Hi, I've posted this question in a couple of other forums with only a few responces so I will post it here as well.
My truck is a 95 ranger 4.0, 4x4, auto,168k. My problem is when the truck is cold it will not go into reverse for about 30 seconds. Once warm it shifts fine. Also on decell I get a shudder from the transmission at 30-40 mph. Does not do it all the time though. I had the fluid and filter changed about 2 months ago and was told nothing looked out of the ordinary. I checked the fluid the other day and still looked red and did not smell burnt. Any ideas what I can try? Am I looking at spending alot of money to replace my tranny??
Thanks for any input
David

 

check your rear diff fluid level

 

Ok, this is what I know from my Tranny issues. Your transmission is hesitating to go into Reverse because it is trying to build up the pressure in the tranny to go into gear. Mine does it for both forward and reverse gears. That is a actuator/boost valve issue and I will have to be fixed by a shop unless you know how to work on Transmissions yourself.

If you want to attempt to fix it yourself, I would suggest buying a ATSG book on the ranger. That book will tell you every LITTLE DETAIL of a Tranny tear down / rebuild. If you are going to go to those lengths, you might as well buy a rebuild kit and new clutch pack assemblies and replace them all for peace of mind.