Don't Jump On Me, But I have a Trans. Q?

[BrooklynBay]

The 4.0L with the transfer case starting with the 97 year would be the way to go.

 

[badge49]

Sweet...that shouldn't be hard to find when I head down South. Thanks for helping out so much BrooklynBay, I'm pretty new to drivetrain stuff. I'm sure I'll have more questions once I find one of these trans., but that will prob. be another week or two.

 

[badge49]

Update

Well, I spent the weekend on my buddy's couch down South where there are tons of Pick-n-Pulls. Over the three days I went to almost 15 different yards, collecting misc. parts I've been needing...but no trans.! All I find are pre-'97 Aerostars, manual trans. Rangers, and gutted '97-newer Explorers. At this point I'm getting desperate, as I can't afford the 11mpg that my rig gets with a beyond-failing trans.

1. Are there any other options like swaping in a different trans.? (4R44E, F-150, Mustang?)
2. What's the latest year Aero/Explorer/Ranger that my trans. came in? ('97-?)

Thanks for the continued help guys, I didn't think it would be this hard to find a major drivetrain part!:navajo:

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check this site's classified section. I see transmissions all of the time. The junk yards in my area rarely have any Aerostar parts. I'm surprised that so many of those places have them.

 

[badge49]

Thanks, I made a Craiglist add and posted a Wanted thread on the forum. I'll keep looking

(http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212017)

 

[badge49]

So I'm doing some calling around to see if my trans. is sitting on someone's shelf waiting for me.... but I'm getting mixed info:

1. Several places said that I can only use a 5R55E with the OD sensor and that I can not solder wires together to make a non-'97 5R55E work. I chose to ignore this so far as a missing extra sensor should not negate a trans. usefullness. Am I right?

2. The last place I spoke with said that the '97 - newer Aerostars and Rangers came with OHV engines only. Does it matter whether the trans. comes from a 4.0L OHV or a 4.0L SOHC?

 

[BrooklynBay]

The 5R55E is the same on the OHV, and the SOHC. I would suggest that you try to unplug that sensor, and short the wires together before getting a new transmission without the sensor, and shorting them together. This will determine if you will have any issues later on.

 

[badge49]

Good idea. I was crawling around under the truck today and I think I have a better idea of things. I found a local(ish) place that has a 5R55E with low miles on it, with warranty, for $575. I'm broke but I may go with them.

 

[BrooklynBay]

How many miles does it have? You should get a rebuilt torque converter, and not use an old one. How long is their warranty? Flush the front cooler before installing the new transmission. You have to get everything out to prevent it from clogging the new transmission. There is something called cooler cleaner spray: http://www.explorerforum.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/226/cat/500

 

[badge49]

Not sure yet about the miles. I'm going to visit that town with my buddy, for a seperate project, tomorrow, so I'll stop by the yard and talk specifics. It's the same place that I bought my '98 engine from, and they just happen to be the cheapest around. It comes with a one year warranty. I'll look into the torque converter too. Thanks for the link for the cooler flush kit! I'm going to go buy a couple cans of that stuff.

I'll get back to you tomorrow (hopefully) with the milage and ID/part number for the trans.

 

[badge49]

I put a deposite on a trans!

Yesterday, I spoke with the guy at the yard for a while about the transmission he had. It's from a '97 Explorer 4.0L 4x4 and had 30-40 thousand miles on it when it was pulled, and it has the O/D drum sensor. I paid a deposite for him to hold it until April 15th, as I will be back in that town with a truck and trailer that day. I forgot to ask about whether it came with the torque converter, but I'll ask next time I talk to him. In the mean time, I'm putting together a list of what I'll need to put this in the truck:

-New nuts & bolts for the exhaust I'll have to pull and anything else I break.
-New oil pan gasket for the new trans.
-New oil pan filter?
-Cooler cleaner spray.
-New torque converter or rebuild kit unless it comes with one?
-Mercron IV

I'm planing on adding additional cooling and a remote aux. filter as well. I may also replace my O2 sensors (all 4!) while I'm at it since I'll have the exhaust off. What else should I add to my parts list?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the U joints on the driveshaft while it's out. Some have grease fittings which should be greased from time to time. An oil change is a good idea if you didn't have one in a while.