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Ford Ranger Transmission Questions

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Comments

  • dper299dper299 Member Posts: 19
  • dper299dper299 Member Posts: 19
    I have a 99 ranger 3.0 flex 4x4 Reg cab with auto trans 87,000 miles. Problem is that at times when it shift's from 1st to 2nd it feels like it's sliding into second and you have to wait on it, then it's a rough shift into third,and other times it shift's thru all gears nice and smooth (thus Eratic ) this was happening prior to fluid change. Put new fluid in along with a bottle of Seafoam and nothing has changed. I am wondering if this the driveshaft (which has also been taken apart and greased ) or is it that the bands need adjusting...Any ideas would help...Thanks :confuse:
  • alfredralfredr Member Posts: 3
    MY SEAL POPED OUT,AND ALL THE FLUID LEAKED OUT,IS THE TRANS BLOWN OR JUST THE SEAL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
  • bnmfarmsbnmfarms Member Posts: 1
    im having a problem with my 86 2wd ranger with reverse not working after i drive it 30 or so miles but i let it sit for 10mins and works fine again any ideas what could be causing this?
  • aepineaepine Member Posts: 1
    i have a 94 4.0l 4x4 every once and awhile the transmission will start to pull then kick out of gear. When i rev it then it will slam back into gear. Wondering what could be the problem. Checked the fluid it was ok.
  • lowrider25lowrider25 Member Posts: 2
    Iam having the same problem with my 2000,2WD,5Sd, Ford Ranger. My problem started when I was pushing in the clutch and heard a pop, line going from master cylinder to slave cylinder busted, fixed the line and then tried to bleed it. The tips I got for bleeding did not help any, some of replys said that the Ford Ranger is a real pain in the but to bleed and that it needs a pressure pump or vacuum bleeder to bleed it correctly. I don't know if this is true but it would nice to fine out from someone that knows. Also there was one more reply that I got to the reason of why there is no pressure build up in my clutch, and that is the slave cylinder might be gone and that it will have to be replaced. I looked in to replacing the slave cylinder and I can tell you from the sounds of it, this can be costly to replace. The part it self is not much $85.00, its the taking out and puting in the new one that will get you, 1, the transmission has to be taken down because the slave cylinder is in side of the bell housing and if you were to do it ur self, then there goes a couple of days and that if noting goes wroung.
  • easyway98easyway98 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1995 ford ranger when i am in 4wd low drives fine when i shift to 4wd high or 2wd the transmission will making a grinding sound and not go into reverse go back to 4wd low all works fine anybody ever run into this problem or have a ideal on what to do
  • badboy4everbadboy4ever Member Posts: 1
    1994 Ford Ranger. Forward gears don't work. I rev the engine til 1st gear kicks in, then it shifts normal. When I stop the truck, I have to repeat the process. Can you tell me what's wrong and how to fix it. Reverse works all the time.
  • bigticbigtic Member Posts: 3
    2000 Ranger 4X4. WIll not back up but drives forward fine. I can rev the engine and the truck rocks backward slightly. Any ideas what it could be? The fluid is full and is not burnt.
  • daultonr28daultonr28 Member Posts: 1
    Did anyone ever answer you problem. I have a 99 Ford Ranger that has the same problem. Reverse works fine when cold but after 30 minutes of driving it takes about 5 to 8 seconds to go into reverse and then it is a little jumpy unless you accelirate. Any direction would be helpful.
  • reydonreydon Member Posts: 1
    have had the transmission rebuilt but the mechanic says it is shifting thru the gears too fast anyone ever have this problem and how did you fix it
  • bjspargbjsparg Member Posts: 1
    car shuts off when i put it in drive or reverse .starts in neutral or park but soon as put it drive it shuts off.any ideas.
  • mcmike4817mcmike4817 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 ranger with same trans problem. It was diagnosed with a PO735 code. I plan on going to several trans shops to get it scoped. Hopefully I can find a trans guy that is knowledgeable about ranger trans.
  • keagan07keagan07 Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2011
    i have a 94 ford ranger 3.0 v6 5 speed. the problem originally just started in 5th gear with a small vibration and then 5th gear got even worse and vibrated really bad when accelerating although there is no slip or shortage of power. and now its starting to do it in every gear and is quickly getting worse.....does anyone know if its a clutch or a transmission problem? and if it is a transmission what will it cost to replace it?
  • mock2mock2 Member Posts: 11
    truck drives good sometimes not at regular intervals it gets this loud noise.form under the shifter.
    can happen in all gears. sometimes seams to be triggered by turns or bumpy roads.can be felt as a slight shaking almost like e brake is on Sounds like a train with the brakes locked.
    any suggestions? checked brakes and u-joints...thats not it.
    Clutch?
  • mock2mock2 Member Posts: 11
    Sounds like the problem i'm having with my 97 ranger. did you ever find out what the cause was?
  • cschwartz2cschwartz2 Member Posts: 15
    So was it the transmission? I have an 02 also. I noticed that when shifted fast it wiould try to stall for a while but never did stall. It just started to stall when shifted into reverse. And now I noticed that if I put it into neutral first then reverse it would not stall. I believe it just needs a good tune up, it has never had new plugs put in, so I am going to try that and a good tune up.
  • mock2mock2 Member Posts: 11
    edited November 2011
    Check trany fluid! Smell burnt? should look like cherry juice not black like dirty motor oil.
  • sam213sam213 Member Posts: 4
    when i am in neutral after moving in gear, something keeps spinning at high rate either in tranny or engine. sounds like tranny wants to be shifted if tht makes sense. spinning stops when i put in gear or have been stopped for about 30 seconds. anyone know what i need to do?
  • sam213sam213 Member Posts: 4
    should i be useing automatic or gear lube?
  • novass450hpnovass450hp Member Posts: 2
    I Would just Replace the seal and torque converter and do a transmission flush, especially if your rear main is leaking as well.
  • novass450hpnovass450hp Member Posts: 2
    Try replacing the transmission mount, it should only run you about 30 bucks but ive had a friend have the same problem on his ranger.
    good luck
  • mock2mock2 Member Posts: 11
    edited December 2011
    May be the fuel linkage (cable) sticking.My 97 sticks now and then!!!
  • mock2mock2 Member Posts: 11
    Hi mock2wheel bearings and races (trany noise)not realy comming from trany
    gone.Thanks to Steve at Augie's junk yard
  • sam213sam213 Member Posts: 4
    what do i do to prevent that?
  • mock2mock2 Member Posts: 11
    did you lube it or change it?
  • nuttynannuttynan Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 5 speed
    When locking in 4 wheel the transmission is slipping is there an adjustment you can make on the sprocket chain on the transmission (transfer case) ???
  • sam213sam213 Member Posts: 4
    it turned out to be my tps. soon as i changed that everything worked out
  • sivicmansivicman Member Posts: 32
    I have a 2010 Ranger 2WD with a manual transmission and it seems to be getting harder to get into gear (1st & 2nd) so I took it into the dealer and the transmission mechanic test drove it and agreed that it seemed like the synchronizer was hanging up. He said it would be covered under warranty since I only have 16K on it. He asked me to wait until it gets worse so he could easily identify the bad parts. I just wondered if anyone else has had this problem with their Ranger?
  • 99ranger9999ranger99 Member Posts: 1
    This morning, I put the truck in reverse it went fine in gear, I drove in reverse maybe 20' and it felt like I had hit something. The truck shook, I didn't really hear anything. I got out and didn't see anything, but the truck wouldn't go into reverse. I toggled thru fwd then reverse a few times and it went into reverse. I drove a few miles to the store and the same thing. Now I am home and no reverse. Then fluid level is fine but smells burnt.

    I have a 2nd interview tomorrow, all indications are that I will finally be hired after 4 years unemployed now this luck. The job is 50 miles away and the only way there is through the Cajon summit(moderate elevation mtn. pass) I have read stories of being able to drive forward even though there is no reverse gear. I can deal with this of course. I am just afraid of the whole tranny going out completely.

    I have never had a problem other than hard shifts from 1st to 2nd since I got my ranger with 86k mi.
  • richarddmsrricharddmsr Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2012
    my trans just quit well go into gears but have noting was just driveing and it just stoped working i ck fuild it is clean no burn smell shifter gose in all gears but well not in gage
  • tcouncilmantcouncilman Member Posts: 2
  • tcouncilmantcouncilman Member Posts: 2
    I believe it's my transmission not sure but I'm leaking fluid and when I looked it looks like I have some bolts missing. I have a picture but I don't see where to attach it here. I had service done on it about 10000 miles ago. Did they not put the bolts back on tight enough and they fell off?
  • v6ranger2v6ranger2 Member Posts: 1
    Okay, i have a 2001 3.0 v6 automatic 2wd lifted on 33s and my transmission slips and bangs into drive and 1st gear i changed the transmission fluid and it still didnt help, its drive able but i do go mudding and im afraid im gonna throw my drive shaft or whole transmission
  • jokeabel2jokeabel2 Member Posts: 1
    I carried a heavy load and the trany began slipping so I replaced the clutch, master and slave cylinders along with both bearings and now I can't get it out of first. Whats up with that? I've done clutches before with no problem. My head is getting sore from scratching.
  • krrnyckrrnyc Member Posts: 1
    I just inherited a 96 ranger with 212,000 miles. Trans upshift and downshift is very rough. Went to have the fluid and filter changed and was told it could make the problem worse as it might break loose varnish coating parts. Anyone have any thoughts?
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Well, I agree that I would not do a 'flush' where the tranny hoses are opened up and fluid under pressure is pumped thru the system.

    But I would think just dropping the tranny pan and cleaning (if it is just a metal screen) or replacing the filter and refilling with new fluid would not 'break anything loose'.

    But with 212,000 miles, this might a waste of money. Money might be better spent on a rebuild or trying to find a used tranny with some kind a warranty. But another thing to think about - what is the truck worth? $1,000? Putting $1,000 (? who knows) into a tranny might also not be money well spent. Might be time to just sell it for salvage.
  • ralph74ralph74 Member Posts: 1
    Several years ago I had my 88 ford ranger transmission serviced and drove it about 20 miles. When I came home I smelled transmission fluid. I checked it on flat cement and I found it way over full. I took it back to the company and they drew the fluid out and put the proper amount in, but the damage had already been done. I have had trouble ever since. The fluid goes from the transmission back into the converter and when you park it with the front slightly down hill it registers way over full. It is now leaking fluid and when I put more in it runs hot and does not have any get up and go. What is the best route to take and who should I take it to? (McKinney, TX)
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    A wild guess here.

    Transmission fluid is cooled by running it thru a 'tank' that is actually inside one of the 'side tanks' on the main radiator. You can see two lines that run from the transmission to the radiator.

    You may have a leak in this tank. Coolant in the radiator is getting into the transmission thru this tank. This shows as the transmission being overfilled. I would think it would completely lock up the transmission rather quickly, but maybe not.

    Does the transmission dip stick look like it might have water on it? The fluid should be a consistent red color. Does it foam? Are there streaks?

    When the truck is cold, open the radiator cap. Is there 'oil' on the top of the coolant. This might be transmission fluid.

    This might not be your problem, but it's something to check.
  • sirsimssirsims Member Posts: 2
    I have a 93 ford ranger 3.0 2wd and when I got the truck the overdrive didn't work after filling the fluid I have noticed it will kick into 4th gear but the RPM's are till high. the guy I bought it from said when it was rebuilt he had problems with the shop that did it. one thing was the overdrive kicked in to much and it lagged when driving he took it back and now it doesn't kick in enough and it still runs at 3200 RPM'S at high way speeds with the cruse control set. And when it shifts into 4th it is not a noticeable shift how can I adjust the overdrive to work better and have a noticeable RPM drop at highway speeds.
  • tschludttschludt Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 ford ranger XLT 6 cycl 3.0L 100k Miles, it has a 3 inch lift with 33's. O.K. well it first started when I turn on my truck for the first time of the day. It will die down (idle low as if it is going to stall) back to normal and back down again (the battery gauge goes down when it idles low), and sometimes will turn off and I would have to restart it. Then after that happens it wont do it again for the rest of the day unless it sits for 8 hours or so. It also idles rough when stop at a light (but not bad at all you can just tell and feel the shake) Its been doing that for about 2 - 3 months now (when I got the truck). Now just the other day out of know where i start my truck and and was pulling out of the drive way i hit the gas I believe when it shifts into second gear it wont catch, the RPM's go up and the truck doesnt speed up at all but once i let go of the gas and let the RPMS's back down it finally shifts into second with a jerk. Then after that it really doesnt do it anymore even after I stop at a red light. But often does it when i first start my truck.

    The tranny fluid is dirty but not real bad, and doesnt smell to bad, its also full. Ive also done a fuel injection about 2000 miles ago.

    Please help thank you so much!
  • briannaillebriannaille Member Posts: 7
    Hello, here are the symptoms and details of my issue. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

    - 1993 Ford Ranger, Automatic trans, 160k miles
    - Often sits for a few weeks before being driven
    - Had been hard shifting into 1st or reverse when coming out of park
    - Have added trans fluid to it a couple of times, when I did the hard shifting stopped
    - Have recently noticed it being a little smoky near exhaust - thought maybe something was burning in fuel but not sure (or could be an unrelated problem)
    - This week it started hard shifting again, noticed the smokiness even more
    - Trans started slipping, a little smoke could be seen coming from the engine compartment - thinking fluid is leaking somewhere and burning up
    - Tried to add fluid and a fair amount of it ended up on the driveway
    - Trans barely engages now (not driving it)
    - Have not gotten underneath to look at things yet - want to know what to look for

    So... I'm reasonable saavy with mechanic work (do my own brakes, starters, alternators). I need to know what I should look for. I'm pretty sure there's a major leak now since the fluid I put in ended up on the driveway. In one of the posts I saw something about a hose and vacuum device of some sort that helped supply fluid. This certainly sounds like a possibility.

    Hopefully I didn't fry the transmission by driving it almost dry - it was a couple of miles to get home when it had started slipping badly, but it happened very quickly. The day before there had been no slipping.

    Any thoughts would be helpful!
    Thanks! Brian
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Educated guess says one of these:
    - you lost a fluid line between the transmission and radiator
    - the trans fill/dipstick tube has rotted at the transmission end
    - the trans pan has rusted and developed a hole
    - the trans pan gasket has rotted

    Since fluid immediately came out when adding, that'll probably rule out #1, but check that anyway in case it's showing wear or it's part of a compound problem.

    KCRam - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    There is a 'vacumn modulator' that is plugged into the transmission. It has a steel and rubber line (rubber at the modulator) that goes to the intake to pick up vacumn. This modulator is broken inside and tranny fluid is being pulled into the intake and burned thru the motor. This causes hard shifting, when the modulator is bad.

    I guess you could drive it long enough to pull a lot of the tranny fluid out and burn it. Or, if the modulator is bad, and the rubber line is bad, fluid might directly leak out there.
  • briannaillebriannaille Member Posts: 7
    Thank you both. I will get underneath and check for the items you mentioned. I'll let you know what it ends up being.
  • briannaillebriannaille Member Posts: 7
    Thank you both. I will get underneath and check for the items you mentioned. I'll let you know what it ends up being.
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Keep us posted. If possible... once you get yourself situated underneath, have someone attempt to top off the fluid so you can see exactly where it immediately leaks out.

    KCRam - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
  • briannaillebriannaille Member Posts: 7
    OK, I have some updates to this situation. My jack and stands don't take it up very high since this is a pick-up - for me to do any more I'm going to have to borrow a larger jack and stands.

    I added some more fluid and looked for a leak. Nothing. I started the engine and ran it for several minutes, tried to engage it in Reverse and Drive. It would not engage. No leaks. I checked the fluid level and it appeared to be OK. Stupid me, I had assumed that the leak meant that I'd lost all of the fluid but now I'm not so sure. In the past it had been losing fluid over time, so I was used to topping it off. Is it possible that I put in too much and it overflowed?

    So, anyway, it is not leaking, neither will it engage into gear at all. Before all of this happened, it was shifting smoothly and all of this changed within 10 miles of driving. There was definitely smoke coming out of the back end exhaust. So, I really think that the problem is the vacuum modulator and that it has completely blown out and is not providing any pressure/vacuum at all. Would this be a possible explanation of why it won't engage into any gear at all?

    I can get a new modulator valve pretty inexpensively, so I'm game to go ahead and change it. Since I couldn't get super close to the tranny underneath, I couldn't see exactly where the valve is. Is it on the passenger side where the rod also comes in? There was something towards the back of the tranny that came in on the passenger side, but it had wires coming into it and I didn't think this valve had any electrical connections.

    If you can tell me where to look for it, I'll try and get it jacked up a little higher so I can get under there a little more easily. Or, I could lose about 50 lbs and that would help too (except for my big head - mostly ego). :)

    Thanks again for all of your help!
  • briannaillebriannaille Member Posts: 7
    Bolivar (and KCRam),

    I left a reply yesterday to one of KCRam's responses (#300). Since you both had replied separately I wasn't sure whom to reply to. :-)

    Anyway, I picked up the vacuum modulator. I think I see a place where there is a steel and rubber line. If I did my research properly, this is an A4LD transmission? I need to know where it is located to be sure and any recommendations for how to remove the old and put in the new. Is it on the passenger side? I don't see any threading, so I wasn't sure what held it in - I just see a thin rubber gasket around the main shaft part. I wouldn't think it would just push in? The steel line is the other question - how does it attach?

    I took a couple of quick cell phone pictures for my reference, I'm going to go back and look at them and see if I can get a better idea.

    Thanks!
    Brian
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Pretty sure you're right about the transmission model, but from there, I'd have to defer to a service manual.

    KCRam - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
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