Boooo P0761!!! Help?

[IronIndian]

No OD, all other gears ok???

Hi all, before i posted i used the search and found numerous threads on the valve body. I've since went from beginner VB tech to novice VB tech. Ive read Glaciers VB rebuild diary and I thought it was great.

Now onto my saga lol...Ive got a build date 04/96 Explorer with the 4.0 and im assuming I've got the 4r44E. Just a few days ago the truck started shifting weird on the highway going 65-70. The rpms would bounce up n down 2-300 rpms and then stay at around 3000. The OD light was flashing and the CEL came on. I assumed I lost 4th gear. I ran the codes with my scanner and got P0761 -SS3 valve bad performance or stuck. On a side note, I noticed I couldnt manually activate the OD off on the shifter stalk. I checked the fuse and found it burnt. I pulled the steering column cover and found the OD switch wiring had rubbed through and grounded out and I immediately fixed it. I checked my trans fluid and it was a little low so I added, but this did not fix it. Fluid did not look or smell burned. Should i try replacing the VB with a rebuilt unit? Does anyone know how to ohm test the SS3 solenoid from the trans harness? Band adjustment? Any help is greatly appreaciated guys!

 

[IronIndian]

ttt anyone?

 

[IronIndian]

Ok, I read and reread the 4r55e rebuild diary. I ohm tested each solenoid and all were within specs. The VB gaskets look ok. There were small flakes in the pan, but no chunks of metal. What should my next step be? Order a VB? I found a VB on ebay with bonded gaskets and updated sep plate....

 

[IronIndian]

Ok, so I buttoned everything up, torqued to specs, and filled the trans. Selected thru the gears to fill up the VB and went up and down the driveway. Everything seemed ok

So, I began the drive around the block and there is a 2-3 shift flare that wasnt there before I kept driving and went on the highway- still no OD! The OD light began flashing on the highway so I brought her back home and ran the codes. I'm getting a P0756 P0761. Shift solenoids B and C are malfunctioning. These solenoids came with the VB, so I'm unsure if theyre functioning correctly. Before I installed the new valve body, I checked the EPC and they put in the red band EPC instead of the green band EPC that came originally in the truck. My next step is to drop the pan again, ohm the "new solenoids", and check and recheck the wiring harness and possibly switch u=out the EPCs and/or shift solenoids. I did check my fluid level and it was maybe 1/2-3/4 qt too high. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated....

 

[kindred4x]

Im no expert, im learning myself, just rebuilt my 4r55e, not perfect though. If your valve body had a green epc, and came stock with a green epc, then it must be replaced with green not red, im thinkin the green epc was the early production years of the 4r55e. Donny at central valve bodies told me that the red wont work in a valve body that had a green unit. If your harness is bad, or the new valve body is i highly suggest talking to donny at central valve bodies, he gives a explorer forum discount on his valve bodies, 96-96 units don't require a core charge, and when i got the same code for SS2 i thought it was the harness and he found one for me at a extremly awesome price, but it was a broken band that threw the code..doh, flakes in the pan are not a good sign though, and the flakes could be getting into the valve body and clogging things up, i wish i knew more about auto trannys and help you with finding out what the flakes are from

 

[IronIndian]

Thanks for replyin Kindred! When I dropped the pan I only saw the usual sediment from the clutches. There were a few flakes, but no chunks. When I dropped the VB, I checked out the band adjusters and they looked intact. I did have to adjust the bands "in" alot to get it to 120 in/lbs. I've got about 4-5 threads stickin out past the locknut. I'm going to swap the EPCs and see how that helps. I'm going to double check the band adjustment as well...

 

[kindred4x]

well im glad that you could reach the 120 inch pounds on your band adjusting bolts, that tells us the bands are not broke, swapping out the solenoid would be a good idea, maybe you got a vb from a 5r55e and not a 4r55e? i don't know the difference between the two other than the epc, cuz again im no expert. Im reading my ATSG book at the moment and it says, a bad epc could cause no 2nd and 4th gear< slips in 1st and 3rd with high input torque.

 

[IronIndian]

well im glad that you could reach the 120 inch pounds on your band adjusting bolts, that tells us the bands are not broke, swapping out the solenoid would be a good idea, maybe you got a vb from a 5r55e and not a 4r55e? i don't know the difference between the two other than the epc, cuz again im no expert. Im reading my ATSG book at the moment and it says, a bad epc could cause no 2nd and 4th gear< slips in 1st and 3rd with high input torque.

Hmmm, interesting! I double checked the band adjustment and that was good. I also emptied out a little more than 1/2 qt cuz I overfilled. Could an overfill cause funny shifting? Sheesh, I'm so glad I installed that drain plug on the pan Tomorrow I swap EPCs...My oem green band ohmed at 3.9-4.0 ohms.



*ADD*
I noticed on my new VB that it had the EPC boost valve on the end of it. I think that this combined with the red band EPC could be causing me probs. Question: How many turns do I back off the intermediate band on my 96? 2 or 2.5??? I did 2.5 turns back off...

 

[IronIndian]

Well, I drained excess trans fluid due to overfilling and readjusted my bands. My 4th gear came back, but I still get the 2-3 shift flare under light throttle. Medium to heavy throttle, the shift is fine- code throwing is P0756. So, now I'm going to swap out my EPC and see how that goes...

 

[IronIndian]

Just switched out the EPCs-red for original green band. Truck seems to be workin thru all gears. The red EPC is definitely not interchangeable with the green- different performance curves for sure. I'll keep everyone updated...

 

[kindred4x]

Nice to hear the good news about the EPC swap. i wish i could answer your questions about the band adjustment. my ATSG book says exactly two turns back, but i think in the starting of BB band adjusting thread it says 2.5 turns back for 96.

 

[Macgiobuin]

'96 Exp Sport; P0761; no OD. I replaced the SS3, with no change. But I licked it. The code shows up when, after activating SS3, the PCM does not detect the reduction in RPM's associated with proper function. So, a mechanical cause can be the culprit. How to fix? Move the heat shield away from the OD servo port. Take the circle clip out of the servo port hole. This can be hard because the catalytic/exhaust is in the way, you only have about 1.5 inches to work with. Spray liberally with WD40 or gumout. The servo cover will probably be gunked in there because the cause of the problem is heat. Take the OD band adjusting nut and adjuster out. Take the nut off the adjuster. Put the adjuster back in and tighten it until the servo cover pops out enough for you to grab and twist it out. Take out the servo piston and spring. Eureka! The piston's rubber lips are hard as granite and razor sharp, causing the piston to stick in the servo cylinder most or all the time. So: either replace the piston, or, do what I did: take a 200 grit sandpaper and smooth the sharp edges all around, only about .2 mm, enough to make it dull (not sharp) on both bearing edges. Check the bore surfaces for crud, cleaning them with fine steel wool if necessary. Put it back together but first take out the band adjuster. Reinstall the spring and piston and cover and clip. Install the adjuster all the way, then back it off 1.25 turns. Install the jam nut. Reset the shield. You just saved a $1200 rebuild.