Reman transmission vendors?

[Brain75]

how bout the non-computer trannys? C4 (and then swap the computer to a manual ranger so it doesn't see a trans)

 

[Shran]

A C5 would bolt up but they are really hard to find and shorter than a 4R55E so I would need to build custom drive shafts. Cost on that whole project might end up being a wash vs a rebuild.

 

[Brain75]

You realize you made me go out and look at mom's ranger's door tag just praying that she doesn't have a 4R-anything..... (2007 4.0L) After the research here , and all the threads with guys on their 5th or 6th 4R55E I was like OMG, she is gonna have that POS isn't she.... thankfully 5R55E.

I also read in the tech articles that the 5R55E eliminated all but 1 thrust washer and hence is not "stronger" but it is more reliable. If I was plunking down 4k for a tranny, I think I would get the 5R55E even if I had to do the computer dance to make it work or else live with it being a 4 speed who doesn't understand what 2nd gear is.

Edit: update - there is less headache than I thought, a 5R55e is almost a drop in depending on wiring details mostly revolving around the recipient year/sophistication.

 

[Brain75]

4r55e to 5r55e swap. Latest year that will work

I have a 2002 FX4 4.0 Automatic 4R55E. Will all 5R55E transmissions hookup without modification. Wanting to find the newest, lowest mileage transmission possible to replace mine when it goes, again.

www.therangerstation.com

hot linked directly to RonD's most authoratative answer...

 

[Shran]

I talked to O'Reilly last night and they can't actually guarantee that a transmission is available to order unless I go in the store and place the order. Then they can check to see if one is available. Kind of a mickey mouse deal.

I did call around to a couple other local places. AAMCO (the OG transmission shop) does not rebuild transmissions any longer. My jaw about hit the floor when I heard that... the guy told me they buy reman units from other places. He actually told me to call another local place if I just wanted mine fixed!

I did find a place that gets really good reviews everywhere and they said rebuilding a 4R55E will start at about $2100 and comes with a 12 month warranty - that's me bringing the trans in and doing the rest of the work. I think I might go that route. I can live with a shorter warranty if the price ends up being about the same as O'Reilly and I can pick their brain in person if something goes wrong.

 

[Brain75]

pick me up off the floor.. I can't believe aamco isn't rebuilding anymore either. wow!

 

[Brain75]

"starting at 2100" why does that sound like "homes from the low 180's", you go in and the cheapest house they actually have is 280 and not worth living in.... always something isn't it... I'd probably dig deeper into that route and lean that way too, just keep my ears pricked up all the way till day of delivery.

 

[Shran]

I am thinking that $2100 number covers all their labor plus the usual wear items. Anything on top of that is broken hard parts. I am fine with paying more for those, I would rather them handle it like that than tell me "no more than $2100" and they leave something questionable in place because they didn't mark it up enough to cover something with a bunch of wear but still sort of functional.

I think the big suppliers just put a $2500 number on all of them because they can rebuild some for $1500 and others cost $2500 so in the end there is profit and they can give O'Reilly a consistent price.

 

[Brain75]

i've searched and searched on the 4r55e, and there are guys who have rebuilt it 6 times cause it keeps dying behind their 4.0, guys who are on their 2nd and 3rd junkyard and so on and so on... for more than a couple days now I have decided the 4r55e is just not tough enough to take it...said as much in another thread and walt bout tore my head off.... sooo I googled up how to make the 4r55e tougher.
There's this food for thought:

4R55E transmission. Is it possible to make it stronger?

I want to make my drivetrain stronger! I have a 4R55E Transmission in my 97 explorer, and Im going to rebuild it. I put a bigger cooler on it to help with the heat. Is there any thing I can do to make it stronger, or any kits I can buy to make It better?

www.explorerforum.com

The Brain in the referenced frankentranny thread is not me - amazing coincidence a brain from colo, but not me.

 

[JoshT]

I'm mostly staying out of this. The 5R in my 99 needed rebuild not long after I bought it, but do not know PO maintenance or usage. Somewhere around the 100K mark IIRC. Was still going strong at 205k when I pulled it for the V8 swap. Dad's 01 5R is still going strong and it's definitely past the 150k mark by now.

4R55E I was like OMG, she is gonna have that POS isn't she.... thankfully 5R55E.

Just got to point out that mechanically they are the same transmission. They changed up some of the electronics and programming to allow the OD band to engage with 1st, creating an additional gear. Of course there were running revisions and improvements for the entire time of production that helped increase the strength, but if you're rebuilding those same parts can be installed in the earlier unit.

In other words, if mama ain't the little old lady from Pasadena, mama isn't going to have any problems with a 4R. Especially not if it has received proper servicing.

 

[Brain75]

Big broad strokes yes they are "basically" the same, but that frankentranny thread points out just about every difference, there is a lot more than 5 thrust washers turned into thrust bearings, they toughened up the 5R in quite a number of places... from the jist of that rebuild that guy did I would say he took a a4ld case and basically built a 4 speed 5R55e in it. (no faux 2nd gear)... If I was faced with a 4rxx failure, I would just go to the 'yard and get a 5r to replace it and like RonD said it will have 2 extra electrical connectors you don't have anywhere to plug into and no 5th gear (faux 2nd).

 

[Brain75]

I'd even volunteer to check my little unicorn 'yard for you shran, especially since my niece is going to college in SD not far from you and drives a mammoth SUV, except I know better than to expect a 5r55e in my yard(s) - there just isn't anything that new here yet.

 

[Brain75]

Something else I saw, that just incase you didn't read the frankentranny writeup - there is a TSB suggesting to enlarge one of the cooling ports (mentioned in the frankentranny article).... Apparently Ford decided to never change it during production even though they posted the TSB before the end of the production run... (booo, hisss Ford!) Either way, I would find every TSB on the trans you can before handing it off to a rebuild shop and make sure they are gonna make all the fixes.

 

[Shran]

I'll talk to them and have them do upgrades as they see fit. I'm sure they are at least somewhat aware of that stuff... I think a close to stock rebuild would totally suffice in this case, as long as it's built correctly, it will last a long time with the mileage this truck sees. I'm not sure I want to go in there and ask them to build me a Frankentranny... I'll just trust their professional judgement, I don't want to ask for things that I don't know much about.

My stupid Jeep is fixed and out of the shop now so at least I have space to work on it. My stepside truck has to live outside for the time being, I hate leaving it out in the elements when junk that I don't really care about is parked inside. Hope I can get the repairs on this one knocked out in a couple weeks at most.

 

[Shran]

2 months later I finally have the transmission back.

They went through the whole thing and it was $1900. The guy who worked on it was out to lunch when I picked it up but the counter guy said the majority of it was totally fine and the valve body was the main problem. I guess we'll see when I get it back in the truck.

I was hoping for them to tell me it had a bad pump or something so that I didn't have regrets about trying a reman VB first but it is what it is. Stupid slush boxes.