- Joined
- May 19, 2018
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 1
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
- Vehicle Year
- 1996
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger XLT
- Engine Type
- 4.0 V6
- Engine Size
- V6 4.0
- Transmission
- Automatic
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 2”
- Tire Size
- 31.5
Hey guys...
I am hoping for some opinions here. I thought I needed a new tranny, but now that it’s halfway removed, I’m not sure.
The catastrophic failure...
On the freeway, 70 mph and BANG! My engine revs high cuz I had cruise control on, but I lost momentum fast. All I could hear was loud metal on metal clanking and rattling. I got to the shoulder, put it in park and turned off ignition. I can’t remember now if the rattling continued as I was sitting idle or not. I had it towed home and haven’t started it since. I did check for codes and it gave me a P0761 with frequently reported fixes being: replace automatic transmission.
I wasn’t too surprised. My 96 Ranger XLT 4x4 4.0L has about 275,000 miles on it. A year ago I swapped out the original engine with a used one that had 97,000 miles on it. I’m not a mechanic, but did the swap myself with a lot of help from you guys and YouTube. I had a rough time making the final motor to tranny connection. It took me a couple weeks, but I finally got it together. They came together flush, I didn’t use the bolts to draw them close together, I torqued down the flexplate to TC bolts and I’ve been driving it daily ever since (over a year).
Anyway... just today while in the process of removing the tranny. I’m at the point where I’ve removed the starter to gain access to the 4 flexplate bolts. I remember very well from the last time I was down there, that it was a royal pain to turn the flexplate to get to each bolt. This time it is spinning freely, I have to use a vise grip to make it not spin so I can remove each bolt. With the bolts removed, the flexplate feels loose and sloppy.
Could I have busted the crankshaft? Can a flexplate fail/break? But if it’s not the tranny, why would it be giving me the code P0761?
Regardless, I’m gonna have to continue removing the tranny. What should I be looking for/be careful of?
I was so sure of what was wrong, now I’m so confused I don’t know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt!
Any advice.... wisdom.... or tidbit would be awesome.
Thanks y’alls!
I am hoping for some opinions here. I thought I needed a new tranny, but now that it’s halfway removed, I’m not sure.
The catastrophic failure...
On the freeway, 70 mph and BANG! My engine revs high cuz I had cruise control on, but I lost momentum fast. All I could hear was loud metal on metal clanking and rattling. I got to the shoulder, put it in park and turned off ignition. I can’t remember now if the rattling continued as I was sitting idle or not. I had it towed home and haven’t started it since. I did check for codes and it gave me a P0761 with frequently reported fixes being: replace automatic transmission.
I wasn’t too surprised. My 96 Ranger XLT 4x4 4.0L has about 275,000 miles on it. A year ago I swapped out the original engine with a used one that had 97,000 miles on it. I’m not a mechanic, but did the swap myself with a lot of help from you guys and YouTube. I had a rough time making the final motor to tranny connection. It took me a couple weeks, but I finally got it together. They came together flush, I didn’t use the bolts to draw them close together, I torqued down the flexplate to TC bolts and I’ve been driving it daily ever since (over a year).
Anyway... just today while in the process of removing the tranny. I’m at the point where I’ve removed the starter to gain access to the 4 flexplate bolts. I remember very well from the last time I was down there, that it was a royal pain to turn the flexplate to get to each bolt. This time it is spinning freely, I have to use a vise grip to make it not spin so I can remove each bolt. With the bolts removed, the flexplate feels loose and sloppy.
Could I have busted the crankshaft? Can a flexplate fail/break? But if it’s not the tranny, why would it be giving me the code P0761?
Regardless, I’m gonna have to continue removing the tranny. What should I be looking for/be careful of?
I was so sure of what was wrong, now I’m so confused I don’t know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt!
Any advice.... wisdom.... or tidbit would be awesome.
Thanks y’alls!