2002 V6 Automatic Issue Going Into Gear
 

About a month a ago a new issue has developed. It often took 2-3 attempts of moving the shift lever into D back to N and back to D in order to get forward gears in the 5r44e.

I am fairly certain that it is not the transmission itself. I serviced it when I got the truck. The fluid looked alright then. The truck also drives great.

I am worried that I will be stuck somewhere with no forward movement.

I have examined the shift cable and checked the torx bolts under the dash that are a common issue.

My thought was that it is the the unit know by the following names, transmission range sensor, MLPS, or neutral saftey switch. I replaced it with a BWD unit. Everything was fine for a couple weeks and now yesterday the same problem returned, but I also had no reverse. After retrying a few times it engaged.

This issue only seems to occur when the truck has been parked all night and its cold outside. Usually, I'll back out into the street and have trouble getting it into Drive. So, reverse usually works before the problem occurs.

__________________

Fluid does not smell burnt?

Automatic transmissions are not my cup of tea, so I always hand these off to the professionals.

The fluid is nice and red and clean. It was changed about 6 months ago with Motorcraft fluid and a new Wix filter. The fluid looked alright at that time too. It shifts fine while driving.

I've been doing some reading and it appears that these transmissions are know for valve body gasket failures. I am wondering if this is what is going on. While searching online, I saw someone mention an upgraded seal that Ford is using as a replacement. Does anyone know where I can get this?

I also read this on another forum. Along with the valve body gaskets, the EPC and TCC solenoids are recommended replacements. Unfortunately the EPC solenoid is pretty expensive, I think it's around $150 a pop. Many people also add a shift kit to the valve body as well. And definitely check the condition of your solenoid debris screens, as well as the solenoid retaining brackets.

Should I consider replacing the solenoids as well? I don't want to disassemble the valve body more than once.