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2003 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 Automatic Transmission broke-ish.
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe my transmission has finally gone out (near 300,000 miles.)
I've always taken care of my Ranger, up until I moved. Where I'm staying at is near a curve (70 MPH speed limit.)
Anyways, I have to floor it occasionally to get up to speed because there's little time in between where I pull out and the vehicles coming around curve.
Well the other day was just another day, only my RPM's have never reached 6,000 (max.) Around that time was a clunk. I let RPM's drop and gave it gas; it quickly hit 6,000 again.
I switched to neutral and back to drive, everything seemed normal for the next 200 miles. That is until I was merging onto interstate. I was picking up speed but floored it to match traffic, RPM'S shot up to 6,000 again like I was in neutral, then overdrive light started flashing.
Since then, I can't take off in drive anymore, and it's embarrassing switching from park, to second gear, to reverse hoping it will back up. When it does reverse, motor and RPM's are high and it BARELY rolls back! The only way to drive forward is take off in second gear, then slam it into drive after 40 MPH or more. No other gears seem to work, and once it goes into drive it appears to be fifth gear only. Whether I'm doing 40 MPH or 90 MPH, I can tell by the slow acceleration at lower speeds and RPM's that I'm in fifth gear after shifting out of second.
Any ideas from experience what may be broke or needs fixed?
I'm a shade tree mechanic, but have never done transmission work besides the fluid, filter and pan gasket.
The code seen in picture I posted has never showed uo until yesterday. I check it at least every week.
Thanks in advance!
Cheap scanners won't connect to the transmission control unit in these trucks, you need a high level scanner to read them. When the O/D Off light starts flashing, it sets a code. You need to figure out what that code is. Some transmission shops will scan the vehicle for free, just depends. You can also pull the pan and check inside the filter, if it looks like this below, you're in trouble. Also look for metal shavings. Any time you see metal shavings, you're looking at a rebuild because the transmission is contaminated. Metal shavings and sludge will clog the fluid passages and burn the transmission up in short order.
Checking it is certainly on my list. Although I changed fluid and filter last about a year ago, I was gonna get fresh fluid wnd new filter.
At this point, I should probably just get a clean pan and reuse fluid and filter. If there's metal shavings, I guess I'm in big trouble :/
Checking it is certainly on my list. Although I changed fluid and filter last about a year ago, I was gonna get fresh fluid wnd new filter.
At this point, I should probably just get a clean pan and reuse fluid and filter. If there's metal shavings, I guess I'm in big trouble :/
When I blew mine up, I lost all forward gears except what felt like 1 and 4. Reverse turned into a forward gear, as did neutral. I could drive the truck basically in every position I put it in. lol.
After I changed the fluid and filter, I got all of the gears back, reverse turned into neutral, neutral went back to being neutral. It was good enough for me to drive it a couple more months until I gathered up the parts for my manual swap. Just had to be careful where I parked since I had no reverse.
From your description and my limited knowledge of automatic transmissions, you should either shop for a used 5R44E from a 2001-2008 Ranger 3.0l or Mazda B3000, assuming 2WD
OR
Have yours rebuilt, making sure they replace one-ways clutches, front pump and OD drum, not just a soft parts rebuild
When trans will only engage in 1 or 2 then a one-way clutch is usually bad, so its using the coast clutch to get rolling
No or limited reverse usually means low pressure, so leaky seals and gaskets inside as well
Cheap scanners won't connect to the transmission control unit in these trucks, you need a high level scanner to read them. When the O/D Off light starts flashing, it sets a code. You need to figure out what that code is. Some transmission shops will scan the vehicle for free, just depends. You can also pull the pan and check inside the filter, if it looks like this below, you're in trouble. Also look for metal shavings. Any time you see metal shavings, you're looking at a rebuild because the transmission is contaminated. Metal shavings and sludge will clog the fluid passages and burn the transmission up in short order.
Originally Posted by Fordzilla80
When I blew mine up, I lost all forward gears except what felt like 1 and 4. Reverse turned into a forward gear, as did neutral. I could drive the truck basically in every position I put it in. lol.
After I changed the fluid and filter, I got all of the gears back, reverse turned into neutral, neutral went back to being neutral. It was good enough for me to drive it a couple more months until I gathered up the parts for my manual swap. Just had to be careful where I parked since I had no reverse.
Originally Posted by RonD
From your description and my limited knowledge of automatic transmissions, you should either shop for a used 5R44E from a 2001-2008 Ranger 3.0l or Mazda B3000, assuming 2WD
OR
Have yours rebuilt, making sure they replace one-ways clutches, front pump and OD drum, not just a soft parts rebuild
When trans will only engage in 1 or 2 then a one-way clutch is usually bad, so its using the coast clutch to get rolling
No or limited reverse usually means low pressure, so leaky seals and gaskets inside as well
Thank you two for the replies! After changing transmission fluid and filter, I'm guessing that's a serious amount of metal? Fine powder and sand sized grains layered the pan with what appeared to be drops of sludge, and this were about two pieces the size of my pinky nail on the magnet.
I squeezed and wiped the magnetic and it had this dark metallic stuff ozzing off it😂
Transmission Fluid smells a little burnt, but still a pretty healthy looking pinkish red.
I think I'm a just drive it until it goes. I'm at 300,000 miles. I've got two cars for backup. A few days without the truck will be enough to motivate me to learn to rebuild myself or put a new transmission in😂
Meanwhile, I just keep driving it like a clutch less manual. 1st, 2nd, and 4th/5th whatever gear it is.
Serious question... Am I causing further damage by getting up to 40 MPH in second gear? That's the only way I can get to drive.
At this point, no. lol. If there's metal shavings in the fluid and pan, then those same metal shavings are littered throughout the transmission and the transmission cooler. Those are already causing damage themselves. If/when you replace or rebuild the transmission, it is imperative that you flush the cooler and the lines to get all of metal shavings and other contamination out, or else that stuff will end up in your new transmission and destroy it as well.
