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Hey forum!
I’m new to the site and I was hoping to get some clarification on a rather feisty 5R55W automatic transmission found in my ’06 Explorer. About 2 years ago, the transmission went under a full rebuild and overhaul as I lost all gears after 112,000 miles. Fast forward to the end of September 2015, after 45,000 miles, it dies again; this time it stranded me in the middle of I-10. However, I’m still able to shift into reverse.Recently, I dropped the heavy hunk of steel to check out its insides to found out that a servo piston was damaged (ie, snapped in half) and was not creating enough pressure inside the transmission for the Drive band to engage, so I replaced it not too long ago and put it back on the truck with fresh fluid. Low and behold the issue wasn’t corrected. I’m at wits end about this and Google Search turned up with links to how to fix the no reverse/no overdrive issues that plague these transmissions, but none on this “No Drive/has reverse” condition, so I turn it over to y’all. What have I overlooked on this transmission to have these symptoms? I’ve replaced solenoid packs, the fluid and filter, and the low gear servo piston. Anybody got a fix for this? It’ll greatly be appreciated!
Thanks,
-Martin
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If you take it to a shop, they are going to need to tear it down to inspect all components.
LAst time it was rebuilt, did a shop do it or did you do it?
When you said about looking at the insides, did you do stuff like tear down the clutch packs etc?ANYways, one thing you can do if you are to rebuild this yourself is google ATSG 5R55W and they have tech manuals for this and about any transmission.
ATSG manuals look a little skimpy since they are about the size of a news stand magazine but they are PACKED with solid info
Also, not knowing much (or anything) about the 5R55W, I can only speculate here but a guess would be – forward clutch pack is either not engaging due to bad seals on the piston OR the clutch pack itself is completely toast. On many units out there, has reverse but no forward gears is not unusual. The forward clutches engage in all forward gears but disengage in reverse (while other band(s)/clutches engage).
One last thing – if you are going to rebuilt it yourself, make sure to find out if there are any valve body mods that need to be done and if they were done at the last rebuild. Valve bodies are often where people run into problems because of several small parts, check balls hard to relocate if they fall out due to negligent disassembly methods, and other weird crap.
Thanks for the reply! I’ve taken it to a shop to have the whole thing fixed. The technician that worked on it had told me that it had 2 burned clutch packs and a blocked valve body. Both issues were resolved and it ran fine. Yes, the shop pulled out all the insides and checked all clutch packs along with gears and valve bodies; they all got the necessary upgrades and fixes when the rebuild happened (took the shop around 4 weeks to complete). The seals and the bores for the servo piston are new, so I’m suspecting a band issue where the transmission has to come off again and be checked. As far as tearing it apart, I’ll have to consult various teardown methods before attempting it myself.
The only element applied in all forward gears is the forward clutch pack. So either you forward clutches have failed or you have a striped splines or broken snap ring for front planet hub. Which will require transmission to be removed and taken apart. Let us know what you find out. Good luck.
***UPDATE***
Good news! The transmission in my Explorer isn’t gonna go to the junkyard! All the forward clutches are fine along with the snap rings and other internals. I also checked the valve body, and all valves move freely. I’m starting to suspect the pump as they tend to go out on these Ford transmissions. What do you guys think? I’m still scratching my head over this…
Attached are pics of the forward band, clutches and planetary.
I’ve rebuilt exactly one transmission in my lifetime and it was that transmission in a Ranger pickup. The first rebuilder did a miserable job and found a way to let the pump chew itself to bits. If the pump was shot, you shouldn’t have reverse gear either. Here’s what’s left of the pump from my rebuild:
That outer ring of the pump had actually gouged the pump housing a good quarter inch before it finally gave up altogether.
Wow, that’s nuts! Well, my dad took apart the pump this week and he told me that the pump was in excellent condition. I’m starting to suspect it being a different issue. What do you think? I don’t wanna throw parts at it as this transmission is already starting to exceed the value of the SUV. I got in touch with some family friends that have worked for Ford between 1990 and 2009, and they all said that if there is no mechanical damage to the transmission, it’s most likely a switch or module that has kicked the bucket and not allowing the computer to make the gear engage. Before I dropped the transmission for the first time, I asked a friend of mine that worked at a shop to loan me a professional scan tool to check solenoid pressures and to test the solenoid B pack that sits right by the sump. All pressures were at optimal range for operation, so now I’m wondering if the gear shifter module has gone bad. I tried all gears with the scanner plugged in and they all showed to be working, but I could not hear any engagement; even the engine revved to 2000 RPM when I selected D, so it was showing signs of some correct operation.
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