Lost Reverse

[heathmo]

I did search and saw that there were some posts on this, so before I get wound up because I've got a huge expense and no money for it, I figured I'd ask. I was backing out of the parking spot at the gas station and it felt like I ran into a car, suddenly the truck stopped and I heard a bang, I go go forward, not reverse and reverse acts like neutral, rebuild in my future? This happened just after my O/D light and I did replace the solenoids and added new fluid. O/D light had not flashed since.

 

[heathmo]

Since I have no replies yet, here's more info, I was a bit pissed, still am. Not something I thought I'd have to deal with 6 months after buying my Explorer. I'm pretty sure it was the reverse band that broke. But I would like to know what my best route of action is here. I can probably get the rebuild kit, but I'm really new to transmission work and I'm not sure how long it'd take two noobs to drop the transmission and rebuild it. I know a couple of good shops, but I'm not sure how much it would cost to have a shop rebuild it. The biggest thing is time. I can probably go a few days to a week without a vehicle, but it won't take long before I get sick of eating the crap near me. The only positive is it happened in the summer so at least I don't have to deal with crappy weather. So what would most likely be my best option here. The rebuild kit is only $150. I need to know ASAP, because I'm not going to take kindly to my vehicle being out of service.

 

[heathmo]

Well I suppose it's just going to a shop then, unless a used or reman or junkyard one would be a better option, but I doubt that one from a junker would be good considering it most likely would be higher mileage with the old crap Ford parts. I guess that's what I get for trying to take good care of my vehicle, it craps out for no reason.

 

[heathmo]

Really wish I could get a reply because on my own I happened across some info, I feel that all forward gears at this point, since I didn't drive far after that are fine. 1-4 seemed just fine last night. But of course I was freaked that it was gonna die on me. Could it be a servo or gasket? Would that mandate a rebuild?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Drop the pan, and the low/reverse servo. Put a long phillips screwdriver into the bore to see if the band is broken. Do you have 4WD? It's possible that the shift fork broke, and it's not a transmission problem. The valve body has a reverse modulation valve which could be stuck, but from the way you have described it, it might be either the shift fork or the band. A one way sprag is another possibility. Keep in mind that a rebuild kit is only for a soft parts rebuild. Hard parts such as bands, servos, sprags, planetaries, etc don't come with those kits.

 

[heathmo]

Yes I do have 4WD, with the BWM, is there anything I can do with that to help in my testing. I'm going to go back out here in a little bit and see how it does through the first few gears since I've read that info. I guess I figured something broke because of the very abrupt loss of reverse. I was backing out and bam, lost reverse completely. Ok, I'm very new to transmission work, so as much detail as you can give me about what to look for would be appreciated. I started noticing that after reading in detail about the kits. I'm sure this is a noob ?, what's the one way sprag? Where am I looking for a shift fork at? and where is the reverse band anyhow? Thanks so much for your reply, my parents said they'd help me out, but I don't really want to throw that much money at a truck, not quite yet anyways.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The one way sprag keeps the internal drums from turning in the wrong direction. The sprag, and band are inside of the transmission, and could only be replaced during a rebuild. The shift fork is inside of the transfer case.

 

[heathmo]

Ok, cool, so most likely not going to be much for serviceable parts for me. I have been planning to replace the transfer case fluid anyways, but this is obviously beyond that. Is the shift fork very accessible or would it be something that would be best left for someone who knows what they're doing? I like learning all this new stuff, but I don't have the time, money, equipment and space to do large projects like that. Thanks again.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The shift fork is accessible if you open the transfer case.

 

[heathmo]

Well, didn't get to the transfer case, but it doesn't matter because it was the transmission. The shop says it needs rebuilt. Not surprising. But it'll be a good time to start on preventative maintenance (again). I actually was going to completely drain and refill my transmission, but this happened before I had the chance. Now I do have another question. Can I drive normally with the BWM in the off position (2wd)? I know I shouldn't be roasting the tires or doing any driving that would cause slipping the rear with it off because it'll tear up the transfer case clutches, but normal driving shouldn't affect that should it?