Help any ideas?

[hondaguy1995]

I have a 2000 Explorer sport 4.0 OHV it has 153,000 miles on it. Over the last year it has taken longer to shift from Park to Reverse. When the shifter is shifted into reverse the reverse wont engage until two-three seconds later. Also i noticed sometimes the truck revs high right before switching gears when driving down the road but this doesnt happen a lot. When i bought the truck 5 years ago it had 99,000 miles and the reverse would engage quickly now it takes about 3 seconds before it engages. I have read that reverse dies on these trucks. is my Tranny dying with the Reverse taking longer to engage and the occasional high rev while im driving before the next gear is selected? I have put in some lucas tranny goop las summer but thats all i have done. If death is eminent how much time might it have?

 

[koda2000]

The automatic transmission used behind the V6's is more problematic than the one used with the V8. At this point it doesn't sound like you have broken band problems (which is one common failure point with the 5r55 trans) but other areas include valve body leaks and shift solenoid problems. The good news is that the latter doesn't require transmission removal from the vehicle.

Is your OD light flashing? If so you should scan for transmission problem codes first.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Sounds like a pressure issue. I’d first suspect a valve body/gasket issue.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Do a search in the transmission forum for "5R55E flare", and you will get lots of info on your problem. As was stated, the cure is either a new valve body gasket or possibly a revised separator plate. There's a revised O-ring for the reverse servo that will speed up the reverse engagement.

If you're handy with a wrench, you can install all the parts on a Saturday afternoon by simply dropping the pan with the transmission remaining in place.