AODE/w issues after 01 swap

[oddball101]

Hey guys, I haven't ever posted in the urgent section before but now, well it is urgent.. I have been on barrowed time using someone else's car while I did my swap and now the time to give it back has come. Like most of us here, I bust my butt for a living and this truck is my livelihood. So here goes..

2000 5.0 Explorer swapped to 2001 Ranger 3.0 extended cab ranger
I have two sets of issues. One is the vacuum setup is leaking somewhere but that I can hopefully resolve on my own. The second and very real issues is the AODE/w transmission. I drove the donor a couple hours down from NC and had her purring and running even better before I began the swap a couple months after, giving her plenty of test drives in between.

My issue
Upon completion of the swap, she idles really only if the MAF is unplugged and that is for about 15 minutes before she dies. Again, I feel like I can hunt that down, but I am certainly not apposed to insight anyone may have to offer. I went to back out the truck to take her to the exhaust shop, and when I got out in the road, she wouldn't move forward in drive. I cycled through the gears and eventually caught 2nd and managed to coast most of the 1/4 mile to the shop (got lucky there) with someone following me. Same thing on the way back.

Since, I have been trying to figure out what to do about the transmission and I am at a true loss. She ran great the final drive before I shut her off and began the swap. Reverse kicks in like it's cool and I feel like I could back of a tree if I wanted but the forward gears are effectively none existent. I understand that the tranny limp mode allows for hydraulic gears only (reverse & 2nd). A friend of mine noted that in his experience, even when tranny's go bad, they still try to engage or do something, but not in my case. It just sat silent as if it weren't even there.

I have checked the fluids and the only thing I did during the swap was separate the bell housing from the motor (after pulling both out together) to install a new rear main seal. Then I just put her back together at spec torque and show-horned her into my ranger. The wiring (PATS, VSS, ABS) was relatively straight forward, believe it or not, I had more problems with the battery harness than anything but I got that figured out as well. I replaced two wires that connected to the OBDII port that were meant to be spliced (DLC - TN/OG & PK/LB), but have since resolved that as well.

Where I stand now is I am waiting for the intake gasket to come in the mail so I can get her fired up and re-store the codes so I can read them, but I have to wait until then Wednesday or Thursday hopefully).

-Park is normal
-Reverse kicks in as it should
-Neutral raises the revs a little
-Drive raises the revs a little but does nothing
-2nd barely engages but enough to move the vehicle
-1st does nothing

I want to think this is electrical because I do not even hear anything try to operate in the tranny when I am going into forward gears. It would be different if I was doing so and heard like a clunk or something and no movement, but in this case, it is like it is not even getting the signal. My wiring manual shows C180 (EPC Solenoid) connector a little further back and higher than the OSS sensor on the driver side, but I do not have one there. I found a sensor on the other side however, just behind a metal identification plate from which I read the "AODE/w". *This is not the other tag to the right as you are looking at the passenger side of the tranny.

By my description, is that the C180 connector for the EPC Solenoid and what does it mean if it is in a different location than what the book said (Older tranny instead?)?

Does the AODE/w wiring harness separate from the engine harness, and if so where is that connection? I'd be willing to pull and swap to check at this point.

I've never used a pressure tester but I have a friend that may be able to get one to me for a bit, any pointers there?

I cannot for the life of me understand why I am having this tranny issue when she ran perfectly fine before I did the swap.

I am pulling the codes again (didn't work the first time) as soon as I get the intake gasket in the mail and installed within a few days. I have listed everything surrounding my situation that I can think of.

I need help..

 

[adsm08]

Check trans fluid with engine off, then again with engine on. Does the level drop at all?

 

[oddball101]

I will have to check that when I get the intake re-installed. I messed up the gasket pulling it out the last time because of the rear bolt dragging through it while the rest was stuck to the plenum. I will test this as soon as I get the new gasket.

On my initial startup, I wasn't even getting second until I added another quart of ATF (MerconV). I ended up being 3.5 quarts low, but have since gotten it filled back up. Unfortunately now though, I have to find a way to pull some out because when it is cold, she's registering full on the hot side. Are there cheap hand pumps I could use for this?

This is what the 2000 Mountaineer states I should have: (has the c180 behind and above the OSS sensor) -Orientation may be screwed up but you should get the idea


This is the passenger side sensor that I am referring too: (pic came from ebay ad stating "96 4R70W 5.0L Transmission")

 

[oddball101]

Still haven't received my replacement gasket in the mail yet. I was able to grab a couple quick pics though to further identify the transmission in case any specifics matter at this point. At first I expected the identification to read "4r70w" but obviously not. I read a lot about people saying the AODE/w is the same thing, but wouldn't the transmission state that instead of something else? Even with the intake removed, I am still having a hard time finding the 38 pin connector that should be located at the back of the motor and connecting to the transmission harness.

Identifier Tag #1


Identifier Tag #2 The "9E" is cut off by the 02 wire.


The sensor location as I illustrated in the previous post.

 

[Mac]

Even with the intake removed, I am still having a hard time finding the 38 pin connector that should be located at the back of the motor and connecting to the transmission harness.

If you can't find the main connector how are you getting power to the trans? I'm guessing that the Ford diagram is showing C-180 on wrong side and is the connector you are asking about. That is what controls the solenoids and torque convertor clutch.
Dave

 

[oddball101]

What I am thinking is that the trans harness connector may be located towards the rear of the tail housing, on the driver side a little further back than the TR sensor. I followed the loom with my hands as far as I could from the engine bay and from the access panel inside the truck and couldn't find a break. So this combined with the fact that I saw what looks to be a 38 pin connector where I just mentioned, leads me to believe my harness is different that what should be for my year or something along those lines. My understanding was that the 38 pin connector was supposed to be just behind the engine above the tranny. On mine, it looks as if it just extends down from the PCM/Ranger bay harness in a "Y" and goes all the way down towards the tail shaft area.

Now, this could be a different plug entirely, just means I haven't found the true 38 pin connector yet. It is tight under there with limited visibility. I am supposed to get my gasket in today so hopefully I can get everything set back up and get new codes pulled. What I would need is to know what voltages to test what pins at what position (ie Run Off, PRND12). My wiring diagram tells me to check the shop manual for testing instructions. Anybody have these on hand or could give me a pointer in the right direction?

*edit*
Took a pic at the connector during my lunch. I believe the location reference that I was advised to look for may have come from a slightly different setup.

Here is my connector

 

[oddball101]

Got my gasket and pcv grommet in but it is too cold and rainy to be out there under the hood right now. I may just suck it up and get out there tonight and do it if it dries up a bit.

 

[oddball101]

I was resolved the vacuum issue (only maintained an idle with MAF unplugged) when I installed the new PCV valve and grommet. That is a small victory compared to the transmission still not engaging forward electronically controlled gears. I was hoping she would throw some codes to guide me around the transmission problems but no such luck. On the flip side, at least there are no other codes to deal with engine wise. It's raining too hard out there now for me so I am going to have to wait and troubleshoot the electrical connections when it brightens up or at least isn't raining so hard..

*edit*
Went home during lunch after last nights idle success to try a few more things. I found the 38 pin connector at the tail end of the tranny and checked its connections and everything seemed fine. I even readjusted the shift cable on the transmission range sensor but still no luck with forward gears. Could my issues be caused by a faulty TR sensor..?

I may grab one or two form the junkyard and swap them out to test when it clears up if it is worth trying.

I don't know if this makes a difference or not, but just as a test, I went ahead and started the truck letting her idle for about 15 minutes and while she was running, I disconnected the 38 pin connector. I didn't see and change, not even a check engine light and she still isn't throwing any codes..

Do transmission issues even throw codes or is it just the engine that would do so?

 

[oddball101]

*somewhat resolved - tranny needs to be rebuilt or replaced due to internal damage*

Okay, so here is the deal. I went to a tranny shop for the free diagnostics. They confirmed that I had everything hooked up in its proper working order.. and that the tranny needs to be pulled because of suspected internal damage. Maybe it happened when I drove it with low fluid or it may have happened when I separated the bell from the block to install the rear main seal and affected the torque converter placement. He said that if the TC came out even just a little bit past the first notch and was bolted down to the flexplate, that the process could have broken the pump if it wasn't seated correctly through all of the notches. Either way, my tranny is toast.

So, here I am with my final set of questions now that I need to have my tranny rebuilt or replaced.

Are there any opinions out there form anyone that may guide me into what I should look for?

-potential upgrades?
-better year trannys that would be an upgrade and still compatible?

I'd appreciate any notes of wisdom