New guy with a couple 5r55e questions....

[mustangjoe413]

Hello all, I am new here. I found this thread via an internet search while researching transmission weirdness with my recently acquired 04 Ranger. It's a white extended cab with the 4.0 and four wheel drive.
I am 38 years old and this is the newest vehicle I have owned. I have owned many ford products including quite a few Fox platform cars such as Mustangs and an 83 LTD stationwagon street/strip car. A 94 f150, and presently a 2000 f150 that my ranger is replacing. My wife's last vehicle was an 04 Explorer that we both loved, but she is spoiled and the mileage was getting high and rust was starting to develop.

Anyway.....

I too have all the weird issues involving these transmissions and just sort of chalked up to electronically controlled transmission quirks. I started doing a little research and found the "diary" thread and have read a lot of, but not every page.
I have experienced delayed reverse, sloppy sliding shifts, no shifting to OD when cold, delayed shifting out of first gear, where I will start off and first gear will run up to around 3000 rpm and wont shift unless I hit the gas a little harder and almost chirps the tires when it shifts. My O/D light flashed a few times on one occasion, and experienced hanging in first gear once, it stayed in first gear, only after I let off the throttle and got back on twice, it finally shifted second (or third) gear.

So, with all that being said, I am looking into my options. I have been inside many valvebodies to install shift kits and have no fear about diving into this one.
My questions are, I have found many options from Transgo, Superior, Sonnax, and Ford. I am leaning towards the Sonnax Zipkit. Does that kit cover all of the issues that the others do? Should I be using the Sonnax kit in combination with one of the others? Is the Sonnax kit the best option, or should I be looking at the others closer?

Any response would be great, and I am very happy to have found this awesome site. Sorry about the lengthy post, just wanted to give a little background.

 

[mustangjoe413]

Does anybody have any experience with the Sonnax Zipkit at all?

 

[delexploder]

Welcome to the site. Wish I could help more but when my 5r55e started doing all that I just took it to aamco and coughed up 1800 for a total rebuild an upgrade. Good luck I too have played with c4 c6 and the offspring of those trannys but I took a peek inside one of these and found so much wrong I just said to hell with it.

 

[drdoom]

No, never used a Zip Kit, but have used SONNAX products before. If I was you though, that is probably what I would use, either that or a rebuilt & updated valve body. AFAIK, other kits don't directly address the real problem like the Zip Kit does, which is likely worn valve bores. The only other way I know requires sleeving, and tooling up for that is prohibitively expensive. I would not use it in conjunction with other kits, but that's just me. Best wishes.

EDIT: I am wondering though, how many miles are on your Ranger? That I have not considered. Might be worth getting a rebuilt & tested VB from Central. Just an afterthought.

 

[mustangjoe413]

Thank you for the replies and the input. The truck has 127,000 miles on it. A new EPC is another thing on the replacement list.
I am just very undecided about which kit to use. It seams the Sonnax kit is the latest and greatest, but I worry about things that aren't tried and true. Hence the reason I am still considering the Trans-go and Superior.