Seeking Advice for Easy Transmission Mods

[Spidey300]

I have a '98 2.5L 2WD Ranger with automatic transmission and I believe that means I have a 4R44E. I've read that I can pretty easily upgrade by grabbing a transmission pan from a 4WD ranger from the scrap yard to get a deeper pan. Is this true and anyone done it? Do they make any with drain plugs?

I'm also considering adding an auxiliary trans cooler (currently just cooled through the rad) since I take the ranger on camping excursions through the mountains and desert every year or two. I think some rangers (and explorers?) came with these and thought it might be an easy pick up from the scrap yard too.

Any other easy upgrades you guys would suggest? Mostly want to prolong the life of my tranny and protect it. Oil temp sensor?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Pretty sure the A4LD, 4R44, 4R55, 5R55 all used the same pan, no matter the engine, at least up until 01. There is a deeper pan on the transmission on the 01 Explorer, but it’s a different design so no worky. The Dorman replacement pan has a drain plug in it. I’ve also welded in my own.

An extra cooler is always a good idea on an auto and yes, a lot of Rangers and Explorers had an auxiliary in front of the rad. You can run one or two of the stock auxiliaries or one big aftermarket one.

Not sure exactly how much it would do for your transmission, but the older version of your trans was the A4LD. I put a shift kit in and did some valve body work. It’s not all that difficult to do, just messy and an exercise in cleanliness and patience. The rewards were well worth it for the A4LD. I would say it’s probably worth looking into doing. The side benefit is not only will the transmission perform better, but by performing better, there’s less slip and waste which means less heat. I’m told there’s a “bonded” gasket for these newer ones like yours that you’ll want to use when the valve body goes back in. The older ones like I was doing you are stuck with a double paper gasket and it’s not exactly fun.

 

[snoranger]

Yes, the 4x4 pan is deeper. You need the pan and to replace the filter with the 4x4 filter. It’s a simple swap.

 

[Spidey300]

Yes, the 4x4 pan is deeper. You need the pan and to replace the filter with the 4x4 filter. It’s a simple swap.

Do the 4x4 pans have a drain plug? The new ones on rockauto look like they do.

 

[snoranger]

Do the 4x4 pans have a drain plug? The new ones on rockauto look like they do.

From the factory? No.
Aftermarket? It can, that depends on the manufacturer.

 

[DILLARD000]

You can swap from a 4r\5r Tranny 2WD\ShallowPan+Filter to a 4WD\DeepPan+Filter; 4WD Filter has a longer suction tube.
Optionally you can get an aftermarket pan with a DrainBung+Bolt.
Optionally you can swap the DrainBolt for a MagneticBolt or a Fumoto#f106n DrainValve.

Links+details:
~ Ford# f69z-7a194-ba Original 12.5qtCptyDeepSump PaintedPressedSteel Pan wOut Drain
~ Ford\AfterMarket FlangeBolts18ea 8mmDiam*1.25mmThrd*13mmLong*13mmHxHd
~ Ford# f5tz-7a191-a\AfterMarket FlangeGasket RubberizedCork
~ AfterMarket Optional FlangeGasket+FilterKit
~ Ford# xL2z-7a098-da\ft134 Filter+ORings+Bolt 6mmDiam*1.00mmThrd*45mmLong*8mmHxHd
~ AfterMarket Optional Pan+DrainBung 14mmIDiam*1.5mmIThrd*20mmLong
~ AfterMarket Optional DrainBung To Drill+Weld In Original Pan 14mmInsideDiam*1.5mmInsideThrd
~ AfterMarket Optional DrainMagneticBolt 14mmDiam*1.5mmThrd*30mmLongMax*13~17mmHxHd
~ AfterMarket Optional DrainBrassBallValve 14mmDiam*1.5mmThrdInlet~HoseBarbOutlet

Hope this helps.

 

[DILLARD000]

Ford# 5L2z-7a095-a
is the factory stock TransCooler that bolts to the front right side of the radiator support frame.

 

[Spidey300]

So I picked up on OEM trans cooler from the salvage yard, along with the hard line from the cooler to the trans and from the radiator to the cooler. My trans to radiator line should be fine to stay where it is.

Well, it looks like my 2.5L has a radiator that's a mirror image of the donor one I pulled the cooler from. Trans inputs on the radiator are on the passenger side. The donor cooler to trans line should still work but I don't think the radiator to cooler line will work. Could I bend the line to fit or cut it and use 5/8" flexible line? The cut hard line wouldn't have a bubble flare on it though. Or should I just run a flexible line from the cooler to the radiator and secure it with ties? Guess I'd need a barbed radiator fitting for that.

I'm guessing only the V6 Rangers came with auxiliary coolers cause the online parts stores don't have any hard cooler lines for the 2.5.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I have succeeded in bending line some, but I have also failed at bending used line. You don’t want to kink it or squash it. Anymore I just manufacture my own line, you can use 3/8” steel brake line or 3/8” aluminum line. It’s a standard double flare at the radiator, you just need the correct line nut (I salvage them off damaged line). With the aluminum line, I can easily bulge it to help retain rubber hose with my flare tool (well, I can bulge steel line too), but from experience, the bulge isn’t exactly necessary, at least with steel line. For the rubber line, you will need line rated for automatic transmission use and hose clamps. Use two hose clamps if you’re really worried.

 

[von_sieben]

An extra cooler is always a good idea on an auto and yes, a lot of Rangers and Explorers had an auxiliary in front of the rad. You can run one or two of the stock auxiliaries or one big aftermarket one.

i have a 2001 2.3l and it doesnt have a cooler in front of the rad... ist it possible to add one, i have a 4R44 or 5R55 (thats the info i get from the vin), how would i connect a cooler to the tranny, are there existing connectors i can use?
Maybe someone could also help me identifying the transmission, i´ll add a picture of the doorsticker.
excuse my english please, i´m in germany.
thanks a lot!

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

i have a 2001 2.3l and it doesnt have a cooler in front of the rad... ist it possible to add one, i have a 4R44 or 5R55 (thats the info i get from the vin), how would i connect a cooler to the tranny, are there existing connectors i can use?
Maybe someone could also help me identifying the transmission, i´ll add a picture of the doorsticker.
excuse my english please, i´m in germany.
thanks a lot!

It is certainly possible to add one. I don’t remember offhand which line it gets plumbed to, I would have to look at one of mine. But the automatics should have two metal lines that go from the transmission to the radiator because there is a small cooler built into one of the radiator tanks. To add an auxiliary cooler (the one in front of the radiator), one of those lines essentially gets cut and rubber line (must be transmission rated) spliced in that goes under the radiator to the auxiliary cooler.

 

[DILLARD000]

Unless in an extremely cold climate such as Canada\Alaska..., I'd just abandon\bypass the TransHeatExchanger in the Radiator tank,
& run a loop directly from Tranny to TransCooler behind the front grille, using Oil+Fuel rated 10mmID Hose & double WormClamps.

 

[Spidey300]

I just added an OEM aux trans cooler to my 98 2.5L w/ 4R44E. As noted above, I pulled all the components (oem cooler, hoses, hard lines) from my local salvage yard. You need the hard line from the radiator to the cooler and from the cooler to the trans. You can keep your existing hard line from the transmission to radiator. The hardest part of the whole things is snaking the hard lines in and out.

The radiator on my 2.5L is a mirror image to the V6 rangers, so the set up was a bit different. I still mounted the cooler on the passenger side, the line from the radiator to the cooler just angles down toward the driver side. I didn't bend or cut it.

I had to modify the plastic baffle (?) Behind my grille to make room for the cooler. I just cut out a section using a Dremel. Here are a few pics

I can take some pics of the lines underneath too, if that would help.

 

[Spidey300]

Here are the pics of the hard line connections underneath. Like I said, a bit of modding was needed since the V6 rangers have their radiator ports on the opposite side as the 4 cylinder. I made a new bracket out of the piece I cut from the grille baffle and rivets.