08 Ranger Transmission (?) issues

[blue08ranger]

Hey all,

I will try to list everything here as concise, but detailed, as possible.

Truck info: 2008 Ford Ranger Sport V6 3.0L, 5r55e trans. ~70k miles. It has sat for 1+ years on several different occasions. Trans fluid level has been within range since i've gotten it at 12k miles, though not ever changed until recently.

Symptoms: Now happening more and more frequently. After high load and/or heat with "hard" driving or freeway driving, the truck will enter into a state where it seems to be stuck in *a* gear (not sure which one). This usually seems to happen at a shift point. It will not change gears, and will only bounce off a rev-limiter at 3k rpm. This will cause me to not be able to exceed ~20mph. All other gear modes (or whatever they are called) work fine. Reverse is good; 2 and 1 are good. I used to be able to stop the truck and restart the engine to make it go away, and an a couple occasions, the truck has actually died before i could get it parked (which i think is a very unique symptom). These days, it happens so frequently that I really can't get around in my truck reliably. To circumvent this issue, I have to get up to a decent speed in 2 or 1, then i can switch over to D and it usually will get me around fine, though it will act up sometimes and i have to restart said process.

Additional info: No codes were thrown for the longest time. Finally, I recently got the O/D off flashing and took in to Circle D Transmission in Houston to have them read it. P0734 (incorrect ratio 4th gear, i believe) and they also said they saw P0068 (tps/MAF something or other[not sure if this one happened at the same time or at an earlier date; correlation between the two is unknown]). They dropped the pan and checked out the valvebody gasket which looked fine, and changed the fluid/filter. They said they saw some metal particulates but nothing that seemed out of the norm. They can't really tell me what exactly is wrong (I guess since they'd have to tear down the trans to inspect all parts) but they are swearing 99.99% that there is an internal mechanical issue, not electrical or otherwise, and that i need a new transmission either now or whenever i experience critical failure.

I have heard that a faulty TPS can do some weird things that may seem like trans issues, so i monitored it with a scan tool, and couldn't find any fault with it. I did some reading in a 5r55e manual and noticed that when SS2 fails in the On position, that you can lose all gears except for 3rd. I was thinking that seemed possibly in line with my symptoms so i tried swapping the solenoids in the 2 and 4 position to see if my symptoms would change if the failing solenoid was in SS4 position, and after that swap, things seemed immediately worse, but not in line with what i was expecting froma failing SS4 solenoid. A good friend of mine saw i was distressed and just gave me $300 for all new solenoids, so i swapped them all out (SS1-4; TCC; EPC) just to rule them out completely. Truck seemed fine for a day and now the problem has returned. I can't see any immediate issues with wiring just from peeking around, but haven't done a full look through.

I am at my wits end. I really would like to believe that there is some other issue that is not within the transmission, because i don't want to replace it due to cost. However, I am ready to pay just about whatever if I can get my truck back to normal. I just don't want to spend 4k+ on a new trans and have the issue carry over. I would end up in the psych ward.

Hoping someone has had similar experience or any insight into this issue or what could cause it.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this!
Scott

 

[09fx4guy]

It does sound like the problem would be isolated to the transmission, not something else in the drivetrain / electrical.

So just to clarify, it will only cause problems when it is warmed up / driven for a bit,, or constantly, even at startup?

The transmission could probably be rebuilt and reinstalled for less than 4 grand. I would start looking around at different shops just to get prices, or even see if a place would be willing to diagnose the issue a little further. I remember hearing about a place called Precision Transmission, they are somewhere it Texas. They seem to have a good reputation.

 

[blue08ranger]

It does sound like the problem would be isolated to the transmission, not something else in the drivetrain / electrical.

So just to clarify, it will only cause problems when it is warmed up / driven for a bit,, or constantly, even at startup?

The transmission could probably be rebuilt and reinstalled for less than 4 grand. I would start looking around at different shops just to get prices, or even see if a place would be willing to diagnose the issue a little further. I remember hearing about a place called Precision Transmission, they are somewhere it Texas. They seem to have a good reputation.

Originally it would only happen when warmed up, but not every time. More of an intermittent type thing. Now it happens after way less “warming up” relative to before. It is still intermittent now, but happens almost every driving session.

 

[Dirt Squirt]

Hitting rev. limiter at 3k sounds to me like it thinks it's in park. ( It's supposed to do that). Try fiddling with the trans. position selector switch or shift cable/linkage on the side of trans. Just a thought.

 

[09fx4guy]

I wonder if it could be an electrical component failing in the trans that is simply getting worse. Try calling around to a few different transmission shops to get their opinion. Any good shop should be able to do some actual diagnosis for a small fee.

 

[Burnsy]

You could try cleaning your MAF sensor, super easy, takes 5 minutes, Less than $10 for the spray cleaner, worth a shot if the shop mentioned that also