hey i am a aspiring automotive student but i dont really know anything about transmissions and have a problem with my 1990 ford ranger. its a v6 4x4. it had a trans rebuild before i owned it and i have replaced the front pump and seal but i took it to the store the other day with no problems and then when i came out and tried to leave i couldnt get it to shift into overdrive at all so i tried drive and i got it after fighting with it for a few minutes and it drove home fine but i put it in park and tried cycling through the gears to see if i could engage overdrive and it wont engage any forward gears. i asked one of my instructors and he told me that i probably need to get a new trans or another rebuild which i hope i dont. if anyone knows anything that may help me please tell me any help will be appreciated thanks 4x4ford4ever

 

hate to say it but your instructor is right...your trannys shot

 

^X2^

 

thanx i was hoping that wasnt it but i appreciate it so i guess its either new trans or new car for me

 

check the fluid level, does it work in reverse? also. make sure the shift cable is connected to the trans and that it is properly adjusted. if it is, drop the pan and check for metal shavings in the pan and make sure the filter is properly secured, make sure the manual valve is properly engaged into the valve body. it will not move forward in OD, D, 2 or 1?

i love how people chime in and say the trans is shot (which it may be) without any troubleshooting

 

i checked the fluid level as the first thing i did and it read full (to all who want to be smartasses yes i know the vehichle has to be running to check it and it was) and yes reverse works fine. oh ohkay i will check that, no it wont, and if i absolutely need a new trans i have another ranger i can take the trans from

 

check the easy things first, people love to jump to the conclusion that the trans is bad

when i bought my 88 ranger, the guy said the trans needs to be replaced. i removed it, gasket slapped it (blown pump seal) put a torque converter and a vacuum modulator in it (all parts i found at work in my trans cabinet pf parts that arent used anymore) and had it back on the road for the price of fluid

 

i was told that it might be the filter, why i listened to that person is beyond me, but when i took the trans pan off the gasket was bad, then i got to the filter and the filter itself felt like a rock so i went ahead and changed those and put the fluid back to full and still nothing. the thing is it acts like it wants to go into gear but wont. is there a possibility that its the valve body or has something to do with the transfer case?

 

it could be the valve body but odds are its internal to the trans. will it move any easier forward in MAN1 or MAN2? if you have reverse it isnt in the transfer case