5r55e/5r44e reliability

[mbagley]

Over the years how has the 5RxxE evolved in terms of reliability, and what can be done, ( to a good working unit), to get the maximum life from it?
I had a 1994 3.0L Ranger, with the A4LD that served me well for 15 years and 170k miles before the transmission totally went out. I now have a 2006 Ranger 3.0l with the 5r44e in it. It works great except for an annoying 1~2sec delay going into any forward position and it did have a slight but consistent 2~3 flare. I hear there is a PCM reprogram for the 06 to take care of both, but I don’t have the money to have it done right now. The flare was taken care of for cheap. I installed a 75 ohm resister as described in the Superior shift kit instructions. Bang, the shift feel cleared up and has been solid for a month now.

 

[exbass94]

The absolute best thing you can do for long transmission life is regular fluid changes every 30-40k miles. I also added an auxiliary filter to mine, just because.

 

[mbagley]

Changing fluid is a given. My driving habits only put about 7k a year on it so I will most likly change it every two years, at 12k to 15k. I have been thinking about an external filter, as you say it can not hurt.

 

[JohnnyO]

The manual calls for a tranny flush every 30k. The Ford dealer can reflash the computer, had it done once on my Trac and it needs it again, or a programmer, or you can boost the line pressure by removing the pan and giving a screw under there a quarter turn. Project instructions are at www.mysporttrac.com.