Replace or repair... what would you do??

[Mitchs07explorer]

i have been plagued with transmission issues since I bought my 2007 4.0 EX 4x4. I'd even had the tranny rebuilt at 80k mi. Nevertheless I've still had to put up with the 2nd to 3rd shift flare only 18k mi after my rebuild. I went back to the shop after it started to flare again and they replaced the solenoid block. That cured it for 5000 more miles and at that point I was out of warranty and frustrated at the shop. So I lived with the 2nd to 3rd flare for happening periodically. I just recently put larger tires than what ford recommends and I think that pushed the tranny over the edge. My shift flare got worse and more consistent until I corrected the tire size with an SCT x4 scan tuner. I still have the shift flare and the rpms don't jump as high but it flares more consistently. I was convinced they didn't sleeve my servo bores so I tried the aj1e solutions, drove great for a day and then back to flaring. I found some good info about correcting the issue in the transmission forum that pertained to the 5r55E transmission opposed to the 5r55S. The direction I'm headed now is to replace the valve body and the solenoid block. There is such a wide variety of remann VB's and solenoid blocks out there it's hard to know what to buy. With ATF, filter and Bosch parts I could spend around $350-$400 or if I bought Sonnax I'd spend over $700 on those two parts alone and I'm not sure why they charge so much. I can buy a complete remann transmission with the upgrades for$1700-$1800 and I'm wondering if I'd be better off just replacing the whole thing. So if you were in my boat what would you do? Replace the valve body and solenoids or replace the whole tranny?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Before screwing with internals, I would get under there and do a band adjustment. There is chance it could have just stretched on you.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

Before screwing with internals, I would get under there and do a band adjustment. There is chance it could have just stretched on you.

I did a band adjustment when I put the new servos in however I have not changed the fluid/filter yet. I am going to do a readjustment this weekend because it was 3am by the time I finished up with the installation and got to adjusting the bands. Aj1e solutions suggests turning the bands out 1.5 turns versus fords reccomended 2 turns out. I think the 1.5 turns out on the bands is recommended because the assumption of worn bands. With 38k mi on my rebuild I'm not so sure my bands are all that worn so I might adjust the bands to 2 full turns out. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Tech By Trade]

I did mine at a little under 200, so I cant help you with that. I went 1.5 if I remember right, and it sure tightened things up, that and a computer reset to relearn the shift patterns. On a side note, after towing my trailer all summer, i also run into the 2 3 flair without towing it in the fall, and a computer reset usually takes care of it until the next towing season in may.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

I did mine at a little under 200, so I cant help you with that. I went 1.5 if I remember right, and it sure tightened things up, that and a computer reset to relearn the shift patterns. On a side note, after towing my trailer all summer, i also run into the 2 3 flair without towing it in the fall, and a computer reset usually takes care of it until the next towing season in may.

I can do a computer reset and it crisps all my shifting back up for a couple of days then I'll get softbshifts on 1st to 2nd and then 2nd to 3rd a few days after that. It usually stays like that until I take a long road trip and will give me no problems on the road trip. But as soon as it sits overnight and I drive it the next day I get the 2nd to 3rd flare, mostly goes away after a few days of in town driving but it still drives me nuts that it happens at all.
The shift flare is starting to become more frequent so I'm at the point when I feel that I need to do something before things get much worse.

I reset the computer yesterday and it's shifting great again, why can't the computer just make it shift like that all the time. I'm going to readjust the bands and see if perhaps I did it incorrectly and if that still doesn't do it I think I might opt for the Bosch VB and Solenoids for the lower cost. That way if it still goes to hell I'll be out less money versus buying the sonnax parts.

 

[gdgiordano]

Honestly I think if your tuning stuff doesn’t work I’d drive it till it grenades then get the good reman.

Get your monies worth as best you can.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

Honestly I think if your tuning stuff doesn’t work I’d drive it till it grenades then get the good reman.

Get your monies worth as best you can.

Good point, I could just drive it till it actually needs replaced. From the sounds of it people can go a long time with the shift flare not being to much of a problem. I guess it's my **** retentiveness that makes me want to make it run perfect. I'm also afraid of it blowing up on me at an inopportune time but from what I've researched I think the transmission will exhibit other signs before completely dying on me. I could still see if some of the lower budget parts on eBay fix the issue maybe make it last longer.

 

[gdgiordano]

Good point, I could just drive it till it actually needs replaced. From the sounds of it people can go a long time with the shift flare not being to much of a problem. I guess it's my **** retentiveness that makes me want to make it run perfect. I'm also afraid of it blowing up on me at an inopportune time but from what I've researched I think the transmission will exhibit other signs before completely dying on me. I could still see if some of the lower budget parts on eBay fix the issue maybe make it last longer.

I had 2 5R55Es blow up on me. Neither one left me stranded. I’ve seen them go 150k with the flare. To just junk it would seem wasteful given what you could get out of it.

 

[05fomoexplorerltd]

I had flaring issues on my 2012 Escape. I put AMSOIL OE Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid in it. Disconnected the battery drained the power to reset the CPU. Haven't had a flaring problem since. I know different truck but I also have an '05 Explorer with 187 000 miles. I bought it with 80 000 miles on it with a tranny rebuild under warranty. As soon as I got it home I put the Amsoil in it did the CPU reset and it's still going great. Big believer in AMSOIL.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Just a thought, do you have access to Forscan and a scanner? What revision of software is on the ECU. I do believe there may have been a SW upgrade at one time that tightened up that shift.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

I'd like to try the cheaper fixes first and see what results I end up with. I might as well give the amsoil a try too, either way I've got some money set aside for a transmission so I'll be ready if it goes or I just want to be sure my issues are gone. I do need to do a fluid and filter change, I'll try the amsoil for the hell of it. The fluid hasn't been changed since the rebuild and I know these trannys typically need really clean fluid to operate at 100%.

 

[Tech By Trade]

I'm just talking about a firmware update for the ECU. You take it into the dealership and they upgrade it. If you have forscan on your phone, and a bluetooth OBDII dongle, you can hook it up and see which rev of software the ECM is running. There is also a sticker (on mine anyway) identifying which firmware it has from factory. Usually on the side. I cant remember where the upgrade to the software was, but there was a change to the shift patterns at one point. That may explain why it works after you reset the ECU as well. Just a thought. The links are no longer valid, but there still has to be a database somewhere. How to find PCM updates for your Ford!!

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

Just a thought, do you have access to Forscan and a scanner? What revision of software is on the ECU. I do believe there may have been a SW upgrade at one time that tightened up that shift.

I'm not sure what version is uploaded currently, 4 years ago when it was rebuilt I was told they update the software to the most current version. Whether or not they did this I can't say, they seem like a reputable shop that's been around for a while but they aren't an ATRA shop. I was convinced that maybe they just did a bad job but they were never real specific as far as what my actual issue was. So who knows what was done and what wasn't which leans me more in the direction of just replacing the whole damn thing. As @gdgiordano says, maybe I should just let it go until it needs to be replaced.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

I'm just talking about a firmware update for the ECU. You take it into the dealership and they upgrade it. If you have forscan on your phone, and a bluetooth OBDII dongle, you can hook it up and see which rev of software the ECM is running. There is also a sticker (on mine anyway) identifying which firmware it has from factory. Usually on the side. I cant remember where the upgrade to the software was, but there was a change to the shift patterns at one point. That may explain why it works after you reset the ECU as well. Just a thought. The links are no longer valid, but there still has to be a database somewhere. How to find PCM updates for your Ford!!

Awesome thanks for that info! I'll check that out. I have a SCT x4 scan tuner but I'm not sure if it can tell me what version I'm running. I also have a more basis obd11 scanner but I'm not sure if it's capable of that either.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Get a decent ford compatable elm327. They run around 20 bucks.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

I decided to change out my valve body and solenoid pack with the updated designs after all. I just ordered them and will hopefully be able to start on that soon. The valve body comes with the transgo shift kit. I decided to give it a shot because I have other repairs stacking up on me and I feel confident it will solve my shift issues and now some of my transmission money needs to go to other parts. My radiator started leaking, this will be the second radiator that's needed to go in and I'm not real happy about that, I thought I bought a good quality brand last time. I can't claim it under warranty either since I installed it myself instead of a certified shop. I bought the Motorcraft radiator versus the Spectra Premium this time, hopefully I'll get 10 years out of it. I'm contemplating changing out my ps pump while I'm in there because it has started to whine when it gets really hot out and I've been driving for a while. Might as well get it all done at once. Luckily I just finished up patching up my Gen 2 97 5.0 Ex and I can use it as my daily driver while I'm fixing my 07.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

Get a decent ford compatable elm327. They run around 20 bucks.

I found the sticker on my comp and it says EVU1. My code readers that I have won't tell me my current update but I figured I'd run down to ford and have them check and flash the computer if needed.

 

[Mitchs07explorer]

So far the valve body and solenoids did the trick, I'm over 1000 miles in now and it still shifts smooth as butter. The transgo shift kit really makes a big difference driving through the mountains, my shifts are night and day difference from before.