'99 Ford Ranger Won't Shift Into D

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Ulysses - 19 Apr 2009 16:57 GMT

Hi. I have a 1999 Ranger with the 3.0L and, as far as I can tell, the 4R44E
auto trans. It seems to work fine in R, 1, or 2 but if it's in D there is a
long delay before it shifts and sometimes it feels like it's slipping. It
does not seem to matter if O/D is on or off. Sometimes it feels like it's
engaged then it won't go forward, then suddenly it engages and lurches.

The IAC was acting up and if disconnected there was no difference. In order
to get it to keep running I turned the idle stop screw. From what I have
read this was a bad move. Meanwhile, I cleaned the IAC valve and it seems to
work OK now but I don't know how to test it beyond the fact that it now
keeps the engine running at idle. Someone suggested that I check the voltage
of the TPS (throttle position sensor) and adjust it if necessary. Well, the
voltage was about .74 and there does not seem to be any adjustment on the
TPS mounting screws. Am I supposed to be adjusting it somewhere else? The
information I read here: http://www.fordfuelinjection.com/?p=30 said the
voltage should be between .6 and 1.0 so that's within the correct range.
However an old post I read on a forum said it should be adjusted to .96
volts but the only way I can figure out to do that is to turn the idle stop
screw. What is the correct procedure for this adjustment? If and when I do
adjust the TPS how to I set the idle stop screw position?

Also, is it possible that the transmission needs a band adjustment? I found
the specs (sort of) at the Ranger Station but it only says how many turns
for each band and does not give the torque settings or identify which is
which. While we're at it, what's the best type of torque wrench to use for
band adjustments? Is a "click" type OK or not accurate enough?

Anything else that might cause my problem?

I have two old Explorers with the A4LD trans and If I knew this 4R44E was a
modified A4LD I think I would have bought something else as I have found the
A4LD to be rather expensive to keep going. I bought this truck used very
recently and it looks like the trans fluid is new. It has about 150K miles
on it.

Thanks.

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Ulysses - 23 Apr 2009 21:53 GMT

> Hi. I have a 1999 Ranger with the 3.0L and, as far as I can tell, the 4R44E
> auto trans. It seems to work fine in R, 1, or 2 but if it's in D there is a
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>
> Anything else that might cause my problem?

I think I'm finally making some progress. I juggled the TPS and it now
reads .81 volts at idle. I cleaned the IAC again even though it appears to
be functioning properly. I had checked the trans fluid level after driving
it for about 15 miles and it seemed a bit high so I pumped out about 8
ounces. This seems to have made it worse as far as getting going in D.
Today, since it seemed to be slipping, I added more ATF, about 14 ounces.
Now it seems to run quite well in 1, 2, D, or N. !!! And it won't go into
Reverse. I think R is actually more like Park because the truck won't roll
freely in R. In other words there is no Neutral or Reverse. It will start
in R or P but I didn't try all the other positions because they seemed to
all be engaged.. My plan now is to disconnect the shift cable from the
trans and manually put it in R and see if it goes backwards, but I'm waiting
on assistance because I don't see how I can to that by myself without
getting ran over. If it does not go into Reverse I plan to disconnect the
transmission range sensor. Could the range sensor be my problem or could a
couple of ounces of too much ATF cause a loss of R and N?

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Ulysses - 24 Apr 2009 21:37 GMT

> > Hi. I have a 1999 Ranger with the 3.0L and, as far as I can tell, the
> 4R44E
[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
> transmission range sensor. Could the range sensor be my problem or could a
> couple of ounces of too much ATF cause a loss of R and N?

Correction: it starts in P or N, but not R. I only have Neutral if the
engine is off, otherwise it just starts going along nicely, and it feels
like 3rd or 4th gear. Putting it in R manually did not help. Disconnecting
the range sensor caused my CEL to come on. The backup lights come on when
it's in R.

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