Ford used the 5R55E in many rear and 4 wheel Drive applications. It is a good transmission but is susceptible to the valve body gasket “blowing out.” The symptom of this in our vehicle was that the transmission missed second gear under acceleration but found a higher gear when we let off the gas pedal.

This is an easy problem to diagnose and only requires basic tools.

Pull your transmission pan down, remove your valve body and see if either the gasket between the plate and transmission is damaged (as on our Explorer) or the gasket between the plate and valve body is damaged. If they are then you have an inexpensive rewarding fix. If they aren’t you can put your transmission together and know you may have a more expensive problem.

This transmission was used in Ford Aerostar, Ranger, Explorer, Thunderbird and Mustang, Mazda B-Series pickup, Mercury Mountaineer, Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type. This problem is more common to the mid to late 90s models. Torque specifications for the valve body to transmission bolts are 6-8 foot lbs or 70-90 Inch lbs. The bolts that hold the transmission pan on are 10 foot lbs.

Tools needed for fixing transmission shift problem:
Jack and jackstands.
8mm, 10mm, 13mm sockets and ratchet with extension.
Cleaning solvent.
Mercon V auto trans fluid (8qt).
Screwdriver or lineup tool.