendor ? And Glacier, is there a special pressure gauge for transmissions and where do you hook it up ? Perhaps you can link me to a pressure test how-to ?
Many thanks.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here is a link to Glacier's thread on using a 0-300 PSI gauge: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117998. I've inserted a link in post # 4 on where to get the viton D ring kit. Another thing to try is the end cap upgrade kit with the O rings. It should be available from the same website.

 

[Wrench]

Is there a western Canadian outlet for the low/reverse servo viton D-ring kit?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check with WWW.Axiom.Com. You could probably get it from a local transmission parts distributor. It might be the same price as getting it from WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com if you add shipping charges to their price.

 

[rangerbury]

Thanks guys. I'll give it a shot. I saw a pressure gauge on e-bay for $35. This the most helpful forum I've stumbled onto.