I’m trying to find the right shift kit been told to get the superior I got a 99 ranger xlt with 4.0 auto rwd and it’s got issues with delayed reverse then lost reverse changed fluid got it back and it’s got a whine to it now and the delayed in reverse has been delayed even longer it’s not shifting right causing high Revs anyhow I want to put a shift kit in to help it and see if it works and trying to figure out exactly what one I need they’re all diff and the same at the same time lol any help here would be appreciated ty

 

This vintage transmission had a problem of blowing out the valve body gasket. There is a TSB for the problem. The symptoms apparently vary depending on where the gasket blows out, The TSB suggests that you install a gasket that is bonded to the seperater plate, so it can't blow out, but some shift kits add a pressure relief valve to avoid the problem with a standard gasket. When you drop the pan, look all the way around the valve body for gasket sticking out, using a good flashlight. The one on my '99 3.0 blew out on the front and squirted on the dipstick making it impossible to know how much fluid to add, but it shifted fairly well. I can't advise you on shift kits.

 

Idk if you can see it very well in theee photos but I got gasket sticking out I think


It’s right here in this photo at the bottom where the pan would bolt on at

 

That where the gasket blew out what’s that called and I ordered a new gasket I couldn’t find but a couple of the separator plates and idk if I got the new updated one or not or how to even get it but this is what I did ordered so far if anyone has done this before please give some input on what else I need what I got wrong or what I need to do it would be greatly appreciated ty

 

Yes, that is a blown gasket. The square black thing is part of the reverse system, so it's likely that it caused your reverse problem. You could likely still buy the bonded on gaskets on a seperator plate from a Ford dealer as that is the solution for Fords TSB on these transmissions. However you could buy regular gaskets and reuse the seperator plate. If you go this route it might be good to install a shift kit that has a pressure limiter so it doesn't blow out again.

I should point out that working on the valve body is very fiddly. Take a picture of the shifter input so you can get it back just the way it came off. There are several check ***** in the valve body which will fall out when you seperate the two halves, and you will have no idea where they go if they fall out. You should be able to lift one half off of the other if you keep the seperator plate against the half you lift off to keep the ***** in place. If you can't figure out how to put stuff back buy a cheap shift kit and it will have instructions that will help.

I bought a bonded seperator plat from a Ford dealer about 5 years ago, but they had to order it.

 

I bought the shift kit had pop put it in my truck and now it has no gears i can run thru the gear selector and do
not have any gears you can hear the motor change pitch like its raising rpm but no gears

 

My guess is you did something wrong. You should have added about 4 quarts of fluid. The shift lever attachment to the valve body has to be the way it was when you took the valve body out. Maybe the shift kit instructions can help you get this right. Hopefully you can find the problem without removing the valve body. Does the shift kit have a tech number to call for advice?