Getting tranny rebuild (trying to beef it up)

[jasonphan]

What should i do to make it stronger, anything that is better than stock tranny. I need all of u guys input, cause tranny is being rebuild on wednesday. Thnxs guys

 

[manaen]

check out the tranmission section there are tons of extremely good threads (stickies even) that talk about this very topic. Do you know which tranny you have, is it a 5r55e ?

The usual suspects are, additional transmission cooler, Transmission Temp Gauge, Valve body upgrades (shift kit, ford updates etc..), Properly adjusted bands, Full Synthetic Fluid, external tranny filter. ...

here is a link to the Tranny section check out the stickies that pertain to your truck
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=109

 

[jasonphan]

rebuild

I have the 4r55e tranny,it's a 95 ex ohv.

 

[BrooklynBay]

You could put 5R55E hard parts in there. Some parts are very similar between both transmissions.

 

[jasonphan]

Thanks,but i want to stick with the 4r55e, The reason is ,it's alot less headach tryign to put in 5r55e. My point here is what can i do to make my 4r55e even better or even stronger than stock.What other good performance parts that could go in there?

 

[BrooklynBay]

I wasn't suggesting to swap the 4R for a 5R, but to use 5R parts in the 4R to beef it up. You could add other stuff like Kolene steels, a shift performance kit, and the extra clutch plate upgrade kit. There are mixed opinions about Kevlar bands, so I didn't want to include it in the previous list.

 

[manaen]

yeah check out the frankentranny thread, it talks about this upgrade in depth, and is a very interesting read It really pinpoints some of the weak links in the 4r tranny. This thread will really pinpoint what you are looking for.

see it HERE http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146953

 

[jasonphan]

rebuild

Thanks guys i'll try that. But one more thing do i really need a transmission cooler , while rebuilding the tranny?Or say f*$ck the trans cooler? Help me out?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Do you have the stock cooler in front of the condenser? If so, then use cooler cleaner to flush it out. It's a tube & fin design. They make a stacked plate cooler which is more efficient if you want to upgrade. It's recommended for hot climates, off roading, and towing. Don't bypass the built in cooler in the radiator, since you live in a cool climate. A transmission temperature gauge is a nice way of keeping track of the temperature. They come in analog, and digital designs.

 

[manaen]

Just to reinforce what BrooklynBay said. It's cheap insurance, when you need it it will be too late to install one. If you drive in any climate above 85 deg F with a load of people or vacation gear, then I would highly recomend one. Frankly I personally think every vehicle should have one. Just driving up a dirt road on a long slow climb with the AC on can bring tranny temps over 200 Deg F. With the cooler I never go much over 195 on the hottest days with AC on and towing a heavy camper. The only way you can know for sure if you need one is to install a temp gauge ( as BB said).

the bottom line is for less than 80 dollars you can get a good stacked plate cooler and a temp gauge and have a great picture of what is going on in your tranny.


maybe I'm a little gun shy, but I have had way too many transmission problems in the past. So I've learned that
1) They are just not engineered in stock form for all driving conditions even within the trucks tow ratings
2) It is much cheaper to take the preventative maintanence then to replace/rebuild a tranny
3) Ford has some great designs however there is seemingly always a weak link somewhere that needs to be addressed.
4) synthetic, synthetic, synthetic, nuff said
5) adjust those bands... Frequently