5R55E Tranny...

Hi Folks,
I have a '97 Aerostar I bought as a donor for the drive train. It has a 4.0 V-6 with the 5R55E 5 sp. aoutmatic tranny and electronic four wheel drive. I got it cheap because it needs a rebuild on the tranny. My plan is to take the drive train and suspension and steering and build a chassis that I can put under my other '53. I have taken to referring to this project as my chick friendly truck as it will be very easy to drive. You don't even have to think about when to use four wheel drive

Anyway, I have acquired rebuild manuals for the tranny plus a lot of extra info on the tranny and tips on modifications to make. I even have sources for aftermarket improvements that are supposed to make that thing bullet proof. My goal here is to tray and get as much input as I can from those who have had some experience with this tranny. I don't plan on an immediate start on tghis project so I have plenty of time to take in consideration anything anyone has to aay.


Later Man...

Darkside Dave

Hi Dave, does the manual mention what other vehicles this transmission is found in? Thanks.

I'll have to look but I believe that some Explorers used them. '97 was the only year Aerostarused this tranny. I'm thinking that the Explorers used them sometime between '97 and the last major redesign generation.

Dave

havi wrote:Hi Dave, does the manual mention what other vehicles this transmission is found in? Thanks.

Hi Scott,
I did a little research and I came up with this:

5R44E/5R55E/N/S/W
The 5R55E, though mechanically similar to the 4-speed 4R55E, was a new breed of electronically controlled automatic transmission with an additional forward gear. It was the first 5-speed automatic transmission to be employed by an American automaker. The 5R55E featured more precise computer controls (necessary to accommodate the additional forward gear) and introduced adaptive shift control with a sophisticated friction-to-friction shift ability. Like the 4R44E relative to the 4R55E, a version of the 5R55E was made for lighter duty applications: the 5R44E. An example of these transmissions used in a single vehicle line would be in recent versions of the Ford Ranger pickup where the lighter-duty 5R44E is mated to a 3.0L Vulcan OHV V6 while the heavier duty 5R55E is mated to the more powerful 4.0L Cologne SOHC V6.

Following the original "E" series of the transmission introduced in the 1997 model year, other variants of the 5R55 transmission appeared. All variants are fundamentally similar to each other in design but differ in things such as specialized controls, gear ratios, or other elements based on the needs of the specific application the transmission is intended for. The first of these variants, the 5R55N, appeared in the Jaguar S-Type and Lincoln LS luxury sedans, and later in the 2002 Ford Thunderbird. The 2003 Thunderbird switched to the 5R55S and featured the option of Ford's SelectShift, which allowed drivers to mimic shifting like a manual transmission without a clutch. The 5R55S, minus the SelectShift feature, is currently used in 2005 and later models of the Ford Mustang. The 5R55W appeared in 2002 and later models of the Ford Explorer and Ford Ranger. Entry-level models of the 2008 Ford FG Falcon are the newest recipients of the 5R55 transmission.

Applications:

1997 Ford Aerostar
1997–Current Ford Ranger
1997–Current Mazda B-Series
1997–Current Ford Explorer
1998–Current Mercury Mountaineer
2000–2003 Jaguar S-Type
2000–2006 Lincoln LS
2002–2005 Ford Thunderbird
2005–Current Ford Mustang
2008–Current Ford Falcon

Another note of interest I came across is that the double numbers like 44 and 55 in dicate the torque handling capability of the tranny after the torque multiplying capability of the torque converter.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Later Man...

Darkside Dave

Thanks, Dave. Yes it does. It's the same/similar transmission in the Lincoln LS I'm looking for. Prefer a manual 5 speed, but the auto seems alot more common in the LS's.

havi wrote:Thanks, Dave. Yes it does. It's the same/similar transmission in the Lincoln LS I'm looking for. Prefer a manual 5 speed, but the auto seems alot more common in the LS's.

I understand the need for a manual tranny but in casea where I am going to be in the driver's seat for hours on end, I prefer the auto. I really believe that automatics have been improved to the pointn where they are as reliable or more so than manuals for a lot of applications.

Later Man...

Darkside Dave

Hi Scott,
Here is some more info related to the 5R55e tranny that i found interesting.

Ford Bordeaux Automatic Transmissions:

Ford Motor Company's Bordeaux Automatic Transmission Plant, in Blanquefort, France (in the Bordeaux metropolitan area) produces automatic transmissions for a variety of rear-wheel drive vehicles. The facility opened in 1973 and was shortly followed by an expansion, the Bordeaux Transaxle Plant, in 1976 to focus on automatic transmissions for front-wheel drive Fords. Bordeaux Automatic Transmission's first product was the C3 3-speed automatic transmission for the Ford Pinto. The C3 design was succeeded by the A4LD 4-speed automatic during the mid 1980s and was in turn succeeded by the 4R44 and 4R55 4-speed automatics during the mid 1990s. The Bordeaux Automatic Transmission Plant's current products are the 5R44 and 5R55 5-speed automatic transmissions.

In February of 2009, Ford confirmed its intent to sell the Bordeaux Automatic Transmission Plant for an undisclosed sum to a French company, HZ Holding France SAS, which owns a steel forging operation near Metz. Though the sale will be completed as early as April of 2009, the plant will continue to provide transmissions for Ford until 2011 and employment levels at the plant are expected to remain unchanged. Up to and after the production of automatic transmissions for Ford at the Bordeaux plant, HZ Holding expects to invest as much as 200 million Euros in the plant for new industrial projects, including producing components for wind turbines.[1]

Dave

Well Dave, it's not a 5r55, but I am currently rebuilding a transmission for my 2001 Dodge Ram 3500. The 46RE in my dually took a big crap, and I have a core that I am in the process of rebuilding. I ordered the internals from Transmission Exchange in Portland, Oregon. They sent the whole woks (minus hard parts and a rear band), including the HD torque converter, utility service rebuild kit, diesel capacity remote cooler, and a shift reprogrammer for 575 my cost. I also ended up haveing to replace the intermediate shaft, low/reverse drum, rear sprag/roller clutch, rear support, and the bushings inside the driving shell sun gear. It seems a lot scarier than it is, but rebuilding this things has actually been very easy so far. Oh yeah, the front planetary also had to be replaced. They sent me a 5 pinion planetary in place of the stock 4 because they were out, and didn't charge extra. The biggest thing is keeping everything clean, and in order. Inspect everything, and inspect it again. I found two more bad parts after inspecting things a third time. So far, I am still ahead by almost $1000 rebuilding it myself, and I'm doing it in my garage. No problems really so far, except that the kit came with a set of clutch steels that are too thick. I'll have the thin ones tomorrow, and they are also giving me those for free. When finsihed, this gas truck should have the transmission capacity of a diesel. Next year (after the court thing is over), I will be going through the truck again, and converting it to a Cummins, and rebuilding yet another tranny, this time with all the upgrades I can stuff into it. Next summer, my '01 Dodge Dually should be pumping out around 600HP, and have the pulling capacity of a small big rig. Get the guts, and give her hell.

Hi Joe,
In a matter of speaking, been there, done that and got the T-shirt... Not bragging here, just saying I've been down the same road with similar results. And I agree with everything you said. My first plunge was about twenty-five years ago. I had a '74 Ford van with a 302 and a C4 in it. I was poor and needed to get it going. I remember making some kind of special tool for the job but that's about all I remember about it other than the fact that it really was not as tough as everybody led me to believe at the time. After all, it's just another mechanical device, if you have the tools and some mechanical know-how, plus a little documentation and patience, you can do it. Since that time I have done a few others as needed but I have never tried to make a business out of it. I guess I like building stuff a lot better than fixing stuff. I am only intereated in repair and rebuilding if it is part of a build. That is why I will be doing the 5R55E, it is going to be a part of the build on my second '53 F-100.

About three years ago my son who lives near Atlanta did a complete rebuild and beef up job on the EOD4 in his '93 Diesel E-350 van. It was done about two years before that by a so called reputable shop and it lasted just over a year. They charged him $1,800.00 for the crap job they did. I really don't have much faith in repair shops as it seems everything I hear about is a bad experience. When he did it he went with a beef up and other mods. It is still running great.

Nowadays, thanks to the internet, there is a wealth of information out there on about everything mechanical, electrical and electronic. It is my goal to make this board one of those places that a person can come to for that sort of thing. That is why my only rules have been centered around keeping it that way. I want this to be a place for discussing what we are doing and how we do it. Don't get me wrong here, I like a little humor as well as the next guy and it never hurts to have a little here and there. But beyond that, politics, religion and other mindless drool have no place here. There are about a zillion places on the web for that stuff already.

It remains to be seen and tested to see if this board can survive and flourish with these goals and constraints. That said, I would rather have 100 serious members than thousands of wanna be's. I do admit to engaging in a little selective recruiting for members and not all of it has been successful. I am however very careful to avoid attracting those who engage in the hobby purely by way of excessive disposable cash. They buy everything and pay for everything to be done and still try to come off as experts. Just the mere ownership of a trailer queen does not impress me at all unless I can talk to the builder. I guess the best way to put it is, Do it right, do it cheap, and make it you.

I better get going here or I'll be one of those guys that talks more than builds. I got a project going in the shop I really want to get done and sold so I can get serious about my first '53 which I have already started to a very minor degree.


Later Man...

Darkside Dave

So, as much as we agree, were we twins in another life? I like the build. I even have a tranny shop horror story. Man, that's wild. Next year, I will rebuild some more. I think, that this site will attract more people, once those of us already here atart piling on the project info. Which, by the way, I put the big old big rig on U-Pay. At that point where I don't have to sell her, but if I do, I can start over with more money to invest, and get farther in less time, and have enough left over to get a bunch of other things done too.

I think you are right but it will take time. I guess it doesn't matter beyond simple impatience on my part. When the serach engine crawlers start find ing us as Google already has, amd the various topis atart piling up things will probably start to move. BTW, when I get it figured out how to do it I would like to make you a moderator of the big truck category if that id OK with you. Not really much to do here other than filter out the useless BS and being a big truck guy I am sure you will know it when you see it. Let me know if that itherests you.

As you can tell by looking over the board, I have tried to attract interests from all areas of the automotive spectrum, (well OK, I admit I kind of avoided the tuners and rice burners). So, any chance you get, spread the word, The key here is to diversify a bit becaause I think we can all learn things from other areaa of interest.

Man, I gotts go, I'll never get to the shop at this rate.

Later Man...

Darkside Dave