1995 4.0 4x2 Xlt Supercab new to me
Had funky shifts, hated having weight in the bed, and long searches for reverse at 98k og miles.
Fluid wasnt burnt or metallic. Big yay. No debris in the filter. Vb gasket? Rotted.. which is apparently normal. Epc and tcc solenoids? Out of permissible ohm range. Shift coast solenoids were .3 - .4 from being out of range, but good.
Got a reman central valve body for rather cheap. Lost reverse and 2-4. Woah, big waste of time and transmission fluid (9.99 a quart
) Took it off and found all used original solenoids. Reman my a%$. Send it back for a refund.
Stroll down to the local gettn’ spot and find a 99 5r 4x4 truck with a broken frame at 146k. All of its solenoids were good!
Got the sonnax zip kit.
Now fully versed in all things these transmissions i double check the internet with my own findings and these were the results.
The tech article page about these has dead wrong info and will cause harm to your 4r trans if you purchase the ford epc solenoid listed in the write up. 95-96 used a green epc solenoid which is nla from ford. My 95 4r vb had a green one . 97+ used a red epc solenoid. Junkyard 99 5r vb proved this to be true. Rostra is the only supplier i found with the proper part.
Mechanically, both valve bodies are identical. Separator plate is the only difference i witnessed between the two. Now the difference does not even matter. The oil galley will not be blocked no matter what plate you have or use.
I chose to go with the 5r vb and plate because it didnt have blown up gasket everywhere.
The zip kit install shed light on why the xploder name happened. Many of the factory sealing plugs fell right out after removing the retainers. The only annoying part was having to run to the hardware store for a 1/8 brass rod to drive a plug out.
Went ahead and set the bands to spec for good measure.
End result? Great success. Firm shifts that give you confidence to lean on that pedal and leave traffic behind. 9.5 quarts is a straight lie. 7.5 - 8
quarts was more accurate in my case. Save that extra $20 and get yourself a congratulatory case of refreshments.
Had funky shifts, hated having weight in the bed, and long searches for reverse at 98k og miles.
Fluid wasnt burnt or metallic. Big yay. No debris in the filter. Vb gasket? Rotted.. which is apparently normal. Epc and tcc solenoids? Out of permissible ohm range. Shift coast solenoids were .3 - .4 from being out of range, but good.
Got a reman central valve body for rather cheap. Lost reverse and 2-4. Woah, big waste of time and transmission fluid (9.99 a quart
Stroll down to the local gettn’ spot and find a 99 5r 4x4 truck with a broken frame at 146k. All of its solenoids were good!
Got the sonnax zip kit.
Now fully versed in all things these transmissions i double check the internet with my own findings and these were the results.
The tech article page about these has dead wrong info and will cause harm to your 4r trans if you purchase the ford epc solenoid listed in the write up. 95-96 used a green epc solenoid which is nla from ford. My 95 4r vb had a green one . 97+ used a red epc solenoid. Junkyard 99 5r vb proved this to be true. Rostra is the only supplier i found with the proper part.
Mechanically, both valve bodies are identical. Separator plate is the only difference i witnessed between the two. Now the difference does not even matter. The oil galley will not be blocked no matter what plate you have or use.
I chose to go with the 5r vb and plate because it didnt have blown up gasket everywhere.
The zip kit install shed light on why the xploder name happened. Many of the factory sealing plugs fell right out after removing the retainers. The only annoying part was having to run to the hardware store for a 1/8 brass rod to drive a plug out.
Went ahead and set the bands to spec for good measure.
End result? Great success. Firm shifts that give you confidence to lean on that pedal and leave traffic behind. 9.5 quarts is a straight lie. 7.5 - 8
quarts was more accurate in my case. Save that extra $20 and get yourself a congratulatory case of refreshments.
