Vehicle: 1997 Ford Ranger 2.3L, 4R44E automatic transmission.

Problem: Car is idling in park, I put into any gear nothing happens.

Process of Work Performed: Turned car off (battery still connected), Dropped transmission fluid pan, changed filter and installed new (refurbished) solenoids - 4 x shift solenoids, 1 x TCC solenoid and 1 x EPC solenoid, replaced pan with new gasket, torqued everything to spec, refilled transmission fluid with Mercon V (4-quarts), idled for 10 minutes, checked fluid level, shifted all gears with foot on the brake, re-checked fluid level, tried for a test ride. no movement in drive, reverse or lower gears (i.e., 3, 2). No change in sounds or anything. Car does not stall.

Internal diagnosis and questions: When I changed the solenoids I did my best to keep trans fluid from dripping on the solenoid harness contacts that plug into the actual solenoid valve, but chances are a few drops may have touched the connectors. I made sure all rubber o-ring gaskets came out with old solenoids and new gaskets were on the replacement solenoids. Based on the truck not responding to any change in gear I want to believe this is an electrical issue. I checked a few fuses (i.e., 13 and 16) and they were fine. The truck never jerked when I changed gears or made any odd noises. Just completely unresponsive to changing gears.

Thanks for your help!

 

Welcome to the forum

First off the solenoids have nothing to do with transmission engaging in D or R, that is a mechanical process when shift arm is moved into position

The solenoids are used to "shift" to 2nd, 3rd, 4th
But 1st is engaged by shift arm
Reverse uses no solenoids at all just shift arm

No engagement at all can be pressure related, if you REV engine in gear I assume there is also no engagement, REVing engine increases pump speed and internal pressure
Could be pump is damaged or torque converter is damaged

Check fluid level engine off, should be high
Then check engine running, should be much lower, that means pump is working

You can see the shift arm on drivers side of transmission is moving?
No movement in 1st either, instead of D?

I see a used or rebuilt trans and new torque converter in your future
Pretty much anytime Reverse stops working you will need to pull the transmission out, sometimes a new valve body can fix it, but if forward stops working it MUST come out

You can use a 1995-1997 trans from a 2.3l Ranger or Mazda B2300, not a 3.0l or 4.0l, and not 1994 or earlier
Or you can used a 1998-2000 trans from a 2.5L Ranger or B2500 but you will have to swap over your tail shaft housing to get the hole back for VSS/Speed sensor, easy swap

4R44E is a model number not what it fits, you need one from a 2.3l or 2.5l engine and a 2WD not a 4x4(assuming you don't have a 4x4)

 

Thanks, @RonD !! Very informative! Really appreciate you explaining the function of the solenoids.

A few updates that may or may not shed new light onto this scenario:
This morning, when I experienced this I had poured 4-quarts of new fluid back into the transmission, warmed it up for about 20 minutes and then tried shifting the gears. Before shifting the gears while, while the engine was running, I checked the fluid level and it was into the hatch marks; indicating what I understand to be an acceptable level to put the transmission into gear. Once there was no response to me shifting the gears I felt defeated, shut it down, cleaned up and headed to work. Once I got back home, I checked the trans fluid dipstick (engine cold) and it was dry! I checked and re-checked. Dry. I got underneath, checked the pan and ground for signs of leaks. No leaks. Immediately turned to the internet and read that the transmission has a 9.9 quart capacity and then depending on whether or not I drained the torque converter 3-6 quarts would be the correct amount after draining the transmission fluid from the pan. I added two more quarts (now probably too much), and walked away, with the intention to check the fluid level tomorrow morning. Maybe its just taking time to work into the transmission and release air bubbles?

One other important thing to note is that during all this, the truck is pulled onto to tire ramps so it is inverted, nose up. Would this cause an issue?

Before performing this maintenance, there were no signs (at least in my mind) of the transmission failing. There was a slight jerk into first gear or reverse when I started from idle, more obvious in the winter and when the truck hadn't been warmed up. But this jerk into gear was small enough that it didn't cause the truck to stall. Given the mileage 184K, I figured a transmission fluid change would probably just help extend its life. I changed the solenoids (mostly focused on the TCC solenoid) at an attempt to address the idle-to-first gear/idle-to-reverse jump (also thinking, well heck if I am in there changing the filter why not refresh those guys). Now I understand that the solenoids have nothing to do with that. Based on what I am now experiencing (transmission not going into gear) and your feed back @RonD, it looks like the transmission has failed. So I'm wondering what I did wrong. Is it not advisable to change transmission fluid at high mileage with risk of killing it? Did I kill it by putting in to little of fluid?

 

All automatics run on ATF Fluid pressure, 110psi to go forward, 165psi to go in Reverse<<<why Reverse is often lost 1st in an automatic

If you have no fluid then you would have no fluid pressure
No, having the front jacked up won't matter

Refill until its at the hash marks
Then test it engine off and then on again

 

Update - problem solved, there was not enough trans fluid!

That said, I am not satisfied how this was resolved, mainly because it is clear I was not adding the trans fluid and taking the dipstick readings correctly. So to learn from this, maybe the real question of this post is: what is the process for adding trans fluid to my 1997 ford ranger?

Here is the process I initially followed (which did not seem to work for me):

1. Add in 4 quarts.
2. Turn car on, let it idle down.
3. Dip stick on "cold" reading should read below hatches.
4. Let car warm up 10-20 minutes.
5. Dip stick on "hot" reading should read into hatches.
6. Cycle though gears while in park.
7. Check dipstick reading and add fluid if it dropped out of the hatch area.

As previously mentioned, after I could not get the car into gear I let it sit for about 8-hours. Later on I checked the trans fluid dipstick while the truck was off and it was dry. I added two quarts (totaling 6 quarts now added). After a few days, I checked dipstick with truck off and it read high, so I removed 1.5 quarts. Checked dipstick and it showed fluid just touching the hatches, so I fired up the truck.

Here is the what I did that worked:

1. Added in additional fluid (roughly 1/4 quart increments)
2. Turn car on, let it idle down.
3. Ignored dipstick readings (showed higher than hatch area for all readings).
4. Let car warm up 10 minutes.
5. Cycled though gears while in park. Tried to engage gears and move truck.
6. If truck did not move, repeated steps 1-5.
7. After about 4-5 iterations, truck moved.

Like I said, I am not thrilled at this approach and I'd like a more precise means for checking the fluid, especially now that I have the truck moving. I want to make sure its not under or overfilled.

 

You said the truck now "Moves" but have you actually driven it? Put several miles on it? Just curious. And how many quarts total did you add?
I always put at minimum 4 quarts in (bigger trans I go 6 quarts) then start it up run it through the gears. You can usually feel it jerk as it goes into Drive and Reverse. I shift it back and forth 3 to 4 times then check fluid level. Depending on what I see I either add a full quart or half quart increments until in cross hatch area.

 

In the morning I just moved it a few feet forward and back. Then I drove it down the street. After work (sat for about 8 hours), checked the fluid level with engine off - above the hatch mark, engine on - low almost dry. Filled another half of quart (now totaling 6.5 quarts after draining). Shifted gears in park (feeling it jerk into gear), re-checked fluid level with engine still on - way above the hatch mark. Shut off engine. Called it a day.

Woke up this morning, checked fluid engine off - above the hatch mark, engine on - low almost dry. Filled another half of quart (now totaling 7 quarts). Shifted gears in park (feeling it jerk into gear), drove it 100 feet in drive and revers, re-checked fluid level with engine still on - way above the hatch mark. Shut off engine. Will check again tonight after work.

I am going to continue this process for now unless there is other advice to expedite this? With 7 quarts added, I am beginning to think the trans fluid before I did the drain must have been very low. Before I drained the fluid I was only checking the trans fluid when the engine was off (which I understand will always read high because the pump isn't running).