Scam Shop or Transmission Problem

[blaylocks]

Sorry, this question is going to require a little bit of background. I will start with the problem and work backwards from there.

Problem: my 1997 Ford Ranger (V6, 4.0 L 5R55E Transmission) has no reverse. It doesn't even attempt to engage. For reasons explained below, it is possible that a transmission shop disabled it.

Background: I was driving up a hill to work, when there was a loud sound of my gears grinding, and my truck revved really high. At the time, I thought I had lost 2nd gear in my transmission (I later learned that my GEM module had shorted, and shifted my truck into 4x4 Low). I drove my truck home, and took it to a transmission shop a couple days later. Reverse was working when I took it to the shop, because I reversed out of my driveway. (All told, I drove it about a mile after the short.)

The shop called me a couple days later, and told me there was an electrical problem, and that they had taken it to another shop without consulting me. However, they said that even though the problem was an electrical problem with my 4x4, the transmission needed to be rebuilt because the reverse gear was gone.

At this point, I called a friend who ran a transmission shop for years, but hasn't been in the industry for 20 years. He said it was unlikely that the short would damage my transmission, but wasn't very sure.

I started working with the electrical shop, and found out that my GEM module had a short, and telling me that I needed to buy a discontinued part from a dealership in Kansas that was going to scam me, which was then going to needed to be reprogrammed at a dealership, and I would also needed to replace my electronic shift motor, and quoted me $800.

At this point, I wasn't sure if it was worth fixing, and was tired of dealing with these guys. So I drove it home. (I didn't use reverse on the way home.) I started looking and found a place that would rebuild my GEM module for $200. So I sent it in, and they confirmed there was a short. However, when I put it back in my truck, I had no reverse.

So for the big question, could the short in my 4x4 have damaged my reverse? Or could the shop have disabled it, so that I would have to rebuild my transmission? If they could have disabled it, what should I look for?

 

[Transman304]

Have you put transfer case in 4low and checked for reverse? These transfer cases are noted for wear and losing reverse.

 

[sirrealism]

I agree with transman. I too am a transmission builder. Also the rev bands break a lot.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[RonD]

Automatics have no "gears" like a manual transmission.
They do have bands that act like gears in changing the ratios between input and output shafts.

Automatics operate using pressure to activate "gears", Reverse requires the highest pressure, over 150psi on most, this pressure is provided by the main or front pump, and the pressure travels through passages in the valve body and solenoids, which has gaskets and seals.
As transmission ages there will be internal leaks, gaskets and seals, so pressure will go down over time.
Reverse is often the first "gear" to give you trouble as pressure is lost, because it requires the highest pressure to engage.
So when you start to have issues with Reverse it is getting close to rebuild time.

There are external fittings on automatics that are used to read internal pressure, any trans shop can check these pressure, static and in various "gears" to see if you have a general loss of pressure or a specific loss in certain "gears"

Yes, if transfer case suddenly shifted to 4low while driving it would effect transmission.