Stuck in First Gear, wont shift

[JinXRacer18]

Hey guys, my 95 Explorer XLT is not shifting out of first gear. It is an automatic transmission. This is how it started. I needed a thermostat so i bought one and put it in. While doing it I also cleaned the throttle body and the battery was disconected for a long time (about a whole day). I get in the car and take it for a test run. It drives fine. I stop at the store then continue driving. Im am cruising and go to pass someone. I give it gas, it downshifts, accelerates but never upshifts again. It is now staying in first. I tried turning O/D on and off but it did nothing and now the O/D light flashes constantly. What could the problem be? Could it be the ECU since it was unplugged for a long time, Maybe the throttle body cleaner, or something else. The CEL is not on and it runs 100% fine other then not shifting. Please help guys! Thanks in advance.

 

[JinXRacer18]

Heres an update: I have driven it around some more and if you let off the gas and get back on slowly it will shift into second and slip out if you give it a bit of gas. It shifts from 2 - 3 by itself fine. The O/D light is flashing constantly. I have heard it is the overdrive solenoid or overdrive switch. Could this be the cause? How much does that run? Thanks again.

 

[Brain]

The flashing OD light is like a CEL for your tranny. There is probably a code set that will read somthing like "incorrect input/output ratio" or something of that nature. How many miles are on it? The '95 automatic for the 4.0L engine is the 4R55E, and all the shifts are electronically controlled. It's probably not the overdrive solenoid because that would be a problem with the 3-4 or 4-3 shift. There are other solenoids that could be the problem. I wouldn't let it slip too much because it wears out the clutches/bands of the tranny really fast and creates a lot of heat.

 

[JinXRacer18]

Thanks for the reply. The truck has about 94,000 miles. How should i go about fixing it from here? If i bring it to autozone and they go to check the codes will anything come up or no because its the tranny? What do you think my next step should be? Take it to a tranny place? What do you think is wrong? Thanks again!

 

[pax]

I would remove the negative cable from the battery for a few minuts again to clear the flashing OD light.
I had the same problem last year, after reseted the power, the problem never came back. That was over a year ago.

 

[JinXRacer18]

i have tried disconecting the battery. All it did was clear the flashing o/d light for about 5 minutes then it came back on again and the shifting stayed the same the whole time. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[TPLYNCH]

You may have loosened something when you cleaned the Throttle body, or did something to the throttle position sensor. The tranny takes feedback from that when determining when to shift. Possible when you floored it, something came loose. Another thought, check the kickdown cable ( i think that's what it's called). It may be stuck in the downshift postion and may not let the tranny upshift properly.

 

[JinXRacer18]

Just for another piece of info, the car drove fine right after doing everything the problem kicked in like 5 minutes later if that helps or changes anything. How would i check the throttle position sensor? I did take out one sensor on the intake tube closest to the throttle body and maybe it got dirty? Should i bring it in to a tarnny place or a mechanic or neither? I need the truck fixed fast but i dont need a mechanic charging me crazy amounts of money.

 

[TPLYNCH]

You said it was fine until you floored it, that is why I thought of the kickdown cable sticking. Have that checked.

 

[JinXRacer18]

Hey guys. I brought it to a tranny guy and this is what he told me. He said its going to be $1650 and it needs a whole new transmission. He checked the blinking O/D light and said it read "no second gear" He said something about a 2nd gear belt being bad. Could that be possible that i need a whole new tranny when the only problem is it slips out of second and has trouble getting into 2nd? Should i bring it to another place? Thanks

 

[Brain]

There are no belts...go to a different place. His price is pretty low for a "new" tranny (most likely just a soft parts rebuild - which will get you far enough for the warranty to be out) but I'd be concerned about somebody telling me that a belt is bad when there isn't even a single belt in the whole thing. Then again, 94K miles seems to be about the average longevity of these trannys.....tough call.

Maybe he said band instead of belt? There is an intermediate band applied in second gear, but it could be the activation of the band is bad and not the band itself.

There have been some successes in just replacing a couple of solenoid valves which whould cost less than $200 if you DIY. The codes don't read "no second gear", but something more like "second gear ratio incorrect" which means it is slipping. If second gear is the only problem you have, then I think you can eliminate everything but the intermediate band. It would be a shame to scrap a decent tranny just because a $190 solenoid valve went south. You can replace that without even removing the transmission or valve body. It just requires removing the pan and filter and electrical connections. But then again, $200 for a "maybe" vs. $1650 for a definite fix (and warranty?)......your call.

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MDITP&Category_Code=4R44Esw

 

[JinXRacer18]

There are no belts...go to a different place. His price is pretty low for a "new" tranny (most likely just a soft parts rebuild - which will get you far enough for the warranty to be out) but I'd be concerned about somebody telling me that a belt is bad when there isn't even a single belt in the whole thing. Then again, 94K miles seems to be about the average longevity of these trannys.....tough call.

Maybe he said band instead of belt? There is an intermediate band applied in second gear, but it could be the activation of the band is bad and not the band itself.[/url]

I was talking to a mechanic who talked to the tranny guy so he could have said band and not belt. That could be just a misunderstanding but anyway if it is the intermediate band is that replaceable? If it is the activation of the intermediate band is that replaceable and how can I check if it is either? It seems to me this is what the problem is.

The codes don't read "no second gear", but something more like "second gear ratio incorrect" which means it is slipping. If second gear is the only problem you have, then I think you can eliminate everything but the intermediate band. It would be a shame to scrap a decent tranny just because a $190 solenoid valve went south. You can replace that without even removing the transmission or valve body. It just requires removing the pan and filter and electrical connections. But then again, $200 for a "maybe" vs. $1650 for a definite fix (and warranty?)......your call.

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MDITP&Category_Code=4R44Esw

He said he will give me a printout of the codes that came up on the truck in a couple of days so ill see what that says. I would like to thank you guys. you have been a great help to me and hopefully i can get this fixed soon.

 

[Glacier991]

Something we never talk about.... is band adjustment. You COULD try adjusting the intermediate band - free - (well almost, you need a new nut, I can send you one free).
I be curious to know what is in the pan, if anything. We are often too quick to condemn a trannie to a rebuild. That said, if you have to remove a 94,000 mile trannie - (esp the 4R55E), for ANY reason, rebuild it while it is out.

 

[Glacier991]

On ANY electronically controlled transmission - proper diagnosis requires that ALL codes, including any engine codes, be pulled..All NON-TRANSMISSION codes should be resolved (since this trannie is getting input from the computer, the computer in turn needs GOOD data to output good info to the trannie. [in other words, garbage in, garbage out]. This makes me very suspect that the problem occurred after you fooled around with some sensors for the engine. There is a very easy to see if this is what is wrong. FORD (through their ROTUNDA division) makes what they call their "Transmission tester". It plugs into the transmission in place of the computer and will let you run and shift the electronic transmission using the tester in place of the computer. If the transmission was getting bad inputs, you will know immediately. If the problem persists using the "fake computer" then it is not in your electronics (PCM or sensors). I'm trying to get up a thread on all this - why? because more and more I think no one knows anymore how to diagnose and test - they, for many reasons, just want to replace. (off soapbox)

 

[Brain]

Jin - just to let you know where the bands are and where/how they can be adjusted, the "A4LD rebuild diary" is listed under the "List of Useful Threads". The A4LD and 4R55E are almost exactly the same under the skin (the 4R just uses electronic controls instead of "old fashion" hydraulic controls).

If you want to see another useful/educational link, check out the hybrid tranny thread I'm working on (also in the "List of Useful Threads"). Page 3, post #45 is probably of most immediate interest to you.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117793&page=3&pp=20

 

[JinXRacer18]

hey guys i can't thank you enough for all the info, i feel helpless cause i am not that familiar with the mechanics of my tranny and i feel like my mechanic is trying to get a whole new tranny outta me and i got no money as it is. i will get the codes today from him and post what he claims, please keep an eye on this thread...thanks again to all who replied. the amount of knowledge you guys have is incredible!! im keeping my fingers crossed cause i really don't have 1650 for a "new" tranny

john

 

[WPM55]

Hey guys, my 95 Explorer XLT is not shifting out of first gear. It is an automatic transmission. This is how it started. I needed a thermostat so i bought one and put it in. While doing it I also cleaned the throttle body and the battery was disconected for a long time (about a whole day). I get in the car and take it for a test run. It drives fine. I stop at the store then continue driving. Im am cruising and go to pass someone. I give it gas, it downshifts, accelerates but never upshifts again. It is now staying in first. I tried turning O/D on and off but it did nothing and now the O/D light flashes constantly. What could the problem be? Could it be the ECU since it was unplugged for a long time, Maybe the throttle body cleaner, or something else. The CEL is not on and it runs 100% fine other then not shifting. Please help guys! Thanks in advance.

Thanks for Your post. I have a 2008 Explorer 4.0V6 I just bought with 136,000 miles on it. It too will sometimes not shift out of first gear. I took it to the local Leon's Transmission shop and after reading the error log it's pointing to the PCM, or sometimes referred to as ECM. So they ordered a rebillt and installed programed it and the engine wouldn't start. So it was returned and we are now awaiting the replacement. It's been 3 weeks since I brought it to Leon's so I really hope this resolves the problem, and until I read your post I wasn't to sure it would. Your post makes a lot of sense, so now I'm thinking if we get the right PCM it will be fixed. I now wonder if the PCM needs to be programed before it's installed, but shouldn't Leon's know that? We will hopefully find out Monday. Thanks again.

Hey guys, my 95 Explorer XLT is not shifting out of first gear. It is an automatic transmission. This is how it started. I needed a thermostat so i bought one and put it in. While doing it I also cleaned the throttle body and the battery was disconected for a long time (about a whole day). I get in the car and take it for a test run. It drives fine. I stop at the store then continue driving. Im am cruising and go to pass someone. I give it gas, it downshifts, accelerates but never upshifts again. It is now staying in first. I tried turning O/D on and off but it did nothing and now the O/D light flashes constantly. What could the problem be? Could it be the ECU since it was unplugged for a long time, Maybe the throttle body cleaner, or something else. The CEL is not on and it runs 100% fine other then not shifting. Please help guys! Thanks in advance.