Hi all wanted your help or suggestions of what could be my issue here.
My Ranger has a 5R44E transmission and has been down for quite some time and won't engage into any gears. I have rebuilt my transmission in attempt to resolve my issue. Transmission has a new Overdrive sprag due to the original was busted, new seal/gaskets, all new clutch rings, and new torque converter. Valve body has transgo shift kit installed. All solenoids have been tested and function properly and all get proper voltage. I did find one thing odd about the solenoids in the valve body shift solenoid C is constantly on where as the others are off but have constant ground. Shift link is in working condition. Bands are in good condition.
Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on what could be causing this?

Engine: 2.3L DOHC
Trans: 5R44E w/ Transgo shift kit
Year: 2010 XL Automatic

 

Improperly installed the torque converter and busted the front pump?

 

+1 ^^^

All automatics run on ATF fluid pressure, this pressure comes from the Front(main) pump inside the transmission
This pressure, 125-175psi, is what engages and disengages the clutches and Bands(brakes).
The valve body routes this pressure to the different clutches and bands

On/in the torque converter's shaft are splines and slots, you need to seat the torque converter inside the bell housing and spin it to line up these splines and tabs to make sure the input shaft AND Front Pump are engaged correctly, and only then can you mate the bell housing to the engine, and it should go on flush, no resistance
Once bell housing is bolted to engine, you then slide torque converter forward and bolt it to the flexplate
If you don't follow this procedure you will break the front pump and have no internal pressure so no engagement of any "gear"

To see if this is the problem check transmission fluid level, ENGINE OFF
Then start engine and check it again, level should DROP quite a bit if pump is working

 

Thank you for suggestion but I have checked the pump as well and all seals are new no apparent damage to pump. Torque converter is seated properly I checked multiple times when installing to make sure it didn't come out of proper position/placement. Torque converter does not extend past bell housing and has proper clearance to be completely seated. Also yes I can confirm fluid does go down when engine is on vs engine off. This is why i am so stumped lol. Could the problem be that shift solenoid that is constantly powered on? Find it odd they would have that constantly powered on vs having a solenoid that is normally open when not powered and closed when powered on.

 

Are you referring to the EPC solenoid?
It regulates pressure, so is active all the time

Good read here in solenoid use and how to test internal pressure: https://atracom.blob.core.windows.ne.../2003_5_50.pdf

 

not the EPC refer to the image i have the solenoid in question boxed in red. ill check out the link thanks!

 

Checked the link looks a little out dated doesn't have info for the 5r44e but all specs are similar. So I have a feeling that something is wrong with the wiring or computer. No matter the gear OD on/off SS3 or "c" in photo above has constant power. Not sure if this is how it is supposed to be on my transmission or what hopefully someone can link some more info cause i cant find anything on this and my mind is rattled.

 

Might be a little confusion on operation

All the solenoids have 12volts with key on, they share a common 12v wire
The computer controls the solenoids by Grounding
This way computer can monitor each solenoid by seeing if it is getting and passing on the 12v on the Ground wire for that solenoid, if it doesn't see 12v with key on it will set a code for "Circuit problem, solenoid X"

A4LD, 4R44E, 4R55E, 5R44E, 5R55E are the same transmission, valve body changed with addition of more solenoids
Difference in 44E and 55E was the size of the Overdrive drum, 55E was only used on the higher torque 4.0l engines, 44E was used in 4cyl and 3.0l V6, but same transmission operation

4R and 5R are the same, back in the A4LD days the "good" transmission guys found that they could activate Overdrive solenoid in any "gear" so it could act like a gear splitter
So you could manually activate OD while in 1st, to get a different ratio, so in essence you change a 4 speed to a 6-speed
1st, 1st/OD, 2nd, 2nd/OD, 3rd, OD
This was not lost on the Ford engineers, it was a good idea
So in 1997 they added software to the computer on the 4.0l Rangers using the 4R55E, and the 5R55E was born, 1st, 1st/OD, 2nd, 3rd, OD, so a 5-speed from a 4-speed
Internally 4R and 5R are exactly the same

 

Yes I do have ground to all solenoids. BUT there's only one solenoid that is grounded and has positive power to it when key is turned to ON and its continuously on no matter what gear it never turns off and even on for a few minutes it gets hot. I don't believe this should be on all the time no matter what, the solenoid would be pointless if that was the case. SS3 will not shut off. What could possibly cause this?

 

On the 16 pin connector for the 5R44E transmission you will see 3 Light Blue/Orange stripe wires, pins 1, 10, and 11, these all should have 12volts with key on
Pin 1 powers the TCC solenoid
Pin 10 powers the 4 shift solenoids
Pin 11 powers EPC solenoid

Again all the solenoids have 12volts with key on
But none are grounded until computer activates them, grounds them

So what you are saying is with key on/engine off, one of the solenoids is Grounded, SS3, which is shift solenoid C

It uses a Pink/black stripe wire as its Ground from computer, pin 7
So this wire may be shorted to Ground somewhere, I would pull connect and test this wire, key OFF, to see if its a Ground, OHM meter
Then test with key on
If it tests as a Ground then unplug computer wiring connector in engine bay and retest, if its no longer grounded then Computer is the problem, if its still a Ground then there is a short to ground on the pink wire

Wiring diagram below
Solenoid wiring at the bottom
S100 is the 12v wire from fuse #41, in this year, 2006, so could be a different fuse number in other years, but the wiring never changed

 

So what you are saying is with key on/engine off, one of the solenoids is Grounded, SS3, which is shift solenoid C
What I'm saying is that when key on/engine off, one of the solenoids (SS3 or SSC) is activated, has both ground (-) and power (+)

So this wire may be shorted to Ground somewhere, I would pull connect and test this wire, key OFF, to see if its a Ground, OHM meter
Key OFF ground (-) to all solenoids
Key ON/engine-off ground (-) to all solenoids
Key OFF power (+) to no solenoids
Key ON/engine-off power (+) only SS3/SSC has power/activated (this will never shut off no matter what gear or OD on/off. Solenoid is activated at all times while key is ON)

When testing fuses 41 is good. My fuse layout is different than what I can find online heres a pic of it

 

Use the Lowest setting you have on your OHM Meter to test for Ground on the wires to PCM, 0 ohms is a ground anything above 2 ohms is not
You may have to unplug PCM wiring connector to test SS3 wire to PCM
The circuits inside the PCM that operates the solenoids also monitors the 12volts coming in on that wire from the solenoid with key on, so can show as a Ground, even though its not enough of a Ground to activate the solenoid.

Fuse is working if you have 12v with key on, so not an issue

I assume you hear SS3 click with key on?

 

correct ss3 will click with key on

 

Then either computer is grounding it or its ground wire to the computer is shorted to ground

Pull PCM connector to see which it is

It is possible for solenoids to short internally to their case/ground
With trans connector off test either of SS3's 2 pins with ohm meter to transmissions metal, see if solenoid is the short

 

Okay so finally got around to testing the wiring an so far have this information but don't know what to do from here.
>Testing the solenoid connecters, SS3 is shorting to ground while key on. NO ground when disconnected connecter from trans to solenoid
fault is not within connecter on/inside transmission
> Testing cables from PCM to trans while disconnected from tans refer to image below. I numbered the connecter for reference, unsure if numbering is correct to actual pin out diagram.

 

#1 should also be 12v key on, same as 10 and 11, according to the PDF I posted above
So start with 1 at the top right corner, instead of the left

And 6, 13 and 15 should be blank, no connection, which they are with that numbering format
4 3 2 1
8 7 6 5
12 11 10 9
16 15 14 13

So SS3 wires in transmission would be 7 and 10
7 would be the ground so on the transmission connector, test 7 with OHM meter to transmissions case, 0 or low OHMs is a short inside transmission

 

>Okay so I tested the resistance on pin 7 to transmission and does not read so its not grounding there.
>Testing PCM to trans wiring w/ wiring disconnected from PCM --- ground on pin 33 Grey/Red wire (Wires have different colors for PCM to Trans)
>Found that taking the ground off that is bolted to the body next to PCM, no ground is present.
>So things I learned PCM not at fault, trans to valve body wiring not at fault, wiring from PCM to Trans is grounding somewhere... now comes the hard part and finding where

 

pin 53 at PCM is for SS3 control in 2006

Yes could be Grey/Orange wire in 2009, and pin 43

In 2009 IAC Valve pin 33 also used Grey/Orange wire as its Ground<<<<

So retest pin 43, that's the ground for SS3 at pin 7 on the connector

PDF shows 2009 wiring

 

>So Im abit confused... Which connecter should I be looking at on the PCM??
I> only found 1 wire that was GREY/ORANGE pin 33 on left hand connecter and 1 wire GREY/RED pin 45 on right hand connecter, this pin does show ground with ground wire disconnect from the body. No wire to pin 43 on left hand connecter. right hand has a wire but is brown.
>Not sure where your getting these pdf but seems like you find them better than I can. If possible can you find anything on a 2010 2.3 DOHC w/ a 5R44E trans?
>I have a hard time finding anything on my combination of year+ engine+trans. Seems like my Ranger is much different from other even from the same year with parts and wiring. Took me forever to find parts for my trans seems like the 5R44E trans isn't so common on the ranger only the 4R44E/5R44E/5R55E seem to be common.

 

Pin 33 is grey/orange but its for the IAC Valve not transmission

Pin 44 should also be grey/orange, or match the wire color at pin 7 on the trans connector, diagrams can be wrong for wire color, but usually not for pins but possible

Below shows grey/orange for IAC valve and pin 33

5R44E was used on 4cyl Rangers from 2001 to 2011, and on 3.0l V6 Rangers from 2001 to 2008, last year for 3.0l engine