'99 Ford Ranger Won't Shift Into D

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:

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said thevoltage 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 .96volts but the only way I can figure out to do that is to turn the idle stopscrew. What is the correct procedure for this adjustment? If and when I doadjust 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.

Reply to
Ulysses
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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?

Reply to
Ulysses

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.

Reply to
Ulysses

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