Tranny Issues???

[bigwhiteboy]

Happy Holidays to ALL!

Newbie here. This place is great for info... So if anybody could help it would be highly appreciated.

I have a 96 XLT 4.0 ohv with 176,000 on it. I love the truck and I am looking to throw some new 31's on it for the long NY winter. To make a really long story short, my tranny has had a few hiccups lately and I am wondering what to do. Over the summer I had it slip out of second and third under hard acceleration a few times. When you put it in reverse it slips a few times then grabs then slips out. If you are looking ot back up a hill...oh boy enjoy that stuff.

Anywho my buddy and I changed the fluid and filter and it helped but there are still some sporadic issues at times. It usally happens when the truck is warmed up. I know the truck had some fairly high miles so I am not looking for a magic answer. I don't now if I should put the bigger tires on with fear it is going to worsen the issue.

I know you guys are the ones to help so lend me a hand if possible..

Thanks!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Is this transmission the original one, or was it rebuilt? There could be a lot of reasons why it is slipping. Does it only happen at a certain temperature? Does it only slip in 4WD, or 2WD? You are from NY. Are you from the Bronx with all of those steep inclines, or do you usually travel on flat roads? When you changed the fluid, how did it look? Was it dark, and burned? How often do you replace your fluid? Which transmission is in your vehicle?

 

[Vanquish502]

Thats a lot of questions.

 

[bigwhiteboy]

Welcome to this forum! Is this transmission the original one, or was it rebuilt? There could be a lot of reasons why it is slipping. Does it only happen at a certain temperature? Does it only slip in 4WD, or 2WD? You are from NY. Are you from the Bronx with all of those steep inclines, or do you usually travel on flat roads? When you changed the fluid, how did it look? Was it dark, and burned? How often do you replace your fluid? Which transmission is in your vehicle?

Thanks for the welcome!!!

I think the tranny is the original one. I bought the truck for the original owner and he said it was never rebuilt. No markings or stickers showing anything...so I would say 80% chance it is the original not rebuilt.\

I have had the truck about a year and changed the fluid and filter once. When we changed it the fluid really didn't look burnt but the filter looked clogged. We changed the fluid at night so don't go off what I am saying about the color.

I have had it happen once or twice in the past 6 months when the truck is cold, and the temperature outside isn't about 50.

The summer time was horrible towards the end, that is when we changed the fuild. It was slipping frequently. When I say slipping I mean under accel during a gear change you would get a LARGE increase in RPMS during the shift from second to third. On time on the highway I had it slip and stay slipping with the truck revving and going nowhere. I realeased the pedal and depressed it again and it was fine.

If you do a lot of sitting in traffic, (which never happens in NY) you have a better chance of it slipping now. Reverse is the only time you get a hint of it now. But you know it isn't exactly warm outside.

I live in Westchester and there is a fair mix of inclines and flat roads. I mainly drive on the flat roads daily though. Haven't noticed it in 4wd. I will have to try it.

Don't know which tranny I am a total newbie in the ex world I was big into mustangs and motorcycles. How can I find out??

Thanks for the help!

 

[BrooklynBay]

There is a website called WWW.Drivetrain.Com that has a listing of transmissions for just about every vehicle. It says that your vehicle uses the 4R55E. Slippage on a transmission could be caused by a few things. The type of fluid, worn bands, improperly adjusted bands, sticking governor (A4LD), worn clutch packs, glazed drums, leaking modulator, leaking pistons, out of specification VSS, etc. With the high mileage on your transmission, it is very likely that it might have to be rebuilt. Your transmission is also electronic with solenoids that are computer controlled. The computer controls the shifts to some extent. The valve body could be partially clogged, or a solenoid could be faulty. To start, I would say to check the modulator with a vacuum pump, or just replace it. The second thing would be to readjust the bands. The third thing is a lot more work. It would require a valve body rebuild. First of all, what kind of fluid do you use? It seems that not every type of transmission fluid is for every type of transmission (Mercon V). Mercon V is not to be used in your vehicle. They say that it is only recommended on the 97, and newer vehicles. It is some sort of synthetic/regular blend. Read the other thread in this forum about transmission fluids.

 

[bigwhiteboy]

Just wanted to post an update....Did a once over with a fine tooth comb and found out that my TPS was shot. $30 later and I haven't had a problem with the tranny since (knock on wood) Reverse is still a little wacky but that is nothing new.

Thanks for all the help!